By Tara Narayan

And look what I found one morning at `The Fold’…most agreeable Egg Shakshuka!

THERE are so many foodie outlets opening out in uptown and downtown capital smart city Panaji that every now and again I wonder about how much food matters to the healthiest or unhealthiest of us all in life. In my now occasional search for a decent eggy breakfast, after I’ve finished with whatever morning chores I have uptown or downtown Panaji, on my way home I sometimes go off track in search of an eggy breakfast…somewhere new, not the same old unimaginative places! I like to finish my loafing about town in the first half of the day for energy just flags post-lunch in the winter quarter of my life! But never mind all that. I also have some friends who do Airbnbs and restaurants and Tushar Meherishi is one of them, he said, “Tara, you’re forever grumbling about not finding decent egg breakfasts…go and try out my Chef Shivom’s `Egg Shakshuka’ at this new place called The Fold which I’m promoting, I think you’ll be happy.”
Where is it? At Tonca. Where at Tonca, Tonca is confusing! On the way to Camra Bhat. That’s where all Babush Monseratte’s “vote bank”ratty slums are with the St Inez nallah in a royal mess…he sighed, No dear, it’s all somewhat cleaned up now and my café has this grand mango tree which you will like.

So the mango tree did it and I found myself cruising to Camra Bhat, just before the bridge (and yes, the nallah here is much cleaner than I remember it to be for years and years, but a lot of real estate is building up)…and there by a giant mango tree was The Fold, a sort of cosy off pavement café, brand new but with a menu which tantalized my tastebuds.
Of course they would do my poached eggs for me if I wished but how if I try their Classic Egg Salad or The Popeye Wrap or Egg Shakshuka…egg shakshuma, what’s that? Chef Shivom here replied it’s a sort of Middle eastern or North African combo dish with poached eggs in a tomato sauce featuring juicy peppers, onions, garlic. Okay, sounds good. And it was absolutely good, served with a slice of soft buttered toast. The rest of the menu too intrigued with Devilled egg, Egg And Avocado Toast, Scrambled Up and the next time try The Fold Omlette with savory meats. Okay, a day later I returned for the classic egg salad – most dulcetly creamy cut boiled egg redolent of mayo, mustard and mixed herb mix (Rs159), it was too delicious and I thought I could happily buy a portion and take it home to stuff in a sandwich or roll in a roti. Plus, the young Chef Shivom Chauhan and manager Vadish Verma readily oblige if I say, please put some peanut butter on my toast instead of dairy butter…I had an altogether memorable breakfast brunch under the mango tree at this cool pavement café where you can see life moving up and down at a slow pace although crowded Camra Bhat is just a stone’s throw away.
A real tucked away café is The Fold at Southern Creek Residences, you may sit in or out on pavement by the mango tree as I wish to admire the mango tree and red bamboo…a poster up says The Fold offers “books, coffee, music and more” – the egg menu is more adventurous than I’ve seen elsewhere and so is the service…er…chalked up on a board is the “Song of the Day” which is “Truly Madly Deeply” by Savage Garden. I’m out of touch with music, it went out of my life quite some time ago. I like The Fold enough to seek out for a quiet break, al fresco on the pavement of course and I dare it would appeal to students and gen next…still said Chef Shivom Chauhan and manager Vadish Verma, they opened only last month in November, they have a long way to go, it’s their boss’s very own baby! Ah, their boss, I wish him well, he’s become a good sort of a friend. I’m going back for the “egg shakshuka” or the “classic egg salad”…maybe check out one or two more things on the menu. Do go if you want a break from routine.
TO move on to something else last week when I raved about the GCCI’s Asturi finds this year I forgot to mention this absolutely tempting black peppery dark cocoa-laced chocolate very new in the market – wanted to buy the entire range but forgot at the last moment! Usually cocoa-rich chocolate is hard to find but the Hillwa Chocolates from Wayanad cocoa farms were offering “bean to bar” natural chocolates absolutely sublime…take your pick from dark chocolate 60% in various flavors including absolutely 100% cocoa chocolate, quite bemused I tasted the black pepper chocolate and experienced a 100% fida moment! Look up Hillwa Chocolates, wish I’d picked up their illustrated pamphlets.

ALSO, a friend called to ask for more information about the “halim” seeds ladoo I’d bought and what are these seeds? These reddish halim seeds are a powerhouse of health and wellbeing! Call them halim seeds or garden cress seeds in English, “aliv” in Marathi, “alvi” in Kannada. The nutritional powerhouse halim is rich in iron, protein, fiber, vitamin A, calcium, folate and widely considered both digestive aid and immunity booster.
Of course halim seeds are celebrated in Ayurveda and commonly prescribed as post-natal food for women in the form of ladoo, kheer, halva – but never to be eaten raw. Soak the seeds (much like falooda and chia seeds) in water or milk…yes, the seeds are noted for boosting hemoglobin levels in blood cells. Anemic Indian women can do with halim seed food in their diet and so can malnutrition ridden TB patients.
The two “ladoo women” Mayurakshi Abhisheki and Chitra Kelkar of Mangesh village do these soft mildly sweet halim ladoo (they have a short shelf life and have to be stored in the fridge), along with their other range of jaggery-sweetened ladoo – find the ladoo stocked with Neeraj Amonkar at Amonkar Enterprises (next to Honda Showroom at Taleigao). Interesting place, quite a few temptations here by way of a wide selection of ladoo and home-made savory snacks. You won’t regret calling here one of these days.