GOA DIARIES: 7 Short 1 Long Cafe
My visit 7 Short 1 Long is a result of two separate stories that converged.
STORY 1: As a subscriber of the Conde Nast Traveller India, I used to also the magazine’s Top Restaurant Awards booklet. I have, over the years, gone through the pages of the Top 50 restaurants in India and seen the explosion of food scene in terms of restaurants – both the luxury and the affordable ones, cuisines – both global and regional and cities – both big and small. In the 2019 line up, Goa seemed to be the state that had seemed to encourage entrepreneurs and chefs to set up their kitchens. One such name I came across was 7 Short 1 Long, a restaurant tucked away in Moira village in North Goa – a place I had never heard of before. In 2020 when I moved to Bombay, it was time to start ticking off some of the places off the list – I started with those in Bombay (there are still some I have yet to visit). When it came to the other cities, those would have to wait until I visited them. I knew I would visit Goa; the question was – would I ever find my way to this tiny village of Moira for a meal.
STORY 2: In 2020 my cousin decided to go back to his home state of Goa. The family home is in central Goa, but he chose to find a place in North Goa which was more conducive to the work he wanted to do. I got a call one afternoon telling me he had finalised a home and a video home tour later I asked where it was. You guessed it! It was in Moira. Not just the same village, but 100 meters away from the restaurant.
Chances were high that I would finally get to visit 7 Short 1 Long. But on two previous visits (2021 and 2022) I was unable to.
I guess I made up for lost time in 2023 as I visited 7 Short 1 Long 2 times on my 5-day holiday to Goa.
Of course my cousin has been a regular at the restaurant over the last 2.5 years so I got the benefit of the familiarity of family. But that welcoming embrace extended not just from Belinda, but from the staff and other diners as well. Everyone dining there was family. People joined in the singing, I got a very strong review of the movie Pathan, 4-legged friends were welcomed, and we even got to celebrate a birthday.
What I was intrigued about was the name of the restaurant. Honestly it does not really make sense. That is until you know the story behind it. With most of her life lived on the high seas – Belinda was a chef on a cruise liner – it was natural for her to want to set foot on terra firma. She decided to convert part of her ancestral home into a restaurant and when it came to naming it, she decided 7 Short 1 Long – which is the alarm signal for ‘Abandon Ship’ – seven short blasts followed by one long blast on the general alarm and ship’s whistle. She had abandoned ship and was now home.
So below the fairy lights and twinkling stars, this is what I had:
Army Peanuts – Just our regular masala peanuts – but they were tasty.
Coriander Chicken Curry – It was good. Had it with garlic poi and poi topped with cheese.
Prawn Sukhem – it was superb. Had it with garlic poi.
We had a chocolate cake for dessert with ice cream. Sorry, no photos! It was so good that we ordered a second helping.
We also did a takeaway of their Thai Green Prawn curry which was simply superb. Sorry, too hungry to think of photographs.
Would I go back. In a heartbeat. Not just for the food, but for the lovely people too.
Location: 7 Short 1 Long Cafe, Raint Vaddo, Near Moira Main Church, Moira, Goa 403507 Telephone: +87793 35890 Open from 12 NOON – 2.30 PM and 7.00 PM – 10.30 PM. They are closed on Monday.
NOTE: I ate at 7 Short 1 Long Cafe on my OWN time and money. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are truly my OWN.
