Our Goa trip this year to ring in the New Year gave us the opportunity to relive our memories from previous visits. One such place was A Lua Resturant & Bar in Merces (between Raibander and Old Goa off Rte 66), a place we had been to about four years ago. Thanks to the sat nav, we found our way to this establishment rather painlessly.

As we approached the parking lot,we could feel the aura enveloping us. The signage looked somewhat modified - to read as Andrew’s A Lua. Then walking in through the ‘tunnel’, old memories gushed in. Once in, we saw a memory board. The good old founder had passed away; the memory board documented his life, as best as it could. At this point, we were overwhelmed. Ambience was over the top.

We were very clear on our menu choices, even before we got there. We ordered the Stuffed Crab as appetiser and the Prawn Balchao as the entre. The stuffed crab was this crab shell with a cabbage, onion and crab meat stuffing. The whole stuffed package, oblong in shape, is fried in a battered coating to give it the shape of a mini baseball. The idea is to gently pry open the battered top of the pre opened shell and scoop out the stuffing. The stuffing was juicy and exploded with some interesting flavors. Our staple was steamed rice, which was the perfect accompaniment to the spicy Balchao. Finally, to cool things down, we had a vegetable Raita. Life was good; our appetites in a full state of satiation. Food gets a two thumbs up.

Service was top shelf. The waitperson was so attentive and attempted to meet our special request to tone down the Balcao. For all those reasons, service gets a two thumbs up.

Overall, our experience at A Lua lived up to expectations. The baton has been passed - and to a worthy descendant. The ambience, the food, the service all jived in perfect harmony. I’ll bet the founder must be looking down at his baby, the restaurant, smiling and satisfied that his effort was all well worth it. We loved our experience.