Many monsoons ago when the sands of Calangute were just starting to get buried under concrete, in the roundabout that bifurcated the road from Calangute to Baga, stood a restaurant that sold pastries and snacks that also disclosed the story of Goa.
It was an extension of a story – that started at the restaurant, Souza Lobo, on the beach and ended at the junction – told by Joe Matriz Lobo, the owner of these two iconic eateries of Calangute.
Lobo left it to his son Jude to continue the legacy of Souza Lobo and daughter Maria Goretti Lobo e Fernandes to nurture Infantaria and both still stand out from the shadows of concrete that is now Calangute.
Infantaria started as a pastry shop, serving breakfast through the day but after Maria got married to Joel Fernandes, the restaurant sprouted leaves and so serves food. It is the only eatery in Calangute to serve a fusion of breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner.
“After my papa passed away, me and my mum ran the place but the Infantaria you see today is the innovation and work of my husband Joel,” admits Maria interspersed with threads of love.
Infantaria was the most sort after place in the 1980s and continues so today, with its pastries swiftly flying off the counter. “All sold out, sir,” says Pascoal D’Souza, the manager of the place.
“You will need to wait till stocks are replenished,” promises Pascoal as domestic tourists keep the stewards on their feet. “Our pastries sell very fast, hence the empty counter,” he explains to us.
Despite the new additions to the menu, classical Goa can still be spotted on the menu with palm feni still available at Rs 100 for 60 ml, a rarity in Goan restaurants today.
“My husband decided to extend what was being offered to give the place the colour that would attract the changing clients. Calangute does not attract the tourist of yesterday,” explains Maria.
And so ros omlette, a favourite street food of Goa adorns the menu card, along with dishes whipped up from eggs that remain a favourite at the place that begins service at 7.30 am and winds up at 11 pm.
“I got the reference of this place through Google and that's how I landed here. The food here is tasty,” confesses Arjun, as he dips his sausage bread into sauce before savouring it.
Apart from food, Infantaria has an exotic bar with prices that will not hurt guests from the middle-income group. “Beer at Rs 100 is a deal in a restaurant,” admits Gungu, as his wife sips her chocolate shake.
The addition of fish items, and especially the dishes churned out, demonstrate a fusion of European cuisines that Maria says began when her, “husband first employed a German chef.”
Bolo sans rival (cake without rival), a legacy left behind by the Portuguese, is baked at Infantaria but one has to be lucky to get it as, “it gets sold out immediately. You have to be present when it is brought out,” admits manager D’Souza.
If Infantaria is a good place in the morning to tame hangovers, it’s better in the evening to leave souls satiated after sunset.
