MEET MARIA
You know your food is made with love when people open their homes to you with hearts overflowing. This is certainly true in the case of Lloyd and Nerissa whose famous BBQ service went from rustic to restaurant over the years without ever losing touch with that love and warmth.
Residents of North Goa are well acquainted with Lloyd and his small space in Candolim, where he would rustle up mouth-watering barbeque on the spit and serve it to you on a bench. It would be polished in seconds after a night on the town, leaving every customer satisfied beyond measure.
A number of years ago, the couple – and Lloyd’s mother Celia – added an extension to their beautiful century-old Goan Portuguese home and opened up the restaurant, simply called House of Lloyds since that’s exactly what it is.
Lloyd is all in, everywhere, from the front of the house to the kitchen to behind the bar. In the midst of the garden and in gorgeous porches with wooden floors are placed benches, tables and chairs, comfortable seating done beautifully to reflect the warmth and friendliness of the home.
The menu is a mix of refined and rustic, all prepared and plated beautifully. There’s an excellent variety in the bar menu but it’s the innovative cocktails that everyone appreciates. They’re all made with fresh fruit and many offer enticing flavours such as strawberry and dark chocolate, kokum mojito, as well as watermelon and jalapeno.
House of Lloyds is well known for its lip-smacking grills and barbeques, with the main man focusing on his specialty – steaks and meats, his mother Celia on her well-known Goan home cooking, and his wife Nerissa on the decadent desserts.
We enjoyed a plate of velvety liver pâté with onion jam and melba toast and a smooth mushroom mousse served with homemade knäckebrot or Swedish crisp bread for starters, created by the very talented Chef Saanjh. For mains we sampled the sweet chilli Malabar pork – delectable pork cubes tossed in tamarind honey chilli sauce and special Malabar spices, and the famous barbeque beef and pork chops served with buttery mash and garden fresh salad.
An interesting spot to while away the evening is the bike corner, where Lloyd’s passion for bikes is on full display – from restored old scooters to the latest sports bikes. The atmosphere all around is abuzz with light conversation, delicious aromas wafting in from the kitchen, and live music on weekends including Elvis on Fridays and Toto & Petula on Retro Sunday.
As my dining partner for the night noted, the gorgeous presentation of food, spotless space and carefully curated menu topped with great service makes House of Lloyd’s one of the top gastronomic experiences in the area.
