La Vie En Rosé: A Unique Hospitality Experience in Assagao

Want to feel like you’re in southern France, if only for a couple of hours? Hit up Rosé in Assagao, a delightfully new entrant into the restaurant space, that brings the chic elegance of French languidly to the restful quietness of Goan village life.

I may have missed the official launch but avid luxury restaurateur Ashish Dev Kapur made sure I didn’t miss out on anything. He sent across a special invite to check out his new bar-restaurant and deli, and this was not something I was going to pass up.

Part of the Mademoiselle Boutique Hotel and Café, Rosé is another addition to Ashish’s mounting repertoire of incredible experiential concepts including Antares, Whisky Samba and The Wine Company. Mademoiselle is nothing short of a lifestyle destination, and Rosé is its epicentre.

Assimilating southern French décor and ambience with titular shades running through both the outdoor and indoor spaces, Rosé spreads its wings to accommodate a wider Mediterranean menu. The restaurant and wine bar finds award-winning chef Megha Kohli at its helm, leading a team of hard-working women that bring gourmet dishes featuring Greek, French and Italian influences to the table.

The driving force behind its sure-shot success is innovation. Ashish has attempted to transport his guests straight back to their European holiday. He wanted to create a space that would stand out among the crowd so patrons could witness something extremely luxurious in terms of aesthetics as well as functionality.

And he’s done it! Mademoiselle is a one-stop hospitality and creative hub in Assagao featuring a florist, juice bar, bakery, delicatessen, wine bar and more. It is ideal as a daytime hangout space, a place for a community soirée or even a romantic evening.

At Rosé, the French countryside comes to life with al fresco seating, a gorgeous fountain and even a carousel. The romanticism, heightened by an outdoor hot tub, is reflected perfectly in the exquisite food, plated to perfection. And for every flavour profile, every mood and every whim, there’s a wine. Rosé features the largest selection of wine in Goa, from classics to bottles from upcoming vineyards around the world. For those who’d rather have something frivolous and fun, there’s a whole world of cocktails to discover.

There’s a lot to choose from at this gorgeous restaurant, including mezze, delectable kebabs and grills, fresh homemade pastas, risottos and Neapolitan pizza.

Ashish’s team made sure I was happy to have missed the official launch. I had their full attention and boy, was it good! It’s a veritable smorgasbord for vegetarians as well as meat-eaters, with the menu full of options for small plates, mezze, salads, grazing boards, kebabs, risottos and pastas, mains and pizza.

To ease my confusion, chef Megha Kohli made the choice for me and it was spot on! We started off with a non-vegetarian mezze board which included smoked labneh, pulled chicken hummus, muhammara, baba ganoush, fattoush, chicken kebab, za’atar squid, olives, pickle, pita and lavash.

It’s recommended for two but with the rest of the meal that followed, you’d be wise to save tummy space. For mains, I dug into a delectable linguini frutti di mare with the freshest ingredients from the sea including mussels, prawns and squid cooked with white wine, garlic and garnished with parsley. Across the table was a delightful slice of smoked salmon with truffle cream cheese, capers, dill, red onion and sprinkled with lime.

We spent a wonderful evening under the stars, listening and dancing to salsa and taking turns on the carousel with our champagne cocktails. Tummies full, we decided dessert wasn’t on the cards just yet but we couldn’t leave without tasting any. So we took some home from the café and patisserie. And it was a good thing too. That divine Bailey’s strawberry tiramisu immediately transported me back to Rosé’s elegant space and the relaxing ambience that made me feel like I was on a getaway without even leaving home.

Ashish wanted to create something iconic for the sunshine state’s cultured transient and more permanent residents, and from what I’ve experienced it’s only a matter of time before Rosé and Mademoiselle are on everyone’s ‘To Do’ lists for Goa. Take a bow, Ashish.