Restaurant Name & Location: Café Mo’s, Panjim-Goa. Date of Visit: August 31st, 2024
Date of Visit: August 31st, 2024
It was the weekend and a Saturday when three busy friends decided to meet over some conversations and love for exploring new food flavors. The Japanese culture and food have recently influenced us and thus we wanted to try out the few places that offered food from or inspired by Japan. We came across this café in Goa that is said to be serving dishes inspired by Japanese flavors. We were in search of a good Matcha dish and hence shortlisted our search on this café named: Mo’s Café.
Mo’s Cafe is located in the quaint streets of Fontainhas and serves a menu inspired by local Goan produce and Japanese flavors.
We were greeted by the café manager with a little friction (maybe because of the busy crowd situation). But she instantly managed to get us a seat.
Ambiance: The place offers both a indoor AC seating and an outdoor seating area that is surrounded by lush green plants. While the place is small, it’s a cozy spot for a friends get- together or solo date. The café is very popular for its range of coffees and a wide menu with variety of food options from vegan, gluten free to non-vegetarian options, while we specifically choose the cafe for trying out some dishes made with Matcha!
The restaurant, kitchen and dining area were well maintained and the staff made sure they were hospitable towards the customers. The staff looked a bit distracted (maybe due to the ongoing crowd) while they did make sure we got a seating.
Getting to the most exciting part about our visit to the café was ordering the dishes. I take my obsession with matcha very seriously! hence we opted to try their new addition the matcha mooncakes and to pair with it a bowl of Vanilla Gelato.
The Vanilla Gelato was nice and subtle to my pallet and was not at all heavy. The vanilla flavor was not overpowering and overall a very refreshing gelato for the humid weather of Goa. It was served in a minimal-looking neutral color bowl that gave a nice calming effect during dining. It was priced at 160/- for a single scoop.
Moving next to the dessert I was very excited: the Matcha mooncake! As a personal opinion, it didn’t quite meet my expectations due to a few reasons:
1) I have an acquired taste for Matcha and prefer it a tinge bitter over it being overly sweet.
2) The cream cheese filling with the sweet mooncake made it overly sweet not getting any taste of the Matcha,
3) What makes Matcha an interesting combination with desserts is it gives a rich, savory depth to the overall dessert hence the flavor profile of a Matcha dessert has to have a good balance of slight bitterness paired with a subtle sweet flavor.
Value for Money: I found the prices were a bit too expensive considering the portion served.
Conclusion: While our conversations covered the cost of the desserts, we were happy we tried something different. As a customer visiting this café, I would be a little skeptical considering the portion size and price it was served at. Considering my first visit to this café, I might have not gotten to try other food options to form a strong opinion about the food.
But this café is a good option if you are looking to explore a new food place in Goa or visit it as a co working space.
As an overall rating based on my first-time experience,
I would rate the following : Food: 3.5/5 , Service: 3.5/5 , Ambiance: 4/5.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this review are based on my personal experience and taste preferences. What I find delicious or enjoyable may differ from others’ tastes. This review is intended to provide an honest account of my visit to the café, but it should not be taken as a definitive judgment. Prices, menu items, and service quality may vary depending on the day and time of your visit. I encourage readers to visit the café and form their own opinions. This review is not sponsored, and I received no compensation from the café for writing it.
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