A few vestiges remain of what was once the utopian getaway that was Goa. Conversations held by twilight on your neighbour’s porch (that still are commonplace in some villages), the local baker cycling to your door despite the weather suggesting that he should rethink his course and, of course, a common draw to both tourists as well as locals, the little pockets that mark the Latin Quarters of the state. In one such locale, just beyond the reach of the chaotic life that the city brims with, flanked by cottages and larger structures in various hues, lies an establishment with much culinary promise. There is an age-old Konkani adage, which states, ‘te poder gele, te unde gele’. Popular with those familiar with Goa’s colonial era, the vernacular expression aims at humanising a statement that implies, ‘those bakers are gone, taking with them the bread that they made’. However, in an attempt to be the last bastion of bygone bakery classics, one ‘landmark’ in Panjim, popular purely with those who know of the little alleyway that leads to it, is Confeitaria 31 de Janeiro.
Now a second generation enterprise, this venue is all about family and all that makes family what it is. The lady who currently ‘mans’ the counter, the perpetually effervescent Gletta, swears by the traditions that give the bakery its characteristic appeal. “Founded on January 31 in 1930, this little eatery was the brainchild of my father-in-law, Andre Mascarenhas. Upon his return from Africa, he decided to venture into the culinary line, first in St Estevão, before moving to the heart of one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods,” she says.
The miniscule bakery that can house a maximum of three patrons at a time, occupies a little corner in Fontainhas and being one of the city’s best kept secrets, survives primarily on what can best be termed as a stream of loyal patrons. Most of these return for creations that have long stood the test of time, causing Gletta to be on her feet throughout the course of the day, shuttling between counter and kitchen.
Speaking on the ‘big draw’ of the little bakery, Gletta says, “One of the bakery’s most iconic attractions is the Swiss Roll. We coat it using a cross between a butter-cream frosting and a chocolate ganache, giving way to the layers below that consist of a sponge cake that, with every layer, reveals a greater density of creaminess.”
On this same checklist of goodies comes, what the management has titled, a ‘Chequered Cake’. Designed to look like part of a chessboard, the intersecting lines between the chocolate and vanilla sponge cakes (which are light enough to be made of clouds) are brought together by nothing short of the finest masonry in town, except for the fact that the cement in question is the freshest of cream, extracted from the most content of cows. For those who like a little texture in their food, the ‘Creme Rolls’ make for interesting eating, as well as viewing. A golden cone of puff pastry, they are filled with butter-cream, before being topped off with sugar crystals that are generally coloured a brilliant shade of magenta.
There are no lavish meals or incredibly large eats to be found here. The bite sized offerings are of the ‘highly reminiscent of the colonial age’ variety. The items that can be found on the little board on the wall that serves as a menu are those that would find their way into any ideal picnic basket. Those looking to line their stomachs to the fullest should sample an array of patties. With Goa being the ideal picnic spot, no matter what the weather, Sundays could well consist of picking up an array of delights from a throwback bakery such as this, before tossing them into a basket and heading out for a day with friends, family or a significant other.