Jolene's New Menu
(LI) How did you select the menu keeping the beach location and Goa favourites in mind?
(CM) For me, a beach restaurant shouldn't feel trapped by geography, but it should always respect it.
People come to Goa because they're open to slower afternoons, longer conversations and new flavours. So I wanted the menu to reflect that state of mind. We built dishes that travel across cultures, but every plate had to make sense in Anjuna. The humidity, the sea breeze, the local produce, the pace of the day – they all influence how food should taste.
You'll notice the menu moves from Madrid to Bangkok, from Coorg to Alleppey, but the centre of gravity is always Goa. Local seafood, poi, kokum, Aldona chillies, native chicken, cashews – they're not supporting ingredients. They're the language through which we tell every story.
I wasn't interested in making ‘Goan food’ in the traditional sense. I wanted to make food that could only exist because it is being cooked in Goa
Chef Mrunal
Can you tell us what are the recipes you brought back from Madrid, Bangkok, Alleppey, Coorg? What are these dishes like tapas, tacos, and green curry? What particular restaurant or dish has inspired you?
I don't travel to recreate dishes. I travel to understand why people cook the way they do.
Madrid reminded me how deeply social food can be. Tapas aren't just small plates – they're a way of eating together. That philosophy finds its way into dishes like the Madrid-to-Mapusa Prawns, where the spirit of Spanish seafood culture meets the produce of our own coast.
Bangkok is all about balance. Sweet, sour, spice, freshness – they exist together rather than competing. Our Coconut Green Curry carries that memory, but it's interpreted through ingredients and produce we love working with here.
Coorg has this incredible honesty in its food. Slow-cooked meats, pepper, aromatics, warmth. That became the starting point for our Coorg-Style Chicken Stew.
Alleppey taught me restraint. Fresh fish doesn't need to be overworked. The fish curry and banana leaf-wrapped Chonak celebrate that simplicity.
Even something like the Uthappam Taco isn't about fusion for the sake of surprise. It's two food cultures built around fermentation, texture and handheld eating. They naturally speak to each other.
The inspiration isn't one restaurant. It's years of eating at neighbourhood cafés, roadside kitchens, family homes and restaurants that leave an impression long after you've forgotten their name.
Jumbo Prawns
Can you tell me about the new menu – the Chef's Special Susegad Vibes? The Prawns, the Squid, the Croquettes, and the chicken?
The Coastal Susegad Vibes section is probably the most personal part of the menu.
‘Susegad' is often translated as taking it easy, but I think it's really about knowing what deserves your time. That's the philosophy behind these dishes.
The Peri-Peri Jumbo Prawns with Kokum Butter explore Goa's Portuguese influence, where heat is balanced by acidity and richness.
The Sexy Squids Frits are paired with an Aldona chilli mayonnaise because that chilli has a very distinct fruitiness and depth – you can't really replace it with anything generic.
The Cashew & Potato Chilli Croquettes celebrate perhaps Goa’s most defining ingredient.
Everyone knows cashew as a drink or a nut, but I wanted people to experience its versatility in a savoury dish.
And Mama's Love, our native chicken with coastal bread, is exactly what the name suggests.
Every chef has dishes that remind them of home rather than restaurants. This is mine. It's comforting, slow, deeply flavoured and intentionally uncomplicated.
Collectively, these dishes are less about technique and more about identity.
Mamas Love
How do you make the kokum butter and where do you source your chillies from?
The kokum butter begins with slowly infusing good-quality butter with kokum that's been gently hydrated, allowing the fruit's acidity and subtle berry-like notes to naturally perfume the butter rather than overpower it. It isn't meant to taste aggressively sour. The idea is to create a butter that feels lighter, brighter and more coastal.
For the chillies, we work with locally sourced Aldona chillies whenever possible. They're unique because they're incredibly aromatic. They deliver warmth without overwhelming the palate, and they carry a flavour profile that's specific to this region.
As chefs, we often talk about terroir in wine. I think ingredients like kokum and Aldona chillies deserve the same respect.
Adding cashews is a distinct Goa touch – where do you add this?
Cashew appears in different forms across the menu because it's such an intrinsic part of Goa's culinary identity.
In the Coastal Susegad Vibes section, you'll see it most prominently in the Cashew & Potato Chilli Croquettes, where it contributes both richness and texture rather than simply acting as a garnish.
But beyond that, cashew quietly finds its way into sauces, textures and finishes wherever it naturally belongs. I don't believe in adding ingredients as signatures. They should always earn their place on the plate.
Golden Gai
What I love is how you have added chorizos to the pizza – that is genius! Where are your Goan chorizos from? What is so unique about chorizos? Do you have a wood fired oven?
Goan chorizo is one of those ingredients that's impossible to separate from Goa's food history.
Unlike Spanish chorizo, it’s fresh rather than cured, and it's defined by vinegar, garlic and layers of spice. It has a brightness and acidity that works beautifully with pizza because it cuts through the richness of cheese instead of adding more heaviness.
We source our chorizo locally from trusted Goan producers who still follow traditional methods.
That authenticity is important because every maker has a slightly different spice blend, and those nuances matter.
Yes, our pizzas are cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven, which gives the crust the blistering, light charring and smoky depth that defines true Neapolitan-style pizza. The Goan chorizo simply feels completely at home on that canvas.
Tequi crisp Bartender Special
Can you tell me the inspiration behind your cocktail menu?
Although the cocktails are a separate creative programme, the philosophy is exactly the same as the food.
The menu looks outward but remains rooted in Goa. It celebrates tropical produce, local ingredients, citrus, herbs and coastal flavours while borrowing techniques and inspirations from bars around the world.
The idea was never to create cocktails that shout. We wanted drinks that belong at the beach, refreshing during the day, layered enough for sunset and relaxed enough that you want to order another without overthinking it.
Like the food, the cocktails are designed around the pace of Goa.
Jolene Paloma
A bit about the desserts – what has inspired you (Europe of course), is it Spain?
European pastry traditions definitely provided a starting point, but the inspiration is broader than one country.
The Burnt Basque Cheesecake naturally nods to Spain, while the Tiramisu celebrates Italian comfort and the Black Forest Brioche references classic Central European flavours. The Panna Cotta carries Italian simplicity.
What interested me wasn't recreating iconic desserts exactly as they exist in Europe. It was understanding why they've endured for generations. They're balanced, comforting and quietly indulgent.
At Jolene, desserts aren't designed to be theatrical. They're meant to feel like the final chapter of a long meal by the sea - something familiar enough to comfort you, but thoughtful enough to make you remember where you had it.
