Sarah Todd is a known figure for Masterchef watchers, and is also an Indian “bahu”. She has opened a “Modern Australian” restaurant called Antares (meaning the brightest star in Scorpio constellation)at Goa in partnership with AshishKapur of the Yo China fame.The restaurant is called Antares, which means the brightest star in the Scorpio constellation. It is placed right next to the much hyped Thalassa at Vagator in Goa.

One issue I have with the cooking of TV chefs is this – there is so much focus on making the food look good that the taste and the soul of the dish is left short changed. The story is the same here. The food looks pretty but leaves the palate wanting on the taste part of it.

A whole lot of us land up here on our day one of Goa vacation. Starting with some cocktails, Kiwi Mojito (Rs 325) is far too sweet to be enjoyed, and Red Sangria Pitcher (Rs 895) does not have properly stewed fruits, making it taste like ordinary red wine with chopped fruits.

               Kiwi Mojito                                    Red Sangria

The menu is divided into small plates and big plates. Barbecued Prawns (Rs 350)are cooked just right and get our hopes up. 

               Barbecued Prawns                                 Salt & pepper Calamari

Glazed Barbecued Pork Ribs (Rs 400) are nice but not really falling off the bone. Charred Eggplant (Rs 250) is tasteless.

          Glazed Barbecued Pork Ribs                       Charred Eggplant 

This is where there is disconnect between what the restaurant says it is and what it actually delivers. On paper it is modern Australian food, which means European food with strong Asian Influence. In reality it is just bland and characterless Australian food that is unlikely to excite the Indian palate.

Charcoal Grilled Red Snapper (Rs 650) is technically made well, but is bland. Clams and Lobster Linguini (Rs 1300) at least have the taste of the sea so they do not need to rely on other flavours.

       Charcoal Grilled Red Snapper                      Clams and Lobster Linguini 

On the other hand Ricotta Gnocchi (Rs 500)is so flavourless and lacking in texture, it would have definitely led to pressure test or elimination. And what makes the dish really difficult to read is the hard semi sprouted sprouts on top.

                 Ricotta Gnocchi                                      Pesto Pasta

Though the ambience is great, and in terms of food Antares is way better than Thalassa next door. But otherwise food here is rather disappointing and bland, and prices are high compared to Goa standards.

The review was anonymously done after paying for the meal.

Ratings (Out of 5)  

Food: 3.5 | Ambience: 4.0 | Service: 3.5 | Value: 3.0 | Overall: 3.5

Meal for two: Rs.4000 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: Yes

Address: Small Vagator Beach, Ozran, Vagator, Goa. Tel: +91 7350011538

+91 7350011528