Hey guys , apologies for the delay but was super busy with my internship and had a short vacation to Abu Dhabi after that. Good to be back home and back to trying out new places to eat. So I decided to drop by Cluck Tales, the new fancy looking restaurant opposite Don Boscos, I've been seeing it for a long time now while it was being built but now that its open , I thought it was time to drop by along with my friend Shruti. As we arrived at the entrance we were pleasantly greeted by one of the employees and the owner herself who gladly assisted us with our table. The restaurant has a very great, modern and and open ambience. Everything is well spaced, airy and the blend of rustic and modern decor looks great, the ambience is something that appeals and leaves a lasting impression. We were then again greeted by one of staff members who handed us two large double sided menus and told us that we needed to go and place the orders at the counter ourselves. After having an intricate look at the menu we decided to go for the 1/2 spatchcock chicken with 2 dips, 2 sides, French fries and 2 soft drinks which cost us Rs.350/- which without seeing the dish already impressed us. I then proceeded to the counter as instructed to place my order after which I realized 3 things that made me happy. First of all the meal was Rs.350/- inclusive of tax and no hidden, additional tax amounts unlike most places here in goa . Secondly, he told us the drinks were unlimited and we could choose from Coca Cola, Sprite or Fanta. Lastly, we decided on our two sides, two dips and the marinade for chicken, but we were then informed at the counter that we can take just one marinade for the entire half chicken or take two different marinades for two quarters which was again a pleasure to hear. We decided to go for a balsamic and scallion marinade on one quarter and a morrocan harissa marinade on the other along with pilaf rice and fresh salad as our sides and smoked garlic aoli and pomegranate and pink salt raita as our two dips. The food looked so good and well presented that we couldn't wait to dig in first, the chicken in balsamic scallion marinade was super moist and juicy, with the succulent marinade leaving a glistening glaze on the chicken, the garlic and aoli sauce was great and the pilaf rice when mixed with some of the sauces and chicken tasted good too. Next up the bright reddish-orange chicken in Moroccan Harissa marinade which was again succulent and cooked to perfection and as described in the marinade description you could really feel the taste of the spice and the chili cutting through with every bite, it was spicy but not too spicy, just a hint of spice at the tip of your tongue, the salad was well seasoned, leafy and wholesome. However the pomegranate and pink salt raita dip good as it was, was probably not meant for this particular chicken and maybe for a more spicier chicken to help balance the taste, it was a really fusion for the taste buds, all in all a cracker of a meal for just 350 bucks. Towards the end of our meal we were once again greeted by head chef and owner Mrs.Manjula Da Cruz who was happy to have a short chat with us. She's been in the culinary industry for 32 years now with a decade in India mostly cooking at The Taj group of hotels and 22 years in England which also includes spending 2 years at The Emirates cooking for the Arsenal squad, yes you heard that right, premier league football team Arsenal. Manjula conceptualized the whole restaurant herself after returning back to her home, Goa. She also gave us an insight in to what makes the chicken at cluck tales special and the intricacy that goes into making the perfect chicken, like how she marinated every chicken for at least 48 hours before being served to ensure that the flavor soaks in through and through. They also use lava stones to cook their skinless chicken, so the meat remains moist and retains most of its flavour whole having low oil content. It also eliminates the charring, that most traditional barbecue and charcoal methods cause, while evenly distributing and retaining heat better. All in all its a much cleaner and efficient method than the traditional. Cluck tales in the end proved to exceed my initial expectations and definitely left a lasting impression, quick service, great ambience, well maintained, tasty food and very reasonable prices. We were quite full after our meal and didn't have space for the lovely looking dessert but will definitely stop by again for some more. Be sure to drop in as soon as you can, this one's gonna be a hit!
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