Shankarz By The Sea Mandrem

First and foremost I must commend the utterly conscientious and hospitable staff at Shankarz. Unfortunately, our arrival was at the ungodly hour of 4 am, but despite the hour, we were met and politely shown to our spacious and neat room. On awakening and whilst sitting on our verandah, I was able to appreciate the pretty lawn and the garden which pleasingly faced our room, which (by the way) offered a partial view of the sea. And It is only a brief two-minute walk before you're on the beach and the inviting Arabian Sea. The restaurant at Shankarz was incredibly relaxing, with the option to recline in the low cushioned seats, which is perfect after a meal. The restaurant was not particularly busy when we were there, which was contrary to the excellent service, food and ambiance. We invited friends for food, two of whom were 4 months into an extended trip around india, another friend who spends the winter in north Goa and other friends from australia/england. By the way, we all love fish and Indian food (some wanted it spicy, others not so much) and the food was delicious, but above all you could taste how fresh it was, you could actually taste the sea! We had a massive king fish (cooked three different ways), tiger prawns (yummy!), rice, salad and fries. Also, the staff allowed me to plug in my phone so we could play our music. The restaurant was rarely busy and perhaps the reason for this was simply because it was off the main road (so no passing traffic, but quiet) and it is not directly on the beach. The sunrise bar and restaurant is closer to the beach, but the staff at sunrise are indifferent, the food is not as good as shankarz, the atmosphere is quite sterile and they play the same euro dance tunes very loudly, regardless of the time of the day-so no chilled sunset. Overall I cannot recommend highly enough Shankarz. The food was great, they make the best coffee this side of naples (actuall real espresso!!). I forget to mention breakfast - which was the best I found. Fresh fruit juice, an actual full english with beans, hash browns, bacon, etc. Location was good and the price was reasonable. If you go and you love fish, do yourself a favour and eat there and say hi to Ranjit (head honcho), Joy (top guy/best service) and shamelfully I cannot remember another staff members name, but say hi. Namaste xxx