I ventured to Anjuna for Goa’s largest festival, aptly named the Hilltop Festival, renowned for featuring some of the biggest names in the psytrance world.
Cleffs, situated on a main street in Anjuna close to the giant supermarket, became our go-to place.
Its main draw is being the only “normal” restaurant open late at night, a boon for us returning post-midnight from the festival, with other options limited to food trucks.
First off, this place serves, in my opinion, the best ginger lemon honey. They’re generous with the honey, which I prefer for soothing the throat after a day at the festival.
Curious about their best offerings, I was advised to try their Indian cuisine, so I opted for butter chicken with two butter chapatis. Interestingly, it appeared they sourced the chicken from a shawarma skewer.
It took some time for my dish to arrive, likely made fresh. Observing others, I noticed Dosa and chicken wraps were popular for their quick service, but my priority was quality over speed.
The butter chicken was indeed worth the wait. It was delicious, perhaps partly because I was fresh from the festival vibes.
The chicken pieces were conveniently small, the gravy creamy with just the right hint of spice, and the chapatis large, though a tad floury – all in all, a satisfying meal.
Later, I tried a small burger from a food truck, which was disappointing due to its low-quality buns and mayonnaise, despite a not-bad yet small patty.
However, the first food truck did impress with its panko-fried chicken, arguably one of the best I’ve had.
The panko was decent and added a nice spice level, but the juiciness of the wings was exceptional, surpassing even some top fried wing joints.
On the second festival day, I went for the malai kofta with two butter chapatis again, as they don’t serve naan. The wait felt eternal, but the dish, with its white, creamy, and slightly sweet gravy and wonderfully soft koftas, was utterly rewarding.
Although priced at 450 rupees – the highest I’ve seen for malai kofta – it was justifiable post-festival.
The third day introduced me to a Goan dish, chicken xacuti, with bone-in chicken and a very spicy green gravy. It was overwhelming in spice and not to my taste.
In summary, Cleff’s stands out as the ideal spot to wind down after a festival day at Hilltop.
