Elephant & Co, Goa Community Bar and Kitchen

The ECO bandwagon has landed the paddy fields of Anjuna at a good time. 

With three coveted awards in their kitty – Best Bar India (People’s choice at @30bestbarsin, Times Best Bar and Times Best Mixologist @mr_.alcoholic – it’s the perfect time to raise a trumpeting cheer of past achievements and push the envelope by making a brand new ECO footprint. 

Six years after its first outpost in Pune, ECO ventures into a new state, carrying the vibe that the founders Karan Khilnani, Karan Kulkarni and Anuj Solanki have created with hands-on involvement and dedicated passion. The three first bumped into each other at IHM Ahmedabad and supported each other through their individual careers in the F&B industry. Once they had earned the skill sets on their successful job profiles, they ventured to create their own ECOsystem in the hospitality industry. 

What’s in store, Goa 

Goa is synonymous to open skies, sandy expanses and the wind in your hair. 

To add to that, the team behind ECO Pune dishes out a delicious vibe that buries its guests in a round of cocktails and a table spread with satiating flavors from our maverick food kitchen. 

The space becomes an extension of its surroundings and design blends with the open-air ambience. Use of wood adds an earthy, grounding set up that allows setting up tables to suit

the crowd flow. Everyone gets a spot at ECO. The ColdPlay song, ‘Lights will guide you home’ comes alive as it sets the cozy mood for celebrating the night. From youngsters believing in YOLO to introverts you prefer JOMO, ECO has a seat for everyone. The simple décor is lit by the people and faces who frequent it. 

Six years, after creating a successful stamp in Pune, Elephant & Co picked Goa to spread its community vibe. “It was a match made in heaven. Our vibe has always been that of spreading cheer by getting like minded people together and creating new stories of great taste, be it our ever-evolving food menu or whimsical bar surprises. Goa is the empty slate for ECO to present its flamboyant character,” says partner Karan Khilnani. 

Service is the language of hospitality and Khilnani learnt its importance during his prior roles at Ricks (Taj Mahal, New Delhi), Harbor Bar (Taj mahal, Mumbai) and Vetro (Oberoi, Mumbai) and Taj Tower, Dubai. “When our guests are on any of our premises, they are given an ECO welcome. This helps us build a lasting exchange,” says Karan Khilnani. 

ECO is a vagabond/caravan that shape shifts into the character of the place it sets up its outpost. They have turned to Goan produce and turned it into an ECO experience. The team has scouted Goan markets for fresh produce, gorged on the local street eats like egg rassa in Panjim and bebinca in Agonda and found a synergy with the state that attracts locals and tourists to its charming social life. 

In the past few years, Goa has become a tempting business opportunity for restaurateurs as the tourists are serious about their party life. “As restaurateurs, we make an effort on the backend to ensure the guests are getting exactly what they want and more. We have learnt to tell the pulse of our crowd and this is what makes us stand out. We understand our audience and also how to make a first impression on new audiences. ECO is not a one-time experience, but a community that finds its tribe of like minded people spontaneously,” says Khilnani. 

ECO Goa is a destination that goes beyond serving food and drinks. It is an invitation to build a community for artists to find an audience, for audiences to discover new talents and create a conversation built on kindness, connection and yes, we’ll admit cocktails! 

THIS ROUND IS ON US 

The drinks menu raises a toast even to the designated drivers. The teetotalers for the night their friends are letting their hair down. From a Tender coconut seltzer with curry leaf to ginger ale mimosa, to juicy tropical tikis, they won’t be left drinking just a soda at ECO Goa. For those taking the cocktail route, the Easy Sippers section begins with an ode to Gundu, the famous bartender at Joseph’s Bar with a Feni, chili and soda. The house favorite is ECO in Goa which has gin, grapefruit and tonic. Liquid Charlie spiked with scotch, caffeine and orange is a show stopper along with ECO’s home creation Wife Won’t Slap that has Vodka, pineapple and basil. From Tiki punches to classic picantes, Elephant Sour is a take on New York Sour with gin,

citrus and yes, Parmesan cheese. Negroni will never be the same again with Feni-groni, a creative twist on the classic. The Old Fashioned is aged in oak wood for 30 days. 

WORLD TOUR WITH ECO MENU 

The kitchen orchestra has taken center stage to whip up an indulgent menu and the progressive bar has been stocked for the bar chefs to jazz up eclectic cocktails. 

For the light eaters, the flavors make it a full bite with The superfood salad, Avocado chicken bacon salad and a bestseller already, the Spicy Meat Salad, an all meat salad with tamarind dressing. 

The sandwich section offers Tom and Cheese grilled sandwiches that come slathered in a spicy tomato jam, made decadent with sharp cheddar, emmental and mozzarella, and refreshing touch of basil and fresh rocket. The Guac has blistered cherry tomatoes, housemade guac, crumbled feta and roasted almonds on sourdough. An offbeat pick is Let’s Get Jacked which carries smoked jackfruit, pineapple and pickled red cabbage. 

The Chick flick comes with herb roasted chicken, sharp cheddar, caramelized onions, pickled chillies, rocket leaves, mustard mayonnaise, balsamic on sourdough. The beef you got is packed with pickled chili, gherkins and pastrami. 

The Small Plates are big on flavors with the creamiest Mushroom Pate in town served on Melba Toast, spiced baby aubergines for baigan lovers, Ghee Roast Tacos (you’ve not had ghee roast until you’ve had it at ECO), Lemongrass and honey pork skewers are juicy and charred while Indonesian clams with sambal and mint twin with the tropical vibe. 

Large plates take you on a world tour with Mediterranean charred zucchini, cauliflower risotto (It’s delicious and vegan too along with the Vegan tofu steak), vegetable stew with podi waffle, prawn stew with bacon waffle, a rare delicacy is the herb-crusted kingfish with chorizo risotto and prawn curry with poie. 

Flatbreads come in all tastes and toppings. Herbivore has goat cheese, cherry, edamame, Illusion serves mock meat balls, onion olives, fresh basil and Cheek is an OTT option with everything roasted chicken. 

The Asian fare includes a dumpling heaven of 3 mushroom dumplings, Pork and prawn suimai, the standout red curry prawn dumpling. The Asian route takes a crispy detour with the Vietnamese Banh Xeo rice pancake in company of mushrooms, bean sprouts and nuoc cham dipping sauce, and for the heavy champions, Chicken/pork sausage fries with dynamite sauce and Carbonara sticks bacon and spaghetti stuffed sticks are part of the menu.

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