Hollywood icon Sophia Loren’s popular image showing her slurping on spaghetti greets you at the entrance of Brooklyn Bardez. Next to her, large-scale wall murals of Marilyn Monroe and Lorna Cordeiro – the Nightingale of Goa – add a playful vibe to the recently-opened space, which calls itself a ‘deli, market and cellar’. The century-old Portuguese villa at Assagao, Goa inside which it is situated, also houses the home décor store Rangeela.

For the founders Meghana Shrivastava and Matt Daniels, Brooklyn Bardez is the result of a decade-long R&D journey that began in the American Midwest. The couple who met in 2015 and launched the seasonal hit Verandah in Goa, spent the last 10 years running the Nu Deli food truck in Detroit. Matt, a graphic designer, brings a structural eye to the menu, while his years living in Mumbai provide the sensory soul.

The bungalow itself preserves its memory through original laterite walls and timber rafters, opening up into shaded corridors that enclose a lush-green sunlit courtyard. The deli stocks artisanal pantry goods, including specialty oils, small-batch condiments, and in-house crackers that are displayed almost like gallery installations. It is a slow-moving discovery zone where you can come across anything from bacon thecha and caramel-coated pecans to Japanese sushi rice. The display counters are loaded with cured meats, cheeses, and in-house bakes ranging from crusty sourdough to fresh baguettes and focaccia.

First make a stop at the “Our Lady of Coffee” station and get yourself a Vietnamese cold coffee or an iced Americano. Then seat yourself at one of the comfortable community tables and place an order for sandwiches, loaded croissants or a salad.

Bread talk

Matt emphasising that at Brooklyn Bardez the focus is on stratification to give sandwiches “structural integrity”. To achieve the perfect “pull and chew,” they do their own baking. We get ourselves a Brighton Beach with smoked turkey and Emmental with a Konkan slaw that has a hint of curry leaf, and the Flatbush that introduces a bold ghee roast shrimp on a Vietnamese baguette. The bread holds the stuffing inside without everything falling apart, and the contrast of textures results in a deeply-satisfying bite.

For those seeking the full spectrum of their cold cuts, the Bensonhurst, piled with Pancetta, salami Milano, and Mortadella, or the Detroit-style Maurice Salad with turkey, ham, salami Milano and Mortadella offers a dream line-up of cured meats sourced from artisanal makers like Mumbai’s Eleftheria and Fortune Gourmet.

The breads, truly, are the real heroes and so are the slaws, many of them drawing inspiration from Konkan flavours such as koshimbir (Maharashtrian dish made of yoghurt, veggies and mustard seeds), and tempering of green chilli, mustard and curry leaves, that Matt calls “an alarm clock combination”.

To end things on a sweet note, we pick the Double Chocolate Brownie, exclusively supplied by a local outfit called Love Brownies. Gooey and remarkably rich, it’s a gluten-free treat made with quinoa and amaranth flour.

Brooklyn Bardez is already looking toward its next evolution — expanding into a delivery and catering hub. Yet, the heart of the venture remains the space itself. “We hope to take the bones of this beautiful bungalow and use it for chef-led pop-up dinners and wine and pasta nights a few times a week,” Matt shares. It is a space that is clearly still evolving, but it is already a rewarding spot for a long, slow meal.

₹1,400 for two. Open all days, 9.30am to 6pm. At Bouta Waddo, Assagao, Goa. For more details, call 8530871787.