Royal Takeaways

We are over at Shop No 8 in Lydia Gardens. It’s right across the street from the PWD office in St Inez, Panaji. Being a takeaway place, our shop is mostly kitchen and a small counter. We don't have much room for people to sit down, so most of the action is in the back. The mornings are usually the busiest for us. We start getting everything ready before the lunch rush from the nearby offices starts. St Inez is a busy neighborhood with a lot of people walking by. Our shop is just one of many in the row at Lydia Gardens. It’s a bit cramped when we have all the stoves going, but we make it work. We don't spend money on fancy menus or lighting. It’s a basic setup. We focus on the food and getting it packed up quickly so people can get back to their jobs. Sometimes the PWD workers come over, or people just passing through. The smell of the food usually fills the shop by ten in the morning. We’ve been in this spot for a while, so we know most of the regulars who stop by. It’s a lot of repetition—cooking, packing, cleaning—every single day. We don't try to be something we’re not. We’re just a small shop in Panaji trying to keep the kitchen running smoothly. The heat from the stove gets pretty intense in the afternoons, but we just keep the fans going. It’s a simple business for local people.