Bringing a sunny splash of colour to the grey streets of south London, this Goan curry house set in the heart of the Crystal Palace triangle is putting fire in the bellies of SE19.

The Venue
Viva Goa is a small, contemporary Goan restaurant tucked away beside its glamorous, gilded neighbours on the ever-busy Crystal Palace triangle. The decor could not be further away from the stereotypical Indian restaurants of the ‘80s and ‘90s, with mandarin-coloured walls, clusters of white and orange balloons and faux blue shutters gives it a bright, albeit slightly dated appeal. The well-dressed tables and fresh flowers add a nice personal touch. For the takeaway custom, there's a small, well-stocked bar at the back with the kitchens beyond.

The Atmosphere
Viva Goa attracts a local crowd and seems very family-friendly, it also has a swift but unobtrusive takeaway trade. The staff are attentive if a little bored at times, mind you they could just be affected by the background music. Although the restaurant usually plays traditional Goan music, on a recent visit old time favourites such as “She'll be Coming Round the Mountain”, “Roll out the Barrel” and the ever-popular “Una Paloma Blanca” played on a loop during the meal which was weirdly entertaining, although complete inappropriate for an Indian restaurant!

The Food
The extensive menu takes you through a wide range of exciting Goan dishes at incredibly reasonable prices. Although Goan cuisine is not quite your typical Indian fare, there are the usual crowd-pleasers of chicken tikka massala and lamb biryani to keep the old stalwarts happy. For starters, the Prawn Balchao (£3.10) is a zingy dish of pickled prawns served on soft, Goan rice bread, which is not unlike a Chinese steamed bun. The prawns are incorporated into a pulpy tomato sauce and have this incredibly piquant, vinegary flavour which is quite surprising but very quickly becomes moreish. The beef croquettes are small, crumbed patties filled with a smooth and lightly-spiced beef purée and gently fried to make crispy beef sausages. Each dish comes with an extravagant and colourful garnish, which does pad out the slightly small offerings.

The main courses, on the other hand, are more than generous. The heavenly and fragrant Tiger Prawn Goan Massala (£6.75) arrives in a large clay dish, teeming with succulent tiger prawns and served in a deliciously fresh, medium spiced tomato and herb sauce. The Lamb Shakutti (£6.45) is usually medium hot, but on this occasion, comes slightly milder as requested. Soft, tender hunks of lamb are coated in a thick, spicy gravy which has the very Goan hint of coconut. There are plenty of side dishes on offer and the generous portions make them easy to share. The Paneer Mattar (cheese 'n' peas) is a glorious blend of spongy cubes of creamy Indian cheese in a thick, spicy pea sauce. The Peshwari naan is as good as a dessert, with its sweet coconutty butter seeping through the thick warm blanket of light doughy bread is high on the list of must-haves. The dessert menu is standard mix of ice creams and sorbets served in either a mango skin or a coconut shell, as well as the sweet Indian ice cream, kulfi. The highlight of the dessert menu has to be the Bibinka Goan pudding; a soft, sweet slice of warm, layered pancakes with a distinct eggy/toffee flavour. Served with cool vanilla ice cream and some toffee sauce, it is highly enjoyable and probably fair to say, the Indo-variation of sticky toffee pudding.

The Drink
The wine list is easy to manoeuvre and as reasonable as it gets. £10.95 will get you a dry, fruity and French house white or you can opt for the retro chic Mateus Rose for the same price. For an extra couple of quid you can get a bottle of flinty Chablis which works well with spicy food. For sparkly celebrations a bottle of decent Cava is again a steal at under £17, and there's also a short cocktail list with various non-alcoholic ones starting from £2.95. The all-essential Kingfisher beer is available in both small and large bottles and of course, a tongue-cooling lassi in both mango and plain yoghurt flavours is again, a must try.

The Last Word
For reasonably priced, tasty and authentic Goan cuisine you can't go wrong at Viva Goa. A night out here certainly won't damage your wallet but the bizarre background music might be a bit confusing.

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