The lockdown has withdrawn me from eating my favourite – burgers & pizzas, but not anymore. The craving for burgers is totally different and to fulfil my craving, I visited this wonderful burger café & restaurant in Calangute called NickyM’s Kitchen at Mr.Toff Toff’s Pub, serving a unique combination of burgers, sandwiches, salads and more. Now, let me tell you, these are not the regular burgers that you’d find anywhere and thanks to Chef Nikhil Mirkar, who runs this burger café in Calangute and comes up with some fantastic & delectable innovations of food – hence I call it “burger place with a twist”. Excited to know more already? Let’s dive into my personal experience at NickyM’s Kitchen at Mr. Toff Toff’s Pub in Calangute.
About NickyM’s Kitchen
NickyM’s Kitchen is a small restaurant that has recently started off and has taken over Mr. Toff Toff’s Pub (as known previously). This flattering burger café is situated just along the way to the Calangute-Baga beach, and is very easy to find on Google Maps as “NickyM’s Kitchen at Mr.Toff Toff’s Pub.” Chef Nikhil Mirkar runs this place with his wife, Jui & serves the best in town – burgers, double-decker sandwiches and more,
along with a very welcoming and delightful dining experience. Chef Nikhil has always been passionate about cooking and to create a unique dish to present; he chooses the freshest of handpicked ingredients so don’t be amused to find him picking up some veggies at the Mapusa market or the other local supermarkets. The uniqueness of the food at NickyM’s is that you will always find yourself savouring a unique dish EVERY WEEK. Yes, you heard me right! A dish with a new twist every week.
Being around the beachside, NickyM’s Kitchen is mostly visited by the working class on the coastal bed. However, the crowd is a little lesser due to the pandemic situation. Nevertheless, this café in Calangute can currently accommodate a bunch of 8 – 10 people in their minimal outdoor seating (Not to forget how colourful & vibrant the seating is) and they also deliver their delicious food, right from Anjuna to Taleigao. This implies that they are still doing pretty well amidst the pandemic situation.
Food with a Twist at NickyM’s
So, it’s time to find out what I tried at NickyMs and why I love this place so much! Firstly, I pounced onto the NickyM’s Classic Beef Burger.
This burger comes with a combo of crispy homemade chips and pickled vegetables. As mentioned earlier, Chef Nikhil likes to pick up only fresh vegetables from the market and ensure that everything is homemade – that makes it different. The very first bite was so satisfying for 2 reasons; Reason #1 – because I haven’t had a burger in a long time due to the lockdown and reason #2 – because I never had a beef burger delectable as this one. I’m still reminiscing the blend of the flavourful patty along with the delicious homemade sauces, making it just perfect.
After this, we were served with a chicken burger called the Toff Toff’s Classic Chicken burger, a speciality of Mr. Toff Toff’s Pub. It is more or similar to the beef burger, however, with a chicken patty which is so succulent and gives a flavour that makes you go “Oh Wow!”
I don’t want to disappoint the veg food lovers, because I myself consider vegetarian food in par with non-veg. So, we tried the Bombay Veggie Delight. This double-decker sandwich is loaded with fresh veggies – potato, cucumber, tomato, sautéed onion and a mild-spicy chutney, garnished with the Bombay Shev, just like the perfect Mumbai-styled sandwiches that my grandmother used to make for my birthday…it just walked me down the memory lane. Another pick from the vegetarian section is the NickyM’s Veg Burger. The juice veg patty, along with the harmonious taste of the homemade sauces and sautéed veggies, is just the ideal choice for a perfect brunch or perhaps an evening snack.
All the food would not have been complete without a twist….Presenting to you the highlight of the day – Masala Coke. Ever heard of it? I never did until Nikhil got us this refreshing beverage with a twist. I must tell you, if you ever visit NickyM’s and leave without trying their masala coke, you are undoubtedly in a huge loss! It’s been more than a week now since I’ve visited this burger café in Calangute and I can still recall the flavoursome hints of mint and black pepper (not sure if it really is) as some ingredient in this Masala coke. Well, this is Chef Nikhil’s secret recipe 😉 We couldn’t resist but ask for a Masala Sprite this time.
The essence of home-cooking in every dish at this burger café in Calangute has got my attention and I can’t wait to try the very famous NickyM’s Boozy Pork Chops & Chilli Con Carne – I’m craving for this already! Here’s something interesting about NickyM’s – they have a concept of ‘Tasty Thursday’, which happens every Thursday where Nikhil brings out the most exceptional meals like the Meaty Stew, Chicken Marsala and not to forget the Whooper (Chicken/Beef/Veg).
Furthermore, the place is regularly sanitised, a sanitiser for customers is placed at the entrance and regular thermal checks for customers as well as employees is done, ensuring complete COVID-19 precautions. The bar at NickyM’s Kitchen might not be open right now, but when it is, don’t forget to grab a combo of a delicious burger and a refreshing beer so that your weekend is sorted!
So, if you’re ever headed to Calangute, make sure you hop-in to this wonderful burger café and restaurant to try out Chef NickyM’s magical taste of distinctive food – burgers, sandwiches and more.
For more food review & a tempting food feed, don’t forget to follow your favourite Foodaholic Panda on Instagram.
