The Rice Mill is a quaint cafe and bar in Morjim that underwent restoration two years ago. It pop open its doors for the season on Oct 19 and is now gearing up to launch its bar and bring back the ever-so-popular jazz Saturdays. This corner house goes way back into 1955 when it was a local rice mill for the village folk. Thanks to architect Raya Shankhwalker’s intervention (and love for coffee, of course), it was transformed into a hip coffee shop in the December of 2016. It’s like they say ‘where there’s a mill, there’s a way’.
The peppy yellow exterior, the big teal windows, and the plants are the only Goa-elements here and we can't decide if we like the gungy indoors more or the green outdoors. So, we leave the choice up to you. Unlike many of its beachy counterparts, this is bang in the middle of the village and doesn’t wear the usual hippie trippy vibe. In fact, it’s all anti-aesthetic with its exposed bulbs and pipes, red brick walls, minimal furniture and dim lighting. Thanks to this, it has a charm and character of its own.
The menu isn’t focussed on restaurant-type meals either. It's ideal for when you’re feeling peckish as you work (love you, free wi fi) or just want to grab brekkie in peace. You’ll find pasta, sandwiches, quiche and the likes along with breakfast bowls, smoothies, cookies and of course, a rather diligently put-together tea and coffee menu. In a week, they’re hoping to add more food options as well.
We, of course had an iced latte and an americano and were in a happy place for the next few hours. Raya told us that they drive to a nearby roastery to get their beans in small batches so that the cuppa’s always fresh and fragrant. Don’t you like the sound of that, now?
