Conceived in the home of Jose Inacio and Ludovina Antao, J-I-L-A, in 1972, Jila is a bakery with a difference. Quite difficult to find and far from the city hub, Jila Bakery is nestled in the ancestral village of Loutolim, South Goa.
A bakery inside a home
Except for a small little tell-tale signboard to the left of the ‘balcao’, this typical ancestral Goan house makes it difficult to imagine that the place houses one of Goa’s best bakeries.
The entrance ensconces the typical goan ‘balcao’ with the ‘sala’ as you enter. Once inside, you are greeted by Rosy, the wife of Reginaldo, who is busy with a regular customer. Rosy greets us with a warm smile, informing us that the stuff we were looking for was all sold out. It was just 12 noon and all sold out?! To our good fortune, Rosy offered us some freshly baked Caramel-butter cake and rich Plum cake which was available for sale. We ended up buying some Macaroons and Geneva pastry as well. Although we missed what we came for – their melt-in-the-mouth Eclairs, we were not disappointed.
Rosy happy to help
Their Angel-wings (sugar-coated, heart-shaped puff pastry biscuits) are also highly sought after. Says Rosy, ‘we also make assorted biscuits, Melting Moments and Apple Strudel’. People who know about them travel any distance to purchase these delicacies.
Angel Wings
Jila Bakery is run by Jose Inacio and Ludovina’s three sons – Reginaldo, Antonio and John Britto Antao, with their wives and children.
Graciously being granted an entry into their pristine sanctum sanctorum ‘the bakery’, I was able to briefly interview Reginaldo between his carefully crafting the ‘angel-wings’. His brother Antonio too was busy cutting brown paper for the next round of baking before customers start arriving for their orders.
Their products are not only tasty but a class apart. Having maintained high-quality standards, Jila Bakery has won 3 National Awards for Best Bakery, Cake Decoration and Royal Icing from biggies like NDTV, Fox Life and Times Now. They also feature on Contacto Goa. To win the Times Now award, Jila Bakery competed with the likes of Kayani Bakery, Pune and Koshy Bakery, Bangalore.
Winners of 3 National Awards
Where to find them?
They are situated in a lane just before the Ambora petrol station, Loutolim, South Goa. They are usually open from 8 am to 7.15 pm.
Contact them : 0832 277 7224
Picture Credits: Jessyl Fernandez
