First off, do not let the name get to you — there is nothing about Gawky Goose that suggests you will be ogled at in an unseemly manner. Opened just before the lockdown, Gawky or GG as it is popularly called by GenZ, has slowly and steadily been making its presence felt.
Tucked away in a lane in a part of the city bustling with pubs, clubs and a dozen restaurants dishing out different cuisines, what makes Gawky Goose a draw are its extensive seating options — two outdoors and one inside. And perhaps best of all is the pet-friendly zone on the outer side of the restaurant so pet parents do not have to make an ungainly dash for the door under any circumstance.
With restaurants a dime a dozen in the neighbourhood, we asked the chef and bartender to ply us with their signature dishes and they complied taking our requests into consideration. What is impressive here is the range of vegetarian options across courses and cuisines, which is quite commendable considering most places are still content to remain in the potatoes-paneer-cauliflower province.
One of the dishes at Gawky Goose | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
We start with the chilli fry edamame which went well with our drinks — the litchi & rose Cooler and zaffarano hooch. The cooler uses lime juice instead of gin in a signature cocktail here called floral fizz,and it made for a light refreshing drink in the middle of the day. The hooch was an intense blend of bourbon, saffron and grapefruit syrups topped with hazelnut foam.
Next, was the Amritsari paneer and burnt chilli chicken tikka. The paneer was soft and succulent, retaining the flavours of its marinade and is served with roasted pineapple chutney.
The burnt chilli chicken was interesting on multiple counts — it really looks burnt, but if you go past the smoky aftertaste, you understand why it complements the flavours of the meat which was also well marinated and tender. The burani yoghurt sauce offsets its spice quotient.
The second set of drinks included roan pigeon wings, a strikingly coloured concoction of gin, blue pea tea, ginger ale and lime juice, topped with an orange jelly wedge which gave it a zesty kick, and shock, a simple, mellow mocktail of guava juice and black currant.
One of the dishes at Gawky Goose | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Both the small plates that turned up next were delightfully delicious and it is easy to understand why they fall into Gawky’s signature dish category. I would say do not try and imagine what the corn and orange cake is, just so you will be pleasantly surprised when it does arrive. First, its neither a cake nor sweet — deep fried pockets of mashed cornstuffed with a cheesy, Thai curried mayo; second, the burst of flavour and texture make it a great choice for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
The coconut curried prawns make a case for fantastic presentation. It is ordinary neer dosa and a tasty prawn curry plated to perfection so it can be shared without getting messy; that the prawns were juicy and fresh make it an all-round winner.
To be honest, after the starters and small plates, a main course was not on the top of our to-eat list, but for the purpose of this review we tried a Euro Asian vegetable curry. This two-in-one dish serves jasmine rice and vegetables cooked in a base of coconut milk and Singapore curry powder; a non-vegetarian option with chicken is also available on demand.
One of the dishes at Gawky Goose | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The desserts were a scrumptious and despite protestations of “being too full” were polished off without second thought. The tres leches lived up to its reputation of being a milky, creamy delight, while the cocoa Barry chocolate nemesis was decadence in the guise of a dark chocolate and orange mousse..
Faults at Gawky would not be with the food, but rather the lack of cutlery that would normally accompany a dish and the offer to serve it for you. And if you are a stickler for nomenclature, the at-odds naming of dishes and drinks could be either irksome or amusing.
Gawky Goose is on #77, Wind Tunnel Rd, Muniyappa Layout, Murgesh Pallya, Bengaluru - 560017
One of the dishes at Gawky Goose | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Gawky Goose
Gawky Goose | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
