Goga Now Offering Bento Box Lunch Sets

Brad Turley of Goga has done it again. 5 years after first opening his Cali-Asian restaurant, the chef/owner is finally making his food available for lunch in the form of a bento box lunch set.

The Lunch Concept

Named after the Golden Gate Bridge, this small eatery features a great patio and Pacific Rim fare. The lunch is inspired by the grab 『n』 go bento boxes of the Hawaii beachside, a power feed of carbs and meat traditionally consumed after a morning of intense surf.

Along with your main selection of katsu chicken or pork, teriyaki salmon or chicken, and kalbi beef, each box set comes with a hearty serving of mac and cheese, rice, salad and two sides, plus pickles, kimchi and a drink, which is plenty for a midday meal.

What We Tried

We tried the Kalbi Beef bento set, Korean barbeque-flavored short ribs slightly charred and cooked to a sticky sweet finish, which prompted us to nibble and suck on each morsel until all but the powder was left in the bones. For sides, we were served candied pumpkin with walnut and lotus root with garlic shoots fried in laoganma. While the sides are meant to rotate based on availability, these unusual combinations show how robust dishes can compliment each other by changing up textures and flavors.

There were also other items on the lunch menu, perhaps for those who couldn’t handle the bento, or as add-ons for voracious eaters. We were the latter, so we topped off our meal with the Lomi Lomi Salmon (RMB55), a vinaigrette raw salmon that was fresh and light with little chunks of pineapple and onions and dusted with peanuts and sesame seeds.

We thought the Soft Shell Crab Slider (RMB75) was overly expensive, but it was still so good that we inhaled the crunchy and slightly spicy slider in seconds.

Should You Go?

All bento box sets are RMB130 each (with two mains for RMB200) daily from 11:30AM-2:30PM. Compared to other lunch sets, it is rather pricey, but this is a quality product. One can only assume this is a teaser for more lunches to come. Mahalo Goga.

DETAILS

What: Goga

Where: 1 Yueyang Lu (near Dongping Lu) 嶽陽路1號 (近東平路)

Tel: [phone]