American | Goga
August 2010
Goga is a tiny, polished niche of a place that seats about 20 on tree-lined Yueyang Lu. Half the dining room is dominated by an open kitchen where Brad Turley (formerly of MAYA) doles out a string of Cali-Asian and Hawaiian-inspired dishes–foods that speak to his own culinary background. Turley’s a big man with a big personality and the dishes reflect that–the portions are healthy and the flavors bold. Our shichimi-torched tuna poke (¥80) is a bowl of lightly seared, diced tuna atop avocado, rice and ginger. Have all three in one bite and it’s a beautiful balance of prickly sweet, citrusy salt and creamy richness. The prawn and fennel salad (¥70) is three jumbo, grilled prawns sitting on top of a bed of paper-thin fennel and rounds of soft buffalo mozzarella. The salmon main (¥80 per half portion) and miso cod (¥95 per half portion) were both perfectly seared–the salmon buttery and flaky, the cod sweet and dense. The “Dalian Kobe” hanger steak (¥250) is a Flintstones-sized portion of beef atop potatoes and a sweet sherry jus. While good, the on-paper description oversells the final product slightly. The beef didn’t quite melt enough in the mouth to be deemed Kobe and the richness of the duck fat potatoes is overpowered by the sherry jus. Another criticism is that many of the dishes hit the same ponzu notes, which, if you’re sharing, makes the overall flavor profile of the meal a bit same-y. That being said, we love what Turley brings to the area. Its unique, no-fuss, upscale dining with an Asian twist. After working for other people, it’s clear he’s very much enjoying a kitchen that he owns, and when a good chef is as invested as he is, you’ll be sure to taste it in the food.
■ Dan Ouyang