Goocha: Seafood delight in Tel Aviv's financial district
Review: The third branch of the popular Goocha seafood chain in downtown Tel Aviv offers a falafel-shaped version of crab cakes, a rarity dish in Israel, delicious lobster roll and surf & turf so good you'll want to finish every last drop.
The stretch of Nahmani Street running between Rothschild Boulevard and Montefiore Street is becoming quite trendy. Recently, the popular Goocha chain picked this location to launch its third seafood restaurant, making its first foray into the financial district. A mere 2.5 months after opening, even on weeknights, the attractive, brightly lit eatery with the mildly nautical decor already fills up with customers, ready to enjoy a meal to the strains of pleasant rhythmic music in the background.
The menu, available in Hebrew and English, features specialty cocktails developed by Goocha, some of them chainwide and others exclusive to the Nahmani branch. From this list we chose one named Northern Light, and another with the provocative moniker Shameless. The former is one of several gin-based concoctions, this one combining gin with Midori liqueur, cucumber, tonic, and celery bitter, resulting in a bracing and refreshing cocktail. The latter, meanwhile, is the only one featuring tequila, this time mixed with lychee liqueur and orange juice; it is tangy with a touch of sweetness, leaving in its wake an unexpected sensation of heat.
After deciding to let the chef devise a tasting menu for us, he started us off with the spicy baby squid and tomato salad. The calamari and vegetables were bathed in a sriracha sauce laced with sliced almonds, presenting us with a wonderful interplay of flavors and even textures, thanks to the crunch of the nuts. While one has to be careful not to bite into a chunk of green chili pepper, the dish was so good we sopped up every last drop of the delicious sauce with pieces of the crusty house baguette.
Next came the crab cakes, a dish that is not found in many restaurants in Israel, even those specializing in seafood. Unlike the version common in North America, Goocha’s are shaped like falafel balls and not patties. Nor do they contain any starchy filling: they consist entirely of crab meat and ground shrimp. The balls were fried to perfection, with a crisp exterior, and served piping hot on creamy tehina. The condiments - a mild tomato salsa and spicier green salsa - were well suited to the lightly seasoned seafood balls.
Our first main course was another delicacy of American origin, the lobster roll: morsels of delicate white flesh in a pillowy soft bun with a sesame seed crust. The sandwich was a bit heavy on the lime and chive aioli, but once the excess mayonnaise was scraped away, the lobster meat in brown butter proved to be juicy and flavorful. The roll comes with a generous side of french fries made from scratch, plus a small bowl of an Asian salad.
Our second main course was one of the stars of the menu’s Surf & Turf section: the seafood red curry with beef filet. A melange of assorted seafood, highlighted by giant prawns, was teamed with spinach, basil, sprouts, green beans and peas, all swimming in a mild curry sauce evocative of Thai cuisine. The vegetables were cooked al dente, and the sauce was truly excellent; once again, we were determined to finish every last drop, this time absorbed by the accompanying white rice.
On top of the bowl of curry was a beautiful cut of beef filet, grilled medium-rare. The combination was unusual, to say the least; and after trying the meat dipped in the red sauce, I remain unconvinced that curry is the best way to treat such a quality cut of meat. The filet was delicious, but next time I would order it in one of Goocha’s other incarnations.
Both the curry and the lobster roll were washed down nicely with the only draft beer on tap, Alexander blonde. My companion enjoyed one of the four wines offered by the glass, a Chardonnay by Dalton.
The dessert menu is not extensive and consists largely of standard dishes that can be found in many Israeli eateries. There was only one chocolate option, baked chocolate mousse -- which turned out to be a soft chocolate brownie a la mode.
Our very helpful waiter, who was fluent in English, recommended one of the specialties of the Goocha chain: a Belgian waffle with caramelized banana. It was actually quite good: a thick waffle topped with ice cream and sliced banana drenched in a rich caramel sauce.
There are plenty of restaurants in the area of Nahmani and Ahad Ha’am, but the latest bearer of the Goocha standard appears ready to carve out its niche.
Goocha
Not kosher
Nahmani Street 26, Tel Aviv
Tel. (03) 559-7933
