Blog

Spoiler alert: it does...by a lot

You know when food is so good that everyone goes silent? That's what happens when you order Golden Gai with some "Mmms" and "Yumms" here and there. You put your utensils down, look around, and realize no one has spoken a word in the past 10 minutes. It's a silly thing, really, but it perfectly explains how good food is an experience, and that's exactly what Golden Gai stands for.

Bakery Square's newest restaurant, Golden Gai, opened for takeout orders this past May, and they recently announced they will be opening indoor dining in October! In case you didn't know, Golden Gai offers an Izakaya-inspired dining experience. Izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar, similar to a pub or tavern. Executive Chef Michael Taylor is the master of Japanese cuisine. With a background honed at the esteemed Gi-Jin, Chef Taylor brings his passion for culinary excellence to every dish, infusing each bite with creativity.

We thought it would be best to give you a little peek at what you'll be getting into, whether that's in person or in the comfort of your own home. This blog will take you through different courses at Golden Gai. We've rated each dish mathematically and with precision. Kidding, we're not food critics...just the marketing team who like sushi a whole lot.

Although, we are pretty official taste testers over here at Bakery Square. The scale we rate food at goes as follows:

Between our refined taste buds and scientifically-backed scale, we can almost guarantee that the review below is accurate and true. We abide by the morals of food law to never make a false rating in an effort to increase sales. That being said, maybe your mouth will be watering so much after reading this, that you'll be so inclined to place an order using the link at the bottom. But that's only because we feel passionate about spreading the love for this delicious food!

Starting off strong with a classic that somehow never gets old and never does us dirty. Not only is edamame incredibly satisfying to eat, but the ones from Golden Gai are perfectly salted. We feel that's where a lot of competing restaurants go wrong; either they're too salty or not salty enough. Edamame needs to be seasoned properly or else they're just...well...beans.

Better yet, Golden Gai has a spicy version (pictured). The seasoning on the spicy ones kind of tastes like Tajin which is not a bad thing AT ALL, but probably a little offensive to Chef Michael and we do apologize. If we could only take one food to a stranded island, it would be this edamame.

We haven't quite figured out the "cute" way to eat edamame. But from what we've gathered, if you use your teeth to pop out a bean and then *politely* suck on the outer casing (DON'T EAT IT), you really get to taste alllll the flavors.

SENSORY SCALE: +5 points
PHYSICAL SCALE: +3 points
MENTAL SCALE: +4 points
COMPARISON SCALE: +4 points

TOTAL RATING: 16/20

A meal is not complete without a soup and/or salad as a starter. If my wallet could afford it, I would get both every time. They're just that good.

The best way we can describe this miso broth is comforting. We know that's usually the description for soup in general, but there's something about this one that just feels like a warm hug. The soft bites of tofu and wakame (seaweed) add great texture to a pretty minimal and seemingly boring soup. But if we're gonna tell you one thing, it's that this soup is FAR from boring.

The house salad sets you up for the perfect meal. Light and refreshing with a lovely tang from the pickled carrots and ginger dressing. It reminds me of an elevated hibachi salad. You know, the complimentary salad you get at every hibachi restaurant ever that you never actually want but always end up devouring? Yeah, this is that but, like, wayyyy better.

SENSORY SCALE: +5 points
PHYSICAL SCALE: +3 points
MENTAL SCALE: +4 points
COMPARISON SCALE: +5 points

TOTAL RATING: 17/20

This starter...is UNREAL. Just like the edamame, it's weirdly satisfying to eat. Something about the way the cucumbers are cut into these little "C" shapes makes it that much more enjoyable. The beauty about this food is that it's so simple but packed with so much flavor. Golden Gai, please tell us your secrets!! The standout feature of these is that even though they're marinated in this delectable savory and spicy sauce, they keep their crunch. It's miraculous.

TIP: Save the leftover marinade and dunk your sushi into it. It's better than any sauce you'll ever use. Pssst, Golden Gai if you're reading this, we'd like the marinade sold by the jar please and thank you.

SENSORY SCALE: +5 points
PHYSICAL SCALE: +4 points
MENTAL SCALE: +5 points
COMPARISON SCALE: +5 points

TOTAL RATING: 19/20

Not to be dramatic, but this is heaven in a box.

The fish is melt-in-your-mouth level and the sushi rice is perfectly vinegary and prime texture (as sushi rice should be!). The box is designed with compartments to separate each food item, perfect for our OCD people out there that don't like their food touching. One compartment is filled with edamame as a nice palette cleanser, another compartment has the classic wasabi and ginger combo, and the others are filled with delectable sushi. You really get a taste of everything.

The sauce dish it comes with is not only ADORABLE but very practical, and in our opinion, an underrated feature of Golden Gai takeout. If you're not going straight home where you can put the sauce in a little dipping bowl, what are you to do? At Golden Gai, you don't have to worry *says in animated commercial narration voice*!

Now, our only and ONLY complaint is that the portion size is a tad confusing. It's like it's too much food for one person but not enough food for two people. We think maybe offering a smaller box that's more like a lunch serving and meant for one person would potentially solve this. But really, we just want clarity. Golden Gai, is this meant for one person or two? Does it depend on your appetite? Are we just weird??

Other than that, zero complaints.

SENSORY SCALE: +5 points
PHYSICAL SCALE: +5 points
MENTAL SCALE: +5 points
COMPARISON SCALE: +5 points

TOTAL RATING: 20/20

Now this...this bowl...was life changing. If you're not a sushi/raw fish person, this bowl is definitely for you. Even if you ARE a sushi/raw fish person, this bowl is for you.

The eel is so tender and the sweet sauce was a perfect compliment to the fish. The pickled cucumber added a vinegary tang to the bite. The soft, mellow avocado balanced everything out. The fried scallion added a nice crunch. It is literally the perfect combination of every flavor and texture. You've outdone yourself, GG.

Not to mention, the portion size was juuuuust right. Left us full, but not too full, and the only thing we craved after was another BBQ Eel Bowl...because it's just that good.

Golden Gai has other bowls like the Miso Tuna Bowl and Chirashi Bowl, which are equally as good, but this one was our personal favorite and just an overall standout dish.

SENSORY SCALE: +6 points
PHYSICAL SCALE: +6 points
MENTAL SCALE: +6 points
COMPARISON SCALE: +5 points

TOTAL RATING: 24/20
(not sure if this is allowed, but it's our scale and we make the rules)

No??? Impossible. You don't know good food until you've tried this place out. In all honesty, the price is really reasonable for the quality and portion size you're getting. We are so excited to have them as part of our Bakery Square community and are even MORE excited for you to try it out!

Click here to order
Click here to make a reservation

Photo credit courtesy of Alyssa Allworth