Have you tried Central American cuisine?
A review of new restaurant opening Girl & The Goose by Nicaraguan chef Gabriela Chamorro. And a no 48 GLOBAL Rising Food & Drink ranking for this newsletter!
Before we tuck into this month’s restaurant review, the above surprise happened. The day after publishing my Michelin opinion piece, this newsletter was ranked no 48 GLOBALLY in the Rising Food & Drink category, a new leaderboard that Substack launched a couple of months ago. According to Substack this top 100 ranking is down to:
This new view highlights the fastest-growing publications within a category based on paid subscription growth. This tab helps emerging writers and creators get discovered by surfacing what’s trending across Substack.
I am gobsmacked and thrilled, in particular as I am in the great company of big names like Ottolenghi, albeit he’s much higher up the ranking, as he should be! It’s all down to you, my tribe of paid subscribers - thank you from the bottom of my heart. Clearly my all-nighter penning the Michelin newsletter paid off. Literally!
If that wasn’t enough, this publication retains its top 10 ranking in the UAE across all topics - the only food & drink newsletter to make this cut. All these rankings really help others discover my newsletter, boosting new subscriptions.
And now for today’s important business. A review of my visit to Girl & The Goose last month. A slight delay in publishing due to a backlog of posts and Eid travel.
The hostess escorts us to our semi-banquette table, sandwiched so tightly between two tables, LPM-style, we can hear every word of the neighbouring conversation. I request another table for two that I spot with a little more room in the middle of a busy dining room, but I am politely told that’s reserved for an anniversary. Soon after we are seated and presented with the menus, the hostess returns to guide us to my desired table. My cover is blown. This kind of table hierarchy happens more often than not across many a Dubai restaurant, sadly. I just hope I didn’t rob the “anniversary couple” of a decent table.
We’re dining at Girl & The Goose by Nicaraguan chef Gabriela Chamorro who has whisked her home supper club of five years to a bricks and mortar restaurant, replacing the Peruvian, Waka, in the Anantara Downtown Hotel (ex-Oberoi). She’s partnered with Rosy Hospitality of CQ French Brasserie and Couqley fame.
Central American cuisine is a first for Dubai and for me, spanning Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize and Panama. Countries that I have never visited even though I spent the early years of my life growing up in the neighbouring Caribbean islands. There’s a little known fact about me! The geography is well illustrated with a map on the menu and on the website, which is one of the most informative and user-friendly restaurant sites I have come across in Dubai. A best practice blueprint for restaurateurs.
Gabriela or Gigi, her nickname, is quick to point out in person (also confirmed on her website) that the menu marries her modern interpretation of Central American cuisine with her travel experiences as ex-Emirates crew. Only one dish is traditional, and despite its northern neighbour Mexico which I have visited, the cooking differs, she explains.
So how does Girl & The Goose fare across not solely food, but service, interior, atmosphere and price point? Thankfully, I pay the bill in full - with no freebie extras sent to the table.