It’s not uncommon for visitors on Larchmont Boulevard to walk up and down both sides of the street. However, there’s a gem awaiting them just around the corner on Beverly Boulevard— Good Goose. Good Goose is an Asian-inspired café owned by best friends, Jake Sriwongsajarn and Neti Techakamthorn. Both veterans of the restaurant industry, Jake convinced Neti— who began as a sushi apprentice and later owned his own restaurant in Seattle for seven years—to come to Los Angeles and find a location to open a place together.
“We were looking for a place with lots of people walking, lots of restaurants and lots of shopping,” said Jake. “We found it in Larchmont. This was our top choice.” When the lease became available on the Beverly Boulevard property, the duo snapped it up immediately.
The café features modern interpretations of both Japanese and Thai cuisine. One specialty of the house is donburi, a Japanese dish that manager Vilas Aroon describes as a “house-made style of sushi—the way people would do it at home.” Instead of rolls, the several variations of donburi at Good Goose feature a bowl of raw fish on top of a bed of rice. The most popular of these is the chirashi bowl which features tuna, chopped scallop, salmon, yellowtail, albacore, shrimp, fresh water eel, and masago. Diners can exchange the standard sushi rice with wild rice or quinoa if they so desire.
The Thai dishes include a crab curry with vermicelli which is a house specialty and has become very popular. The pad thai and yellow curry are also high on the list of diners’ favorites, while the grilled eggplant salad seems to be leading the pack among an intriguing selection of available salads.
“We never compromise on food quality,” said Jake, “and we have a lot of healthy choices.”
Since opening their doors in early March, Good Goose has enjoyed a warm reception. Local residents have come into the restaurant to say hello and welcome the Good Goose crew. The online community has been kind as well. A quick view of the café’s approximately 30 reviews on Yelp reveal a consistent score that would make any restaurateur smile.
“In my other restaurant, I never got a five-star rating on Yelp,” said Neti. “With this restaurant, all five stars.”
Although diners can call or order online for to-go orders—directly or through delivery services—Good Goose offers an inviting dining room with counter service. With the ability to get their meals quickly, Good Goose has become the destination for office workers on a short break as well as families with children who need to eat sooner than later.
And finally, for the curious who wonder how Good Goose got its name, the story is that Jake’s wife came up with it as a play on a Thai phrase that means doubly good.
“We thought it was catchy,” said Jake.
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