The Goose Station (pronounced as De-Gus-Tation)
1. A Degustation Restaurant by Celebrity Chef Couple, Rob and Sunshine Pengson
2. Named after Rob, whose College Monicker was “The Goose”
3. Named after Sunshine’s love for Foie Gras (Duck Liver)
4. Last Featured in OAP: Sunshine Puey, Goddess of Degustation and Roberto Pengson, Culinary Kung Fu Master
It was a clever play of words from Rob, who wanted the name of their restaurant to be more down-to-earth rather than snobbish. Finally, the couple’s dream restaurant came true after doing monthly degustation dinners at Rob’s Global Academy Culinary School in Pasig. It is located on the ground floor of W Tower residences, in a secret part of Bonifacio Global City, near St. Michael the Archangel Church.
The restaurant is designed to be intimate, with only a few tables in a “barn-like” atmosphere. You don’t have to dress up; smart casual attire is acceptable.
You have the option of going with a 10-course Signature Degustation Menu (P2,500 +10%sc), a 5-course Express Menu (P1,500 +10%sc), or the Ala-Carte menu where you can order the Degustation items individually. Rache and I went on a date last Friday at The Goose Sation. I ordered the 5-Course Express Menu, while Rache ordered a main course and a dessert.
Signature Welcome Snack. Foie Gras in a Cone
The entire cone is filled with creamy foie gras, wrapped in filo pastry, and topped with jelly and hazelnut to balance the flavors. It’s fun to eat until you start getting used to the taste. (Warning: avoid this if you have high-blood pressure!)
Sunshine is a master of the Amuse Bouche — exciting bite-sized meals to start the Degustation Menu. It’s great that they call it a Welcome Snack. It sets a good tone for the rest of the meal.
Beet Garden (P295 +10%sc). Goat’s Cheese, Boursin, Textures of Orange, Corn, Corn Sprouts, Walnut, Gingerbread “Soil”, Pickled Carrot, Leaves and Many More
In the Degustation Menu, I would recommend this unique dish called the Beet Garden. It is Beet Jelly (red) with Goat’s Cheese Filling in a “garden-inspired” presentation. The young carrot looks like it’s freshly uprooted from the ground, with the peanuts with gingerbread as “soil”. Eat the mock snail last — it’s actually melon covered by a shell.
It’s interesting figuring out how to eat this dish. Although there are a lot of things going on, the beet jelly and cheese combination is enough to stir your appetite. Good job on this appetizer!
Foie Gras Unagi Terrine (P690 +10%sc). Caramelized Unagi, Apple Tartare, Brioche Toast Points, Chives, Ginger Bread & Chocolate “Soil”
In the express menu, you are given a choice between the Seared Foie Gras (P645 +10%sc) and the Foie Gras Unagi Terrine, and of course, most Filipinos would go for the expensive one.
The terrine is pate-like and creamy. The unagi gives it a bit more texture and a contrasting salty taste. I personally find it better to pair the foie gras terrine with the Ginger Bread or the complimentary bread. However, it’s like eating the foie gras ice cream cone again, but in a meatloaf-style serving.
Lamb Ribs (P580 +10%sc). Fall-off-the-Bone Tender, Horseradish Whipped Potatoes, Haricot Verts, Toasted Pine Nuts, Bacon Lardons, Port Jus
Rache ordered the Lamb Ribs from the Ala Carte menu. The presentation’s very nice. We were informed that this was cooked for 22 hours to ensure the tenderness of the meat. Unfortunately, the sauce or flavors did not penetrate through the meat of the lamb. Nevertheless, we were happy with it as long as we could dip the meat in the sauce surrounding it.
I would not recommended this, though, until they figure out how to marinate the lamb properly.
Steak (P1,300 +10%sc). 10oz Flame-Grilled Black Angus Rib Fillet, Red Wine Jus, Buur Schublig, Vegetables, Blueberry Powder, and Cauliflower Foam
This Short Beef Ribs Steak was very good. We were happy with every slice of this steak with the Red Wine Jus. The meat’s very tender and quite tasty. I also loved the bits of schublig sausages on the side, which you can eat together with the steak. I don’t know how the pricing works because you can order this as part of the P1,500 express menu, but if you order this separately, it is priced at P1,300.
Highly Recommended.
Rob Pengson is very friendly and makes sure to entertain the guests from time to time. Sunshine, on the other hand, is busy in the kitchen and more of the quiet type.
Pineapple Tart (P290 +10%sc). Fresh Pineapple Tart Tatin, Charcoal-Smoked Coconut Ice Cream, Roasted Hazelnuts, Chocolate
Rache ordered the Pineapple Tart and we did not like it. The coconut taste was too strong; it would have been nice if the charcoal-smoked flavor was also evident. The pineapple tart was also a bit hard. Maybe this should be served hot to bring out the crustiness of the pie itself. For me, Alexandre still has the best tart tatin in town.
Chocolate Candy Bar (P375 +10%sc). Mousse, Ganache, Bisquit, Sinful
This is the best chocolate dessert we’ve ever tasted! It’s truly heavenly! We couldn’t help closing our eyes every time we ate it — it’s that good. I ordered it as part of the Express Menu, and it was worth it.
The mousse and the chocolate ganache are very smooth, with just a thin, brittle base. This dessert reminds me of Almond Roca, only bigger. I also like how the red raspberries match the chocolate. It is simply the best and definitely a must-try.
Nespresso Expresso Coffee (P75 +10%sc).
To end the meal, order coffee, which is separate from the degustation menu. They serve the Nespresso brand, priced at less than a P100.
Congratulations to Rob and Sunshine Pengson for a job well done with The Goose Station! The menu changes every quarter, so we will be back to try their Christmas menu.
Don’t be intimidated by the minimalist look of the restaurant. It is actually homey and down-to-earth.
Degustation is now mainstream in Manila, thanks to chefs like Rob and Sunshine! This is definitely the place to be for a romantic date this Holiday Season. 🙂
THE GOOSE STATION (pronounced as De-Gus-Tation)
The down-to-earth Degustation Restaurant by Celebrity Chef Couple, Rob and Sunshine Pengson. It was named after Rob, whose College Monicker was “The Goose” and after Sunshine’s love for Foie Gras (Duck Liver).
Address: W Tower, 1117 39th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Telephone: +632 556-9068
Mobile Number: +63 917 854-6673 (GOOSE)
Attire: Smart Casual
Operating Hours:
Monday to Friday Lunch: Doors Open 11.30am, Last Orders 2.00pm
Monday to Saturday Dinner: Doors Open 6.00pm, Last Orders 930pm
Website: http://thegoosestation.ph/
Related Blog Post: The Goose Station’s Degustation
Live an Awesome Life,
Anton Diaz
Founder, OurAwesomePlanet.com
Mobile: +63917-LOVEOAP (5683627)
Email: anton@diaz.ph
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P.S. Please share your experience at The Goose Station…
looks great! i’d go there for the steak and lamb ribs. on a sidenote, i always used to see chef rob at fitness first at the fort. cute sha. another reason to go eat here. hehehe.
Foie Gras & Unagi two of my favorites in one dish!!! oohhh i must try this!
Yeah, I'm sure both Sunshine and Rob have their own fans 🙂 this is
one of the best place to meet and get to know them…
ok, you had me at foie gras in a cone!! my hubby and i should have a date here 😀
Have been waiting for this restaurant to open- must try soon! thanks for the heads up! Will post my thoughts once I try;-)
Thanks Alicia, and like you, we were anxiously waiting for the
restaurant to be open 🙂 Let me know what you think!
this is on my list:)
thanks again anton, naunahan mo nanaman ako:)
how many days in advance do you have to make a reservation? or, is it possible to walk in for dinner?
I am going to try this place tonight.. thanks Anton. That steak belongs in my belly!
On my 2nd visit, was a bit disappointed. 1st of all, they didnt give us a welcome snack, the angus steak was a bit dry considering that it was medium rare and the food we ordered were not hot or warm probably due to the super cold temperature of the room. Also, I mentioned that we were celebrating my parents 20th wedding anniversary, they didnt even give them any dessert or something! My 1st visit was okay probably because it was star studded that night, the old Man (Yuchengco) was there, and the group of Tim Yap, Celine Lopez, etc in another table. If they dont improve their PR, I would give them a year, they wont be able to sustain it.
this is awesome. should try soon!:)thanks kuya anton for all the new reviews:)
The 10-course Signature Menu is definitely a must-try for the hard-to-please palates. Creative first course – my favorite of the four items is the foie gras in a cone with a hint of truffle…heavenly!
Thanks Avi for this comment 🙂
We tried the signature menu, and the food was almost perfect. I think they are really into truffle oil, which was nice at first, but overpowered some of the later flavors. I would have preferred a hint of truffle as opposed to everything tasting only like truffle.
The foie gras (meatloaf size serving!) was a bit overwhelming, and I agree with you that it does get tiring to eat after a while. The 24-hour steak was soft, but very fatty also.
What was indeed perfect was the dessert! We had the yogurt foam and the chocolate bar (took us so long to finish the chocolate bar since we were trying to make it last longer.)
I also agree with Coco Raymundo on his opinion about the service. The Philippine audience is one that doesn’t want to appear that they want attention, but greatly appreciates once it’s given. There were only two tables left, us and a group of 6. One of the chefs talked to the other group, but no one even asked us how we found the meal.
If they want to last longer, sadly they can’t just let the food speak for itself because it hasn’t reached that level yet. I appreciate places like Antonio’s, wherein even if the food was so-so, the owner himself took the time to visit each table and talk to the diners.
I have to try this! I’m actually drooling while reading all of your reviews. I want the 10-course signature degustation menu. This weekend will be a perfect time for us! Thanks our awesome planet it is really nice to have you guys!
I had a gift certificate I got from school and booked my parents to experience The Goose Station. My parents ate at the goose station last night, Dec. 29. 2012, according to them the ambiance was fair enough, but they hated the food except for the chocolate dessert. They just tried to finish the course, but is really unhappy with what they had. They had the goose station’s signature menu but all they thought was maybe it was just a “TESTING MENU” so they avoided to complain, having in their minds that in might affect my school grades in global academy. But of course I was so ashamed! And the big reason why I am trying to complain now is not just because of the bad dining experience they had, but because of my mom is having LBM since last night up to now. That was so not nice and acceptable.
After reading through the comments, I decided to call up their landline number to make a reservation.
The person on the other line was very rude. When he couldn’t hear me well because of a bad connection, he hung up on me – while I was talking. On my second call, he said that he still couldn’t hear me and hung up – again, while I was still talking.
I ended up making a reservation with another restaurant.