The Loose Goose Restaurant — Restaurant in Sunshine Coast Regional

First time trying this venue. Had high expectations based on previous reviews.

Booking and parking: Pre-booked an outside table online. This was an easy process. Managed to get the last carpark outside the restaurant. There's an overflow carpark nearby.

Service and ambience: We got shown to our table. It was nice to sit by the water. The fairy lights, candle on the table and plant in water were a nice touch. They had the heaters turned on so I was able to take my coat off. The inside seating was quite popular as the restaurant was fairly full. This wasn't the case for the outside seating. They seated us right next to a table of 4 who were talking and laughing really loudly practically the whole time we were there. We should've asked to be moved in hindsight as this killed the mood.

Food: Starter: We ordered the Bruschetta of Cherry Tomato, Spinach Pesto, Goats Cheese & Balsamic Reduction to share. It overloaded with cherry tomatoes. We would've preferred the balsamic sauce on food itself rather than drizzled on the plate. More goats cheese would've been appreciated.

Entree: We got the Pan Fried Calamari, Baby Scallops, Chorizo, Champagne Sauce & Micro Herbs. The scallops were the star of the dish. Felt like they were heavy handed with the lemon. We both thought the saltiness overpowered the dish.

Mains: We ordered the House Made Gnocchi with Braised Beef Cheek & Gremolata. The gnocchi was soft to bite into. There were generous amounts of beef cheek cubes in the dish. I am used to beef cheek being cooked to the point that it's falling apart. This wasn't the case here. The sauce was okay, nothing to write home about.

The other main which I preferred and swapped with my partner for was the Braised Lamb Shoulder with Labneh, Mint Peas, Cucumber Salsa & Pomegranate Molasses. Don't expect a shoulder of lamb. It was more like a thick round stack of meat which had a bit of fat on the outside (see picture). I didn't eat this part and discarded it to the side. The mint peas underneath were just okay. There was a good amount of yoghurt. I found myself longing for potatoes. I really enjoyed the cucumber salsa & pomegranate molasses on top.

Drinks: my partner had a couple of the James Squire 150 Lashes James Squire pale ale and I chose for the non-alcoholic mango mint cocktail. It was sour which I loved and was like a meal in itself.

All the dishes were generous portions especially the gnocchi dish. We didn't get to try the dessert because we so full.

Overall, we had a lovely evening and the staff were very attentive. There wasn't much of a wait between dishes. When we went to pay we noticed a gentleman playing the keyboard. The food is great quality and is priced accordingly. Suitable for a special occasion or a fancy night out. I got the receipt for someone else's bill, which I didn't notice until I got...

Lunch with friends who are fans of this place and the owners. View into the pond doesn’t justify the high prices, so, it must be top quality then. We had cocktails and bubblers, got talking but soon got a “hurry up” as the kitchen wanted to go on a break… wow, must be a theme here on the coast… customer are welcomed as long as they hurry up… certainly brought the mood right down. Entrees were fine, cheese soufflé was overpowered by the truffle, out of 3 wait staff not one offered oyster forks for our 2 dozen, nor spoons for the dressing. And we had to ask twice for that. After the entrees were cleaned the cutlery wasn’t replaced and again 3 wait staff served the mains and no one noticed missing cutlery. I had to flag a waitress down for it. My $120 wine was kindly opened but not poured of course (another coastal standard it seems), I wanted another bottle but nobody asked anyway… My expectation of that $55 duck breast was high… my heart sank as it was served med/well - I specifically asked the waitress if it comes med/rare when I ordered, which she confirmed. Will I send it back to embarrass my friends? No, but I will not send myself back here, sorry. I was hoping someone would have noticed that overcooked breast - especially the chef who surely saw MR on the docket would NOT send MW out!!! But again, it was nap time for the chefs… Or was it that med/well is the standard, yet the under-qualified staff didn’t think it would be important to communicate my preference to the kitchen? Anyway, too many things weren’t noticed by the service team. And it was clearly a rush job in the kitchen including the other dishes, because we dared to ordered already to late for the kitchen’s break time and our dishes had spent some time under the heating lamps… I found it strange that the kitchen staff on break was hanging around on the sofas but I had to run around looking for someone I could who would take my pay… I think I need to learn to go for lunch at 11am so I don’t upset anyone and mighty have a good lunch experience...

It’s not at all a mystery to see why the Loose Goose rates very highly across multiple review/foody sites. Initially we booked to utilise a Good Food voucher and had no real expectations, however we were extremely impressed from the moment the exceptionally friendly staff greeted us and showed us to our table. The premises has an extensive and not overly priced wine list, however they offer BYO (wine only) and we did bring our own and was pleasantly surprised at a very nominal $8 corkage fee for the both of us. There is both comfortable indoor and covered outdoor seating and even though the evening was a little windy, the outdoor area is well sheltered and unaffected. Now to the food. The menu offers a carefully crafted selection of dishes featuring some locally sourced ingredients, and there are ample options for vegetarians with some GF offerings as well. The Mooloolaba prawns and duck pate we shared for entree were generous portions and absolute flavour bombs - I wouldn’t hesitate to choose these again. The duck pate in particular was a perfectly creamy texture with no graininess at all and was just a delight. We both had steak for mains, the eye fillet was buttery and melt in your mouth, cooked to perfection and perfectly charred on the outside for added flavour. The rib fillet likewise, and the additions of a beautifully creamy mash alongside subtly seasoned peas, bacon and brussel sprouts accompanied the steaks perfectly. We were too full to consider dessert, and neither of us really have a sweet tooth, however the selections were very appealing and would suit fastidious dessert connoisseurs. Overall our expectations were greatly exceeded, and provided outstanding value for money considering the service, ambience and quality of food in both taste and portion size. Cannot wait...