Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen is the best thing to happen to First Hill - Review - Seattle - The Infatuation
"In a city where West African food can be hard to come by, Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen is a pop-up-turned-restaurant on First Hill that serves excellent traditional dishes from Liberia and Ghana, forging a plantain-lined path that’s well worth following. Although it’s located in a busy, hospital-dense neighborhood you’ve probably only headed to for an annual checkup, there’s a mix of people from all over town wearing more dress shoes (which in Seattle is really just a nice pair of sneakers) than scrubs or stethoscopes. And the artful balance of spice, bright flavors, and comforting dishes here blends well with a laid-back atmosphere that rivals noise-canceling headphones for escaping the non-stop sirens outside. photo credit: Nate Watters photo credit: Nate Watters photo credit: Nate Watters photo credit: Nate Watters photo credit: Nate Watters Tables are pretty easy to come by in the evenings despite the steady stream of diners sipping palm wine cocktails and having a great time among colorful paintings and woven baskets. In the background, R&B plays softly as servers whiz by, juggling heaped plates of green pepper sauce-topped grilled branzino with plantains and a rainbow of vegetables tucked underneath. Or bowls of restorative waakyé, a one-pot lightly seasoned rice and black eye peas dish with a spicy beef stew. We love that waakyé in particular, as well as the flaky hand pie filled with peppery ground beef (or chunky vegetables—both are fantastic). Since there’s limited dining room space, coming with a big group may require some table rearranging. We’d recommend keeping the feng shui as is and coming with just a few hungry friends—you can always keep the night going by grabbing drinks on Capitol Hill afterwards—or using Gold Coast as an impromptu date night if sharing the last bites of a hand pie is your version of a fairytale romance, like it is ours. Food Rundown Kosua Ne Meko The dish is just a single hard-boiled egg cut in half, but it’s topped with a bright scotch bonnet pepper jelly that absolutely steals the show. It’s a quick small bite to prime your stomach for all the great stuff that’s about to come. photo credit: Nate Watters Hand Pie Although these half-moon-shaped golden pastries can have a heavy sheen of oil, we’ve learned to look past that after tasting the delicious ground beef filling that stuffs each one to the seams. And the cilantro lime aioli for dipping brings a nice tanginess that cuts through the savory filliing. Potato Greens With Chicken This earthy stew served over white rice is filled with potato greens cooked down until they are sweet and so soft they could be spread on toast. And the succulent chunks of chicken engulfed in the thick oniony gravy leave the bone so naked it almost feels like we should give it some privacy. We just wish this dish had a few more chopped green onions thrown on top to break up the meaty richness. photo credit: Nate Watters Goat Peanut Soup With Fufu Enjoy a glistening bowl of smoky soup with hidden chunks of okra, tender goat meat on the bone, and a plump mound of fufu as the centerpiece. And use the starchy-pounded plantain as a vehicle to scoop this deep tomato-y and creamy soup (thanks to the peanuts) in order to get it in your mouth as fast as possible." - Kayla Sager-Riley
