Silly Goose: The fun new goose-themed hidden bar by ex-Sago House bartender and friends

Singapore has no shortage of amazing watering holes — that’s something that was reaffirmed by this week’s announcement of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 list.

But not all bars are built the same — there are certain establishments you go to for elegant and intricate mixology, some bars you head to for bold experimental concepts, and some hotspots that provide vibes and buzzy nights.

If you’re someone who’s partial to the third variety, there’s a new spot we know of, where you can get yourself a huge dose of fun: The newly opened Silly Goose at Telok Ayer.

The bar is a clandestine operation — it’s located in a second-storey shophouse space along Stanley Street. The only way you can find this hidden bar is by seeking out a red door with, well, basically a small decal of a silly goose.

Past the door, you’re greeted by a suspect little stairwell and you soon pick up echoes of classical music. But, well, Beethoven doesn’t really scream “hidden bar” either.

However, scaling the stairs to the second floor will bring you face to face with another red door, this time with a light projection on the floor with the Silly Goose logo and a doorbell that beckons you to ring it.

Once the deed is done, a chaperone promptly peeks out the entrance and welcomes you into a quirky little hideout doused in shades of red and blue and whimsical little decals. 

There’s also a centrepiece neon sign that cheekily asks guests to “stay loose”, which rhymes with its concept: Singapore’s first goose-themed cocktail bar.

Trust us when we say that’s not a combination of words we’d ever expect to utter.

Don’t let the wacky concept fool you though, this isn’t just some random bar indulging in a goofy premise in a bid to go viral: Silly Goose is actually a joint venture by a group of veteran F&B veterans, each with solid CVs to back them up.

The owners include bartenders Joel Accad, 29, previously from Asia’s No. 15 best bar Sago House, Michael Matthew De Costa, 35, and Stanley Joseph, 32, who were from al fresco bar Mortar and Pestle. 

They are joined by chef Eunice Ho, 30, who has cooked at spots such as Ssal and Low Tide, and James Yong, 29, who handles the back-end matters for Silly Goose.

There’s no doubt that the bar’s backbone is strong but here’s the question on everyone’s mind: Why the theme and the name “Silly Goose”? 

We sat down with co-owner Joel, hoping to glimpse some insight into the concept.

The “Goosification” of the bar experience

“Funnily enough, the name actually came first, before we planned everything else. We originally toyed with the name ‘Amattababy’ but we subsequently landed on the name Silly Goose which came from Goose, the Flerken from the Marvel movies,” he explained.

In case you’re not too familiar with this character, it’s the shape-shifting ginger cat that appeared first in the Captain Marvel film. 

Sold on the name, the team decided to go all-in on the goose theme to make it ultra silly. This kickstarted a journey to “goosify” (in Joel’s words) the space by amassing as much bird-related paraphernalia as possible.

Joel adds: “After we decided on the name, we spent all of our time collecting all these little trinkets you see around here. We have some favourites such as Dwayne ‘The Duck’ Johnson.” 

It’s difficult to miss the crown jewel of the bar, which features the action-movie icon’s head superimposed onto a bird body.

Aside from Dwayne, the rest of the bar is flocked by whimsical avian trinkets including geese plushies and duck-themed lingerie hanging from the ceiling. 

Silly Goose is very much a vibe — a veritably silly little watering hole that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

But it’s not everyday that all the owners of a bar are in agreement on staying loose with the concept and decor. How did this motley crew of fun-loving individuals come together?

Joel recalls: “Everyone in our team has been a part of (Michelin-starred chef) Andrew Walsh’s Cure Concepts at one point or another. Mike, Stanley and I were at Ju95 (Japanese fusion restaurant fromerly located at Boat Quay) together, too.”

“When the opportunity to open something together came along, we jumped on it since we already knew we liked working with each other.”

With a combined experience of around thirty years, the collective’s ultimate vision was to create the best “neighbourhood bar” environment for their guests.

To them, Silly Goose is entirely about the experience, where the drinks are not overtly refined or conceptual — like at many other 50 Best Bars aspirants. Nor does the food have to be amazing — just solid enough.

“At the end of the day, we want people to just have fun and be comfortable. We even pay homage to our regulars with a wall full of art where we ‘goosify’ them too,” Joel jokes.

From Sago House to bar owner

When asked about the impetus behind his move into bar ownership, Joel confessed there wasn’t particularly a grand reason behind his decision.

To him, owning a bar and the Silly Goose concept just felt like a natural progression in the career of a bartender, and he wanted to experience the pains and joys of running his own bar.

In fact, the bartender wasn’t even a bartender until the Covid-19 pandemic hit — he’d first worked in sales, and later handled mostly front-of-house duties from 2018 when he started working in the F&B scene full-time.

Joel only took on bartending as his main hustle when he joined Sago House in 2023, without fully grasping the bar’s standing. He was primarily drawn in by its weekly-changing menu concept.

That also explains some of the similarities between Silly Goose and Sago House, since the team takes inspiration from many of their favourite venues, including the original Sago House at Sago Lane and the now-defunct local cocktail bars Vasco and Cufflink Club.

Its hidden location is also a nod to Sago House’s previous location. 

He says: “What we really liked about the original Sago House was that it was a hole-in-the-wall spot located on the third floor of a shophouse and you had to go up some shady stairs to find it.”

Interestingly enough, Silly Goose hasn’t even set up a Google Maps listing yet, but the bar’s been drawing guests in, organically and by word of mouth through its small but growing crop of regulars. 

Reception to the newly minted bar’s concept has been good. 

To this, Joel muses: “The flavours are familiar and not complicated and guests have a good time trying out different drinks here… we also have some from the industry appreciating the fresh approach of easy, smashable drinks in this competitive scene.”

A fun menu for a fun time

Diving into Silly Goose’s cocktail menu, we quickly understood what Joel was referring to — the menu is a charming collection of concoctions, mostly classic twists presented with a hip-hop inspired flair to it. 

For those not too familiar with cocktails, the menu makes it easy to pick a drink. Don’t know what you want, but like Snoop Dogg? Get the drink inspired by him, then. Easy.

But if you’re someone who enjoys glam and something easy to drink, the Gobble Me, Swallow Me (S$23) is a good choice. It features elderflower liqueur, prosecco, midori, chrysanthemum tea, and melon boba.

A mix of pleasant florals, melon sweetness and effervescence makes this Cardi B-homage one of Silly Goose’s most smashable crowd-pleasers.

Prefer your cocktails to hit you with a bit of spicy zing? Tupac’s got you covered with the Hold Ya Head (S$23) that riffs on the classic Tommy’s margarita recipe with an enlivening splash of chilli, complemented by the tropical vibrance of mango.

But our favourites had to be the more spirit-forward offerings such as the blackcurrant-forward negroni spin of Buy U A Drink (S$23) and the Forbidden Fruit (S$23), which elevates the Manhattan with touches of cinnamon spice and ancho reyes (Mexican chilli liqueur).

The food at Silly Goose is equally interesting — the grub menu cycles through some familiar items such as chicken & waffles and brussel sprouts, but puts in some intriguing tweaks.

For example, the sambal sprouts (S$12) might seem like the brussel sprouts you’d get at most modern restaurants — juicy, soft and carrying a touch of smoke — but accentuates the flavours with a sweet but punchy sambal, made using a secret recipe from co-owner Mike. 

Similarly, the chicken and waffles (S$22) at Silly Goose also switches out the usual fried chicken for barbecue chicken instead. Subtle, but impactful and very yummy tweaks. 

But our favourite? The Silly sandwich (S$24), a behemoth that’s overflowing with a glut of slow-cooked pulled beef, provolone cheese, caramelised onions and fried shallots. 

Rich and luscious fillings, buttery and fragrant bread, and a comforting dipping broth — it’s hella satisfying.

Basically, everything at Silly Goose lived up to what Joel promised — a hella good time with more-than-solid food and drinks.

Coupled with the unique quirky vibe and the conviviality of the team, it’s safe to say the new Silly Goose would be a smash with all the silly geese out there looking for a fun night out!

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the charming new Taiwan Teppanyaki hawker by a former SQ crew and her chef husband and our guide on where sashimi lovers can indulge in the best chirashi don in Singapore.

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine Out service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Silly Goose at Stanley Street.