Gostana is a warm little place that nestles right next to an Italian restaurant. As soon as you enter, retro tunes serenade you and the brightly lit, spotless counter where burgers are being decorated makes you salivate. We pick a table next to the bookshelf, and as soon as we take a seat, a sweet Labrador comes by to say hello and welcome us to her restaurant. Her name is Apple, we were told on Twitter, and she loves having human and canine friends around.
As we see the menu, quite a few options jump out at us. There are delicious burgers, hot-dogs and sandwiches that won’t insult your dietician. The patties are steamed and the buns are whole-wheat and/or multi-grain. For want of veggies I order the Grilled Chicken Salad (Rs190) and my partner in gluttony orders a Ginger Chicken Burger with multi-grain bread (Rs170). We also call for the Three Fruit Smoothie (Rs130) to complete the healthy meal. 
Now, you may think that burgers go hand in hand with fries. Not at Gostana, no sir! The burgers come with a side salad. The closest the menu goes to the unhealthy side is with the hot chocolate which we are sure is made from low-fat milk.
The salad is huge! On a bed… no, make that a mountain of coleslaw, lies a steamed burger patty. The mayo isn’t too much, but it isn’t too little either. The crunch of the veggies goes perfectly well with the moist, crumbly and sumptuous chicken patty. The smoothie washes it down rather smoothly. The Ginger Chicken Burger is a clear winner with its perfectly cooked patty and zingy ginger sauce.
We also order the Fish Burger (for the love of seafood and tarter sauce) and though it is bland in comparison to the former burger (duh!), we enjoy it immensely. A tip: if you are a fish newbie, this burger’s fishy taste might be a tad overwhelming to handle, but it is just perfect for a fish-eater.
We also call for the Magnificent (Rs100), which is the house lemonade. The fizzy clone of Sprite doesn’t work for us and the price is a bit much for a drink. We would prefer to stick with the yum yum smoothies, thank you.
The cosiness of the café, coupled with the healthy nibbles and meals, makes this literally a dream come true. The fact that it is a dog-friendly place is only the cherry on the icing! What’s more, Gostana is planning to launch a special menu for Apple’s four-legged friends! 
Hungry and can’t wait to dig into the burger? Tweet to @Gostana and they’ll take your order while you are en route and your burger can be ready by the time you get there.
Gostana is located at Fatima Villa, 29th Road, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai, and is open daily from 11:30am to 11pm.
Food reviews at DNAIndia.com are conducted anonymously and the reviewer pays for her food.
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