A great way to end a dinner – with not too-sweet ice cream with a thick, creamy texture. Noms! Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA
Large elephant ear leaves (Alocasia ‘Portora’, Araceae), Castro.
Grilled rice ball with uni and watercress soy butter sauce. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA
Hmm, I don’t think this was one of my favorited dishes. The grilled rice tasted great and had a strong flavor, but one that sadly over-powered the uni. I think that uni should be prominent if you’re going to include it in a dish since the ingredient is so delicate, but it just got lost in this one.
Pink and white Salvia ‘Dancing Dolls’ flowers (Lamiaceae), 18th Street.
Salt koji marinated grilled chicken meat balls on skewers. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA
Mmm, these chicken skewers were delicious and had a suprisingly airy texture. I thought they were going to be super dense but that wasn’t the case. Noms!
Driving the Golden Gate Bridge!
Shrimp and root vegetable tempura with green tea salt. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA
This dish was very new to me – whole shrimp with shredded root vegetables fried tempura style! I liked the flavors especially with the dipping sauce, but the texture was a little limp and chewy. The pieces looked crispy but they really weren’t. Hmm…
Iochroma ‘Royal Queen’ purple flowers (Solanaceae), 18th Street.
Egg custard “chawan mushi” with sea urchin. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA
Mmm, chawanmushi is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. It’s delicate and oh so delicious especially with high quality uni on top, NOMS!
San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers Market.
Vinegar dressed cucumber salad with crab meat, seaweed and flowers. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA
Wow, this was the fanciest cucumber salad (sunomono) I’ve ever had! The baby cucumbers were intricately sliced, but not all the way through so they remained intact while still being able to see the expert knife-work. The fresh crab was delicious and the dressing had the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Noms!
Orange iceplant ‘Jewel of the Desert Topaz’ flowers (Delosperma sp., Aizoaceae), 18th Street.
Kyoto style cooked local vegetables, served in three different preparations. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA
I can’t remember all the vegetables in this dish, but on the left are eggplants and on the right are a type of yam. The bowl contains a leafy green. The preparations were delicious and the eggplants were my favorite!
Bowl of leafy greens.
Cupid’s Span, 2002, Claes Odlenburg, Coosje van Bruggen. Bow and arrow public sculpture in front of the Bay Bridge.
