This post is part three of a series entitled, "In Search of Seafood." The first installment featured OmG, an outstanding, omakase restaurant in Santa Ana, California. The second post reviewed several Southern California, seafood restaurants, all worth a visit. This post will take us north to San Francisco, where a friend and I enjoyed a 13-course tasting menu, all centered on seafood.
Aphotic
Aphotic
Aphotic is run by proprietor and chef, Peter Hemsley. You may recognize his name from Quince, also located in San Francisco, where he formerly worked as part of the team that earned that restaurant its third Michelin star. Hemsley opened Aphotic in March of 2023 and has since received Michelin recognition, including both a regular star and a green star for sustainability.
Chef's Counter
The word "aphotic" is Greek in origin, and refers to the majority of the ocean, where light does not reach. The name was chosen to convey Hemsley's inspiration for the restaurant, which is the ocean.
The restaurant's ambiance is true to its name, imparting the feeling of being in the sunless depths. As Michelin more eloquently puts it, the space is "vast" and "tenebrous." We were fortunate to dine at the chef's counter, which transmits a more cozy and connected feeling, as well as prime views of Aphotic's kitchen and master chefs at work.
We started the evening with cocktails, as I recommend you do if you visit, because Aphotic's cocktail program is top notch.
Prickleback Croquette
While enjoying cocktails, we were offered two amuse bouches, which in this case were, a prickleback croquette, fried to a crisp and topped with black garlic and fish floss, and ...
Uni Dumpling
... an uni dumpling with some sort of rice and seafood mixture stuffed inside a seaweed pouch.
Tsar Nicoulai Caviar
Our first course was one of my favorite culinary indulgences - caviar. The black pearls were served on top of spot prawn, kumquat and radish.
Shrimp Cracker
Next, we moved to a carpaccio (thinly sliced raw or cured meat), that was served with this fried, shrimp cracker.
Octopus Carpaccio
The carpaccio was made with octopus, and surrounded by a garland of pink and yellow grapefruit segments. The presentation was so pretty that I was reluctant to dig into it with my shrimp chip, but I somehow persisted.
Shrimp Roe and Miso Broth
The next course was a delicately flavored miso broth with tofu and shrimp roe, that was served with ...
Thornyhead Escabèche
... a thornyhead escabèche. Thornyhead is a seafood, similar to rockfish, but sweeter in flavor. Here, it was prepared escabèche style, meaning that the meat was marinated, using vinegar as one component. The marinated thornyhead was then fried. As an accompaniment to the soup, it was lovely in that it introduced some crunch as well as additional delicate flavors, that did not overpower the miso soup.
Aphotic Martini Service
This marked the (approximate) half-way point in our meal. As such, our server suggested we pause and partake of the restaurant's gin martini. I was inclined to decline, until I learned that Aphotic actually makes their own gin -- out of seaweed!
If you are unfamiliar with gin, it is normally made by taking a neutral, grain alcohol and distilling it with juniper berries and other botanicals. I have never heard of seaweed being used in the process. Needless to say, my curiosity had been piqued, so we ordered a pair of martinis.
The martini was superb. It was made with Aphotic's seaweed gin, Noilly Prat ‘original dry’ vermouth, single vineyard manzanilla, and a Tsar Nicoulai ‘reserve’ caviar-stuffed olive. Caviar in a martini? Yes, please!
Steamed Dungeness Crab
Now, back to the food. Our next course was all about the Dungeness crab, and it was served in three parts. First, we were given a steamed, Dungeness crab leg.
Crab Bun
Second, we enjoyed a fluffy, layered, crab bun.
Peanut Sauce
And finally, we were given a soy, peanut sauce, topped with more Dungeness crab, to spread on the multiple layers of crab bun.
If you are starting to think that this is a lot of food, I couldn't agree more. Somewhere near the third course, I started eating about half of each portion that was served. I was quite fortunate because my dining companion, who happens to have the largest appetite of anyone I know, ate my leftovers. That said, even she was struggling to make it to the end of the meal with clean plates.
Squid Risotto
Next on the list of dishes was the risotto, a rice dish cooked with squid ink, giving the arborio rice its black color. Atop the rice was a squid tartare, a fried, squid tentacle and a parmesan foam.
Radish Sorbet
Prior to our main courses, (yes, can you believe we still hadn't received our main courses?) the restaurant sent this palate cleanser; a brown-butter crumble underneath a sorbet made of radish, topped with a thin slice of pickled, Tokyo turnip.
Nori-Marbled Mount Lassen Trout
The first of two main courses was this trout, roasted with seaweed, black trumpet mushroom, and root vegetables. At this point in the meal, I was completely stuffed and struggling to take more than a bite or two of this fish. That said, you can bet I strategically took the two bites topped with the caviar.
Roasted Lobster
Then, we finally arrived at the second main course and last, savory course, which was a fire-roasted piece of lobster, served with a lemony, cream sauce. The lobster was cooked perfectly; so tender that I could easily cut it with my fork alone.
Oyster Ice Cream
Now, onto the dessert portion of our meal. We started with an oyster, ice cream. Does that sound too out of your comfort zone? Just think sweet and salty, like a salted caramel gelato.
Those were the flavors that this dessert incorporated beautifully. In addition to the presentation on top of ice and in an oyster shell, to bring the raw oyster theme home, the ice cream was topped with vermouth, mignonette foam. This was one of the most creative desserts I have eaten.
Candy Cap Creme Caramel
Our second dessert was a creme caramel that was served with some swordfish bacon and huckleberry. The dessert came in a smoke-filled, covered, glass bowl, that when uncovered, emitted the tempting, fragrance of bacon.
Sea Urchin Donuts
Our last (official) dessert was a donut course, but these were not your ordinary donuts. These donuts were made with sea urchin, glazed with icing and decorated with gold leaf. For extra presentation points, they were served in the spiny, shells of sea urchins.
Cacao Crunch
Our last (unofficial) dessert was served with our check. These chocolate wafers, propped up by cacao nibs, were akin to a very elevated KitKat bar. The chocolate was dark and rich and clearly, very high-quality.
In fact, "high-quality" is a descriptor that would be applicable to any of the dishes at Aphotic. My meal there was enjoyable and unique, as I had never been to any fine dining restaurant dedicated so singularly to seafood in all its incarnations. This is a restaurant worth visiting, if you are in San Francisco, love seafood, and want to splurge on a meal.
That is it for this chapter in the "In Search of Seafood" series. I hope to be back with more seafood restaurant recommendations soon.
Comentários