Nombe Izakaya: San Francisco

Date:  2 octobre 2010
Location:  2491 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel:  +1 415 681 7150
http://www.nombesf.com/

I'll say it once and I'll say it again.  I love SF because it is one of the food and wine capitals of the world.  I love it more because I can find just about any sort of authentic cuisine, within minutes of my home (now in the eclectic Potrero Hill/Mission hood).  On a whim, I went on an athoc food run with a sommelier friend of mine.  Had no idea what I was in for.   

Nombe (pronounced nom-bay) is a fun, casual, very mission-esque restaurant in the heart of the Mission District.  Across the street from Medjool and Foreign Cinema.  Japanese street food directed by esteemed Executive Chef Nick Balla (who spent years perfecting his skills in Tokyo amongst other high end establishments in SF), crafted with the freshest seasonal ingredients the region has to offer.  Paired with great sake from a winning sake list prepared by Sake Sommelier Gil Payne (who also hails from Tokyo).

We sat at the bar (Soledad's favorite place to be seated) and ordered Asahi and Sapporo on tap to start.  Cold light beer on tap always gets a smile on!  Then came the menu...  yakitori sampler (chicken heart, chicken spicy sausage, fried chicken skin, CHICKEN!), seasonal persimmon salad (refreshing, sweet, tangy!), pork belly (wow - super soft and savory, melted in my mouth), and the FRIED CHICKEN WINGS was one of my favorites!  Crispy, sweet, a little tangy lime, with a little added spiciness from jalapeno...  small side dishes of gobo and cucumber... some other radish root thingy that offset the palate in between the savory bites of yummy grilled Japanese street food.

I felt like I was in Japan!  With one huge difference - the staff conversed with me in fluent English (thank God!!!) and even quenched (no pun intended) my thirst for sake pairing with the foods we ordered.  I appreciated that Gil Payne came to share two kinds of sake with us that evening and explained the characteristics in each one that would make it pair with the tendon, pork belly, and other fried or grilled dishes.  What a true delight!!  Of course, handy cold draft Sapporo was always at hand's reach to cleanse the palate in between tastes.  :)

I am so excited about this new find.  Nombe has been around for about a year, since November 2009.  Yay!  Oh and guess whaaattt.. they open and serve until 2am!!  Love it - another late night snack find in San Francisco (the city that sleep at 10pm PST).  I will definitely be bringing my Top Chef friends and out of towners to try this place out.  Tokyo - in San Francisco!  Thanks NOMBE!   

Okay, up next... MR POLLO!!