Ebisu

Ebisu

1283 9th Ave

San Francisco

CA, 94122

(415)566-1770

Ever wonder what the dishes of the Iron Chef Japan would taste like? Imagine the great tasting sushi and creative Japanese cuisine. Want to search for unbelievable Japanese food? Want to go to a neighborhood restaurant but with world class cuisine?

Well look no further than Ebisu in San Francisco. I used to go the Ebisu a long time ago, before they remodel. It had an old rustic look and was cramp. After they remodeled, it is way more modern, however even more cramped since they removed some seating. There are a couple of warnings before you venture forth. There are few seating so you may have to wait. The tables are packed close together, so do not expect to have private conversations. It is extremely noisy since everyone is trying to talk above everyone else. If you are a bit overweight, like myself, you may have trouble maneuvering around in the restaurant. This is Japanese food, so do not expect gigantic portions. The portion are small for western pallet, but they are in line with Japanese cuisine. There is always a line at Ebisu, due to the fact that it is extremely popular. Trust me, the food is worth the wait.

We were seated after a few minutes wait, on a tiny table for two. Most of the tables in the restaurant is tiny. The waiter was friendly and took our orders for drinks and appetizers right away. We ordered Clam Soup, Apple smoked scallop carpaccio , House cured kurobuta pork prime rib, Spider roll, and Caterpillar roll.

First came the Apple smoked scallop carpaccio. Be warned this is a raw shell fish, only those who are more adventurous should try it. The scallop was both tender and soft. There is a nice smoky flavor that permeates through the scallop. On the bottom of the dish, there is a blood orange vinaigrette. If the vinaigrette was just a bit more sour, the dish would have been perfect. As it is, it was already very good.

Along with the scallop came the clam soup. My wife, upon tasting it, said it taste very buttery. After I taste it, I realize that it was not butter at all, but a very complex layering of flavors. There is a rich clam broth that is base of the soup, and then the hints of mushroom and seaweed flavor layered upon each other that provides the buttery taste. It was good, but I felt it was lacking a certain punch in flavor. The owner came by and asked if I enjoyed the soup, I told him it was good, but the scallop was excellent.

Our main courses took a bit of time to get to us. We had to endure the endless shouting of people around us. Trust me, I know more of my neighboring diners than I could care to know. When our main dishes came, it was at least piping hot. The pork prime rib was excellently cook, and very well seasoned. It was succulent and juicy. The house sauce tasted like a mild BBQ sauce, that serves more of an accent than the main flavoring. It was mildly sweet but not overpowering. There were broccoli and crispy potatoes sides. The broccoli was green and fresh, while the potato had the excellent crispy skin. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

My wife had the two sushi rolls. In the past the rolls would look amazing, like edible art. Now they may look like normal rolls you see at other Japanese restaurants, but the tastes are worlds apart. There is a freshness and different layers of complexity that makes them great. You can taste each individual ingredient without one ingredient being the dominate flavor. Very hard to do with sushi rolls and not many restaurant can pull that off. My wife agreed, these were some of the best tasting rolls we have tasted.

Service, was above average, there were times where we were left alone for some time. The waiters and waitress were constantly moving trying to keep up with their customers while trying to avoid colliding with one another in the cramp quarters. On the whole they did an adequate job.

Final thoughts: What seems like a simple neighborhood sushi restaurant, turns out to be a hidden gem.

Food: 4 stars

Service: 3 1/2 stars

Price: Above average for a Japanese restaurant, but worth it.

Overall: 4 stars