Sorrel, San Francisco-9/23/2022

Tasting menu

1- Snacks

Starting our meal with 5 different snacks.

Anchovies,  green bean tempura

Roasted tomatoes with parmesan tuile

On the right is a venison puff

Roasted green fig with seeds and cherries

Fried chicken spring roll

Starting our meal with 5 stunning small bites.  Playful way to start our meal and all 5 bites were very different in texture and taste and they are all delicious.

2- Roasted Little Gem

grain & seeds - herb - mandarin caramel

Beautiful presentation!  Very light and I love the sweetness and acidity of mandarin caramel together with the crunchiness and freshness of the little gem lettuce.

3- Red King Crab

heart of palm  -  crunchy pearl  -  bonito

The broth is poured at the table.

Another beautiful presentation!

I enjoyed the sweetness of the King crab, interesting texture with the addition of the crunchiness of the melon pearl and the heart of palm,  and the broth has lots of umami

3- House made Sourdough Focaccia with accoutrement

butter with sea salt   -   butter with pink peppercorn and coarse salt  -   bagna Cauda

Bagna cauda is a hot dish made from garlic and anchovies.  Dipping the bread in the bagna cauda was heavenly.

Cultured butter was flavorful and perfect with the Focaccia

  The bread boule comes piping hot and is served in a custom-made clay pot vessel.

The sourdough focaccia have a soft texture, bubbly inner crumb and tangy flavor profile of sourdough but also sports focaccia’s crisp, tan outer crust.

4- Flowering Summer Squash

Miso eggplant  -   yogurt -   bulgur

Very light bite filled with a mixture of miso eggplant, yogurt and bulgur.

5- Raviolo

fava beans   -   charcoal butter  -   quail egg

Delicious and so satisfying.

It was at Quince that Chef Hong fell in love with hand made pastas and here the pasta course did not dissapoint.

6- Fricelli

razor clams   -   tocchetto  -   pole beans

Another pasta dish made with Fricelli that has a nice and chewy texture is cooked in a spicy stew with pole beans and razor clams.

 I love this dis as the stew was incredible with ton of flavors.

7- Maine lobster

cabbage   -   boudin blanc  -   pernod

I selected the Maine lobster for an addition $42 and it was worth every penny.

The lobster tail was perfectly cooked and was paired with cabbage leaves wrapped over a boudin blanc which is a traditional French sausage made with chicken and pork, milk and a touch of cognac 

7- Squab

pumpkin   -   black garlic  -   barley

Hoa ordered the Squab which is part of the tasting menu and he ate everything on his plate.

Cleanse palate: Cornetto crème de noyaux gelato • dark chocolate • maraschino cherry

8- Pavlova

vanilla tapioca   -   passion fruit  -   white miso

Pavlova is a meringue (a light mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar, baked until crisp) that is usually paired with fruits.

Here it is served with a vanilla tapioca cream sauce with passion fruit and white miso.  A very light dessert and I like the balance of sweetness and the acidity of the passion fruits.

Coffee to go with our desserts.

Ending the meal with mignardises: Pate de fruits and almond chocolate.

We are now leaving the restaurant.

Sorrel has an impeccable standard of service and quality of food that is no less than a work of art. From a culinary perspective, they’ve been able to maintain relationships with valued purveyors allowing the Sorrel team to continue to source the highest quality products for their seasonal cuisine.

 All the dishes on the tasting menu are pretty light, mostly vegetables and seafood.  Portion is on the small side but perfect for us as we do not want to be super full anyway.  However if you have a big appetite, you have the option to order a copious portion of the extra Dry aged Duck (extra $65) to satisfy your tummy. 

The staff was fantastic, funny and a joy to interact with.  We had a great dinning experience at Sorrel and they took really good care of us.

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