Having beef fans of Chef Hiroo for several years and attending several of his pop ups, we were excited to get a group together and try his new permanent restaurant Nomica in San Francisco.
We kicked things off with cocktails at the bar. Very creative and innovative like this one I had called Papa Nambu made with awamori, sage, lemon, quinquina, eggwhite and topped with ash. It was rich and light all at the same time, I loved it!
We asked Chef Hiroo to throw down and he brought out several dishes, starting with this oyster with a frozen ice, great way to kick things off.
Next up was aged tofu, I'm not typically a tofu fan, but this was excellent and the dashi it was in had incredible flavor!
Next up was tuna with a beet sorbet and sauce that helped highlight the tuna.
Next up a deluge of samplings like the tuna poke in crisps, farm fresh green salad and salmon belly over ponzu sauce. I also had to go with another cocktail.
The next deluge was the incredible stuffed chicken wings, some of the best I've ever had, and the chicken karaage which was different than the typical style, but still very good.
Next up was the pork belly (always amazing) and grilled vegetables for good health.
Then the piece de resistance - the whole chicken in brioche which needs to be ordered a day in advance. It arrived and was carved tableside.
Check out that amazing fresh brioche over the chicken!
There's the beauty! I was so excited I forgot to take any pictures of the carved chicken and dish, but there was an amazing miso butter to pour and dip the chicken and brioche in. Such a unique and tasty dish, very fun to try with a big group.
And finally a sampling of desserts including a chocolate cremaux, a great coconut dessert and chocolate ice cream.
Nomica didn't disappoint and it's exciting to see Chef Hiroo really innovate. If you're looking for someone doing something truly unique, definitely check out Nomica.
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