My third tasting menu in/near San Francisco after Californios and Commis in November 2022. There were 12 courses (one was a cup of tea) and then a bonus “breakfast tomorrow” send-off gift.
Lazy Bear definitely goes heavy on the salt and fat on many dishes, but there are a few lighter dishes as well (halibut, spring peas, honey cake). I like lean “meat,” so my favorite dishes were the chicken + dumpling dish and the halibut + XO sauce dish. My friend’s favorites were the black cod and spring peas. I thought the A5 wagyu was too fatty (h a h a h a, I know the fattyness is the point); I think I don’t like wagyu in general, no matter what restaurant. But the vegetables/garnishes throughout were consistently excellent, especially the wagyu carrots and black cod spring greens. My friend, who ate with me, said I should definitely emphasize that in a review.
(Apologies if the analysis is not too advanced… I’m a current college student, gaining experience with fine dining)
I thought the beginning snacks before the halibut were slightly subpar and a little too simple. The scallop’s “bacon garum” had a very faint bacon flavor, and I wish it were stronger. But I loved the celtuce on the halibut, and the XO sauce was great and just the right amount of salt. The pea custard was great and subtle, but the caviar was overwhelmingly salty. Lazy Bear emphasized their house-cultured butter, which smelled and tasted cheesy. Definitely interesting.
The chicken and dumplings were my favorite because the mushrooms were so juicy and interestingly textured. A server shaved a pinecone on top, and that pinecone powder was a great refreshing addition!! The breaded chicken “nugget” was fun, and the sauce was great as well. We moved upstairs to a cozy living-room like space for dessert. The palate cleanser with sorrel was… interesting but I think palate cleansers are supposed to be a little weirdly sour anyway. My friend and I both liked the honey cake, but I think they could tone down the strength of the chamomile creme anglaise. It overwhelmed the subtle lightness of the honey cake. Finally, the cherry gummy bear and lemon blueberry macarons were very well done.
My friend ordered a glass of Riesling and she said that was the best wine she had tasted.
The service was fast in the beginning and slowed down in the second half (which was preferable for me). The restaurant is dimly lit. It’s a pretty intimate space but with high ceilings, not too big, and has a very open kitchen that diners could literally walk into if we wanted.
I would give this 4 out of 5 stars. A plus is that the size of the wagyu was quite big. The restaurant has a quirky wilderness/forest/foraging theme, but that theme and uniqueness was not very reflected in the food itself. I could have given it a higher rating if the price were around $225/person instead of $275.
Looks interesting, fascinated by the “yeasted cream”, what’s that and what did it taste like?
msabre__7 on
How did it compare to Californios?
kytran40 on
Best butter in the world. Had it last year with a pretzel bun. Wished they served it with brioche
kdrisck on
EMP did breakfasts before covid (incredible granola), I feel like it’s so cheap and easy to pull off, and it really puts the dining experience over the top. I wish more places did this.
hwhs04 on
Maybe you should consider not using a flash. It’s disruptive to other diners, and it frankly makes the food look unappetizing.
6 Comments
Meal: 5/30/2023
My third tasting menu in/near San Francisco after Californios and Commis in November 2022. There were 12 courses (one was a cup of tea) and then a bonus “breakfast tomorrow” send-off gift.
Lazy Bear definitely goes heavy on the salt and fat on many dishes, but there are a few lighter dishes as well (halibut, spring peas, honey cake). I like lean “meat,” so my favorite dishes were the chicken + dumpling dish and the halibut + XO sauce dish. My friend’s favorites were the black cod and spring peas. I thought the A5 wagyu was too fatty (h a h a h a, I know the fattyness is the point); I think I don’t like wagyu in general, no matter what restaurant. But the vegetables/garnishes throughout were consistently excellent, especially the wagyu carrots and black cod spring greens. My friend, who ate with me, said I should definitely emphasize that in a review.
(Apologies if the analysis is not too advanced… I’m a current college student, gaining experience with fine dining)
I thought the beginning snacks before the halibut were slightly subpar and a little too simple. The scallop’s “bacon garum” had a very faint bacon flavor, and I wish it were stronger. But I loved the celtuce on the halibut, and the XO sauce was great and just the right amount of salt. The pea custard was great and subtle, but the caviar was overwhelmingly salty. Lazy Bear emphasized their house-cultured butter, which smelled and tasted cheesy. Definitely interesting.
The chicken and dumplings were my favorite because the mushrooms were so juicy and interestingly textured. A server shaved a pinecone on top, and that pinecone powder was a great refreshing addition!! The breaded chicken “nugget” was fun, and the sauce was great as well. We moved upstairs to a cozy living-room like space for dessert. The palate cleanser with sorrel was… interesting but I think palate cleansers are supposed to be a little weirdly sour anyway. My friend and I both liked the honey cake, but I think they could tone down the strength of the chamomile creme anglaise. It overwhelmed the subtle lightness of the honey cake. Finally, the cherry gummy bear and lemon blueberry macarons were very well done.
My friend ordered a glass of Riesling and she said that was the best wine she had tasted.
The service was fast in the beginning and slowed down in the second half (which was preferable for me). The restaurant is dimly lit. It’s a pretty intimate space but with high ceilings, not too big, and has a very open kitchen that diners could literally walk into if we wanted.
I would give this 4 out of 5 stars. A plus is that the size of the wagyu was quite big. The restaurant has a quirky wilderness/forest/foraging theme, but that theme and uniqueness was not very reflected in the food itself. I could have given it a higher rating if the price were around $225/person instead of $275.
Video coming soon, and more [San Francisco/Seoul restaurant reviews are on my Instagram.](https://www.instagram.com/nommingwithnadia/)
Looks interesting, fascinated by the “yeasted cream”, what’s that and what did it taste like?
How did it compare to Californios?
Best butter in the world. Had it last year with a pretzel bun. Wished they served it with brioche
EMP did breakfasts before covid (incredible granola), I feel like it’s so cheap and easy to pull off, and it really puts the dining experience over the top. I wish more places did this.
Maybe you should consider not using a flash. It’s disruptive to other diners, and it frankly makes the food look unappetizing.