Reviews

Coi, San Francisco – showcasing California

Editor’s note: Matthew Kirkley is now in charge of the kitchen here.

Flying in from Chicago, Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband decided not to avail themselves of the gastronomic ‘treats’ available on United Airlines and so by the time we pushed the door open at Coi, in San Francisco’s north beach district, we were famished.

Coi (rhymes with ‘moi’) is an elegant restaurant with a minimal, modern look. It came from nowhere to be ranked #49 on the most recent list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. That list is a bit of a misnomer – there are 100 restaurants ranked, so Coi entering the list in the top 50 was a big achievement and one they’re very proud of.

Very personable staff took us through the menu and wine options. Coi only serves one tasting menu each but do their best to work with dietary restrictions and preferences. Greedy Girl was worried about the pigeon course. Not a problem our lovely waiter Christopher said and suggested a chicken dish instead. She also had concerns about a dish with beets but got talked into it. More on that later.

There is a full wine pairing, a partial pairing and, of course, the ability to select from the wine list. We’d already heard that white wines featured prominently in the pairing, so we opted for a dry champagne. Of the two bottles Greedy Girl was tossing up, Christopher thought the Gonet-Medeville Premier Cru Brut would be best with the food. Sorted. The champagne, from a boutique house that only began operating in 2000 and situated between Mareuil sur Ay and the delightfully-named Bouzy, was very dry but had a wonderful complexity of flavours.

First up, we fell upon some puffed brown rice crisps with espelette pepper and avocado. The rice had been dehydrated and then fried to create these light as air crackers that were very greedily consumed along with the first sips of champagne.

Puffed brown rice crisps

Puffed brown rice crisps

An amuse bouche was next. These cold and refreshing little specks were plum ice with a Mexican herb (Greedy Girl thinks it was called epazote) that were slightly spicy. Tastebuds alive, we were primed.
Plum ice

Plum ice

But there was one more amuse bouche to come. OMG. This was good. It was an egg yolk which had been poached in smoked olive oil in a water bath and topped with Californian sturgeon roe and a little creme fraiche and chives on the side. Every last skerrick of this was devoured.
Poached egg yolk

Poached egg yolk

And so we were ready to start the menu proper. The first dish was the one pictured at the top of this blog, a seared ‘spot’ prawn from California steeped into fermented carrot juice. Dotted on the plate were little curls of cucumber and opal basil leaves. This was a beautiful, delicate array of tastes. The prawn was cooked to perfection and all the elements were exceptional. Our only gripe was not being able to get all the juice out of the dish.

Next up were cherry tomatoes. Different coloured cherry tomatoes sat on top of a zucchini and wheatgrass puree and drizzled with green olive oil, herbs and edible flowers. On several occasions when Greedy Girl has had a cherry tomato dish of this style, the tomatoes have been very cold. These were not and it made the sensation of them popping in the mouth much more pleasurable.

Cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes

We then moved to a beet and goat cheese tart. Greedy Girl despises beetroot for the same reason she doesn’t like pineapple used in a savoury context – the flavour just is too dominant. This was an ‘inverted’ tart with rye crisps on the top providing the ‘pastry’, a slick of goat cheese, then tiny cubes of the beetroot and a slick of dill pesto on the plate. Determined to give it a try, hoping the other elements would be strong enough, she broke one of the discs and dived in. Gluttonous husband was a very happy man; he ended up with almost two full plates and said he could have eaten more. Greedy Girl was very happy for him.
Beet and goat cheese tart

Beet and goat cheese tart

A vibrant-looking plate was next. Wild King salmon had been cooked over lemon leaf with a selection of spring vegetables and flowering cilantro (coriander). A broth made from three different distillations of lemon was poured over the top. Greedy Girl much prefers her salmon to be sashimi style, smoked, or cured. It’s rare that she enjoys ‘cooked’ salmon but this was absolutely stunning. Soft, flaky, more-ish. The serving was quickly devoured. The vegetables were crunchy and a lovely foil for the fish.
Wild king salmon with lemon broth

Wild king salmon with lemon broth

It was then time for Greedy Girl’s faith to be restored. Morel mushrooms. Sigh.

Several times on this trip, we’ve been served morels that had virtually no flavour. Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband had been incredibly disappointed that they didn’t live up to the flavour memories in our minds. This time, however: hallelujah! These were steamed morel and potato dumplings (so cleverly layered – you can see the detail in the picture above), served with braised romaine lettuce and a green garlic and thyme sauce. Greedy Girl was very happy to have bread on hand with this course so she could mop up every last trace. An unqualified yum.

Morel and potato dumplings

Morel and potato dumplings

The pigeon course was next for gluttonous husband. This was Hollander Farm pigeon, grilled over charcoal, served with shio koji, cherry blossom and pickled cherries. Apparently koji is a type of rice that has been infused with a special type of mould and shio koji is made from that rice, water and salt to provide a marinade that is used to tenderise meat and also to enhance the ‘umami’ flavour. Gluttonous husband said it was far and away the best pigeon dish he’d tasted with the meat almost having a ‘liver’ flavour. It was very gamey and very strong.

Charcoal grilled pigeon

Charcoal grilled pigeon

Greedy Girl tried the dish but she was glad she had opted for something different. And how pretty this was. Chicken breast was accompanied by pickled vegetables (mainly cauliflower in various treatments) with a dash of a very light broth. The skin was extraordinary – it was crunchy and just the right amount of salt and it looked as though it had been quickly finished under a very hot grill. Divine.
Chicken breast and pickled vegetables

Chicken breast and pickled vegetables

We were seriously starting to struggle. Heads still on Chicago time (two hours ahead of San Francisco) our bellies were full and we began to droop. Time for a sugar hit, but first there was a palate cleanser. This was coconut with kiwi fruit and shiso, an Asian herb from the mint family. Greedy Girl, not a fan of either coconut or kiwi fruit, tasted it and handed the rest over to a very pleased gluttonous husband.

Coconut with kiwi fruit and shiso

Coconut with kiwi fruit and shiso

Our first dessert was also incredibly pretty. Stunning, glazed strawberries and a wild fennel sorbet were served with black sesame licorice. This was not overly sweet and very refreshing. The aniseed flavours were a delight with the strawberries.
Glazed strawberries and wild fennel sorbet

Glazed strawberries and wild fennel sorbet

The second dessert was called ‘blueberries and violet’. This was essentially another take on cheesecake with a little vanilla cake on top and whipped fromage blanc atop the blueberry sauce. Greedy Girl thought the combination was very good but the richness of cheese in a dessert was a step too far for her. Gluttonous husband hoovered up both servings.
Blueberries and violet

Blueberries and violet

Ordering some green tea, we prepared to depart, but not before chef Daniel Patterson brought the petits fours to the table. Covered in bitter cocoa, these were extremely cold delicacies that tasted like marshmallow. Greedy Girl is sad to report she was almost beyond comprehension by this point, in a food and slight jet lag haze.
Bitter cocoa petits fours

Bitter cocoa petits fours

Coi, which is said to mean ‘speechless’ in old French, certainly achieved that for Greedy Girl. She was too busy eating to talk. It’s a vibrant space and very busy, no doubt aided by its elevation in the last San Pellegrino list, but it’s been open since 2006 and has two Michelin stars. The chef is devoted to sourcing the best ingredients and fanatical about making the most of what’s seasonally available, so the menus change with great frequency. Daniel Patterson is clearly a very talented chef with a light touch; Greedy Girl would be very happy to try more of his food.

Coi

373 Broadway Street, San Francisco

coirestaurant.com

Coi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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