Nari - Japantown

[PorkyBelly]

Nari is chef Pim Techamuanvivit’s follow-up to her one michelin starred Kin Khao. I initially had my doubts about Nari, mainly because i wasn’t too impressed with kin khao, but after reading some positive reports decided to give it a try.

the one word that keeps coming to mind when thinking about the food and space at nari is stunning. like kin khao, nari is located in a hotel at the newly renovated hotel kabuki in japantown. the space is beautiful and has two levels with a lounge and bar on the second floor (pro tip arrive early to have drinks and snacks in the lounge) and the main dining room and kitchen on the first floor.

The food was bold, complex, intense and fucking delicious. one of the best and most exciting meals of the year for me so far.

oysters mangda-nette - kushi oysters, pineapple mignonette scented with fragrance from mangda water beetle

blood orange mah hor - pork, shrimp, peanuts, garlic, coriander roots, coconut sugar
perfect combination of sweet, salty, and funky flavors. i can see this being one of my favorite bites come stone fruit season. highlight.

miang - persimmon, cured trout roe, pomegranate, lemongrass, makrut lime, sea sauce-tamarind caramel, betel leaves
Another balanced and complex bite. Delicious.

yum som-o - pomelo, hearts of palm, peanuts, sweet and crispy shrimp, coconut-chili jam dressing
This was a recommendation from our server, it doesn’t look like much but it was another one of the highlights of the night. Sweet, salty, briny, and spicy.

crispy veal sweetbreads - sriraja-tamarind sauce
Nicely fried and really spicy this was a nod to the chicken wings at kin khao.

squid & pork jowl - monterey bay squid, pork jowl, spicy chili lime vinaigrette, peanuts
This is my kind of surf and turf. The soft, sticky, and fatty pork jowl (like a pork mochi) was incredible and went great with the tender squid. Also came with a side of sticky rice, roll into a ball and dip into that salty, spicy, fatty sauce. Highlight light of the night @Chowseeker1999, @TheCookie, @NYCtoLA, @Bookwich, @attran99, @foodshutterbug

gaeng rawaeng - tumeric scented rawaeng curry, whole cornish game hen, roti
The bird was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy. The curry had a nice kick to it and the roti was crispy albeit a bit greasy.

babin coconut cake - coconut, ginger, basil

toto

Nari
1625 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Nari

[Chowseeker1999]

Thanks @PorkyBelly. So glad to hear there’s some really exciting food from this follow-up. Bookmarked.

[PorkyBelly]

At Nari, a Thai Chef Revitalizes Fine Dining (Published 2020)

[PorkyBelly]

I hope you get to try it. We really don’t have anything like it in la.

[PorkyBelly]

nari is the best thai i’ve had in ca. inventive, complex, and exciting. everything was delicious but the signature squid & pork jowl and crispy eggplant curry are must orders.

wish we had something like this in la.

yum sum-o - citrus salad in a white soy + lime dressing topped with herbs, shallots & peanuts

squid & pork jowl - grilled monterey squid in chili-lime dressing with sweet & succulent pork jowl, topped with peanuts & cilantro served with sticky rice

ball up some sticky rice and drag it through the sauce.

miang pla - whole branzino, diced & fried, tossed with lemongrass, ginger, peanut, & chili

caramelized fish sauce cabbage - wok-tossed cabbage in fish sauce & garlic

gaeng bumbai aubergine - crispy eggplant in spicy bumbai curry with lemon basil, & crispy shallots

I love crispy eggplant and this was the best version I’ve had. battered in rice flour the eggplant remained impressively crispy and creamy even in the curry.

gaeng massaman gae - tender lamb shank in massaman curry with cherries & baby scallions

wan yen - tapioca pearls, kiwi, kumquats, cherry and mango jellies, coconut-pandan ice

[burritoking]

how does anajak standard and anajak omakase compare?

although not as wow, i think kin khao is also outstanding in a way that’s hard to find in LA

[robert]

I’ve got to get myself over there. This review reminds me of San Ho Won.

It’s wacky that while LA is overall way better for Thai and Korean food than SF or the Bay Area, the top Thai and Korean restaurants in SF may beat anything in LA.

[honkman]

How does it compare to Kin Khao (since it is the same owner) - which we really like ?

[PorkyBelly]

I enjoyed my meals at nari a lot more than a la carte and omakase anajak. nari is more refined in terms of food, space and service. nari wowed, anajak was good.

[burritoking]

big praise, considering all the LA acclaim for anajak!

but yeh - nari and san ho won are real jewels of sf (along with its coffee scene)

[PorkyBelly]

it’s been awhile since I’ve been to kin khao so need a revisit, I remember it being fine, but nothing wowed me like nari. also thought the location and space weren’t that great. I think you’ll like nari if you like kin khao.

[robert]

Thanks to PorkyBelly for reminding me. I thought Nari was on the short list of places to try I keep on my phone, but it wasn’t.

Pork croquettes were fabulous. Reminded me of the fried pork fat balls that Dopo used to have in its free buffet. Would not have thought they were Thai if I’d tasted them blind. Pickles were very nice. Greens were not noticeably bitter but who cares?

Drank a Grosjean Petite Arvine. This was very good and one of the less expensive wines on the list. I pretty much always order Val d’Aosta wines when I see them since that’s so rare.

Mushroom larb was great. Too spicy for my dining companion so I got to eat it all. This was the only dish I thought was very spicy.

People say “melt in your mouth” but this pork jowl really was. Great pairing with the quickly cooked squid. Fun that they paired sticky rice.

The eggplant was a technical triumph. They slice into it and I presume fan it out, so each thin slice is crunchy, but the interior and the uncut part that connects the slices is creamy. Never had anything like it. Delicous. We had so much sauce left over that it’ll make a main course for dinner one day this week. This was as spicy as my capsicum-challenged companion could handle, for my palate medium-spicy at most.

Beef cheeks were the most delicate dish. Despite the color barely spicy if at all. Had a lot of that left over as well.

Charred cabbage with garlic and caramelized fish sauce was a nice foil to the rich eggplant and beef.

I love Barolo chinato. I’m not sure I’ve seen it on a menu since Incanto closed.

The parfait / ice cream was great, but serving it with all that ice was just wrong.

Same problem only much worse for the wan yen. We should have sent both back. The server said he thought maybe the ice machine was off last night, that it shouldn’t have been so chunky.

Desserts aside, an excellent meal. Next time maybe I’ll try the chef’s pick. For future reference, tap water comes in a choice of still or sparkling.

[robert]

There have sure been a lot of restaurants in this space. Per a 2008 SF Weekly review I wrote of O Izakaya, it was preceded by Dot, Lord of the Balls, YoYo Bistro, and Elka.

[PorkyBelly]

MICHELIN Guide Inspectors’ Favorite Desserts in California