A Return Visit to Nombe in San Francisco
It’s never easy replacing a chef who has been with a restaurant since inception, especially one as talented as Nick Balla.
Balla opened the Japanese izakaya-style restaurant, Nombe in San Francisco, but departed at the end of last year. But not before creating quite the impression. Balla, who visits Japan regularly, is such an astute study of traditional Japanese cuisine that his techniques even impressed a group of visiting Japanese chefs at a conference in St. Helena last year.
Balla, who also lived in Budapest for three years, is now at Bar Tartine in San Francisco, where’s he’s doing his take on Eastern European food.
Replacing him at Nombe is Vince Scofield, who was most recently at Ebb & Flow in San Francisco. He also was the opening executive chef at Kabuki Kitchen in San Francisco. In addition to Nombe, he’s also involved with Darwin Cafe and Taco Libre, both in San Francisco.
Whew, talk about a lot on his plate. But Scofield is giving it a valiant try at Nombe in the Mission District, a short drive from the Holiday Inn Civic Center San Francisco.
Recently, I was invited to be a guest at the restaurant to try his new dishes. The menu still has a wide array of small plates. Although you’ll find everything from grilled beef tongue to fried chicken livers to spicy grilled tripe, the menu is a little less progressive than it used to be.
The restaurant, a former taqueria and diner, is divided into two eclectic rooms. The back one is nightclub-dim, so definitely sit in the first room if you really want to see your food.
Definitely have some sake, too, as the restaurant boasts more than 75 premium varieties to enjoy by the glass, flight or bottle.
We started with a bowl of crisp taro chips ($4) served with a creamy edamame hummus dip that looked for all the world like guacamole, but had a subtle bean-y flavor instead.
The sashimi sampler of five different types of seafood, including uni, butterfish and halibut, was fresh and wonderful. But at $30 for 10 pieces — and rather small ones at that — it was pretty pricey.
The skewers of sizzling, grilled chicken skin ($5) actually squirted juice when you bit into them. They were rich and salty, though not as crackling crisp as I’ve had elsewhere.
Fried chicken wings ($9) arrived in a bowl topped with a salty-sweet soy broth that had nice tang. But you’ll want to eat them fast, as the sauce will turn the coating of the ones at the bottom of the bowl rather soggy.
Hokkaido scallops ($14) were nicely seared and drizzled with uni butter. Tender, meaty butterfish ($13) arrived alongside spinach and melty leeks in miso that you just wanted to spoon up.
Juicy slices of Kobe Bavette ($14) were sliced thin and fanned out on a plate with addicting soy-butter glazed baby potatoes.
Yaki Onigiri ($6 for two) is one of the truly great simple pleasures in life — rice balls, brushed with soy, grilled until crusty on the outside, then garnished with strips of nori. It’s finger-food that’s pure comfort.
For dessert, we enjoyed a scoop of black sesame ice cream ($7) that was a powerhouse of sweet, savory and nutty nuances, as well as a green tea panna cotta with a wonderful bitter edge.
Light eaters can be very satisfied at Nombe. But for those with heftier appetites, just know that you may end up spending far more than you bargained for once all those little plates start piling up fast.
More: My First Visit to Nombe
Oooh, intriguing cuisine!
The food looks really good and original!
Cheers,
Rosa
I know they’re small servings, but it looks like they’re worth it!
Also love the look of the taro chips – my stepmum, being Tongan, has totally ruined taro for me forever by boiling it and serving it with boiled fish heads, but I would definitely give these a go!
I liked the authenticity Balla tried to bring to his izakaya dishes. These look a bit fusion. Is it weird that of all the dished I think the crispy rice ball looks the most enticing? 🙂
Miso and gently grilled fish is just so apt, especially Nobu’s miso cod which is totally unforgettable for me! I bet the kobe slices and yaki onigiri were mouthfuls of heaven too! Love making taro chips at home by just baking them with a little olive oil and salt – totally healthy from packet chips!
Ahh yes Mr NQN finds sashimi plates hit and miss when it comes to filling him up. I have to say that the idea of chicken skin as a dish fills me with lust. I love the stuff! 😀
Excellent review! I wonder if this would have tasted better if you hadn’t ever been to the old Nombe. But either way, I like a meal to fill me up when I’m spending big bucks on it!
Everything looks wonderful! Love the sound of those chicken wings, yum!
Carolyn, what is that 3rd picture down? Is that the chicken wings? What is it covered in? I have never tried Yaki Onigiri but must remedy that right away. I love rice…my husband often catches me stealing spoonfuls of rice out of the rice cooker in between meals, can’t get enough!
I think the chef did a nice job expressing his style and creativity after replacing a chef who originally opened the resto. The food looks and from your descriptions tasted fabulous!
Thanks, Carolyn 🙂
Looks like it was a pretty great meal, all in all. The scallop and butterfish dishes look incredible!
There is an izakaya happening in the Bay Area, not that I am complaining, but wow! I’ve heard great things about Nombe and cannot wait to check it out. We have a new one that opened near us JuKu and its delicious and being a block away – sake is not an issue.
YUM! I went to Nombe last night, and it was really good. I especially love the edamame hummus and the chicken wings. Must try to make them at home!
These look so tasty !!