vegetarians welcome at tataki south

Even in San Francisco, it’s unusual to find a sushi restaurant that has a plethora of vegetarian options. However, there is one notable exception – Tataki South – in Noe Valley. An indistinct storefront at the corner of Church and Day houses this second outpost, where it is surrounded by the likes of Pomelo, Toast, and La Ciccia. It would be a mistake if you passed by without giving Tataki South a glance.

Not only do the owners pride themselves on serving sustainable fish, they have an exceptional selection of vegetarian starters, robatas, and rolls. We visited on a Sunday evening, just as happy hour was ending. Yes, that’s right happy hour is everyday from 5 to 7pm during which time select starters and drinks are served at a reduced price. The wait staff was attentive and seated us within minutes of arrival at a corner table overlooking Church St. 


The décor is a combination of dark woods, zen water features, and bamboo plants. A sushi bar allows patrons to watch the precision work of the chefs. Vegetarian options are noted separately on the menu, which made it easier for us. We opted for three rolls (mixed veggie, spicy tofuna, reggae) and one robata (vegan chicken). The dishes, beautifully plated, came out one by one (cold to hot) by design and like clockwork.

Mixed Veggie Rolls – asparagus, avocado, carrot, spinach, radish, and sprouts. A total of six pieces were delicately placed on an abstract white plate. A burst of fresh flavor was in each bite. It was as if the vegetables were cut from the garden that afternoon. The creaminess of the avocado and crispness of the asparagus certainly came through more than the other veggies. I felt that the sprouts were merely an add-on and didn’t need to be part of the rolls. However, I was surprised by the portion size for only $6. Verdict - I would order this a staple dish each time.

Spicy Tofuna – spicy bean curd and cucumber (served inside out). The rice was perfectly cooked; the bean curd was melt in your mouth tender with a wonder kick of Asian spices; the fresh cucumber strips perfectly balanced the starch and protein. Hands down the best plate of the evening – the unique texture of the tofuna paired with the crispness of the cucumber just worked. However, I have to admit that these bit-sized rolls tasted much better than they looked. That aside at $7.50 for a total of 8 pieces, it’s great value. Verdict – I will order this again (and again).

Raggae – asparagus, cucumber, avocado, tomato, pumpkin. The plating was work of art with the rolls lined up along a slender curved white plate. Fresh pumpkin strips were scattered over each roll. Spicy tomato and rich avocado mousses were placed adjacent to the rolls – allowing Sheila and I to dictate the level of heat and cool per bite. This was an interesting combination as the asparagus was fried (served warm) and the cucumber and tomatoes were fresh. To be honest the only thing I could taste was the asparagus, tomato spread and avocado spread. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the flavor combination. At $12 for 8 pieces, this one of the more expensive veggie dish. Verdict – I may order this again depending on whether I’m feeling adventurous.

Vegan Chicken Robata – mock chicken cubes grilled slow cooked over wood charcoals and then served on skewers. When the dish arrived, Sheila and I were a bit surprised at the size – we were expecting bite-size pieces. Instead the vegan chicken pieces were the size of large orange wedges. This made them extremely dense and a bit heavy to eat. The outside had wonderful grill marks and was infused with both wood charcoal and Asian spice-rub flavors. Towards the middle, the vegan chicken was chewy and stringy. Not my favorite consistency but none less pretty tasty. At $5.50, a relatively inexpensive dish if you’re looking for something hearty. Verdict – I would try one of their other robatas for the sake of curiosity.

Overall, Tataki South is a great option for San Francisco’s Indian summer months when cool, fresh dishes are much more appealing than warm, stuffy dishes. That’s why we chose to try it last week when SF experienced a shorts and t-shirt day. Both Sheila and I will return and try a whole new set of vegetarian dishes, because we can at this place. That is one of the appeals, along with a real laid back atmosphere, light fresh dishes, and interesting flavor combinations that just seems to work.

Brunch at Chloe's in Noe Valley

On a quest to try some of SF's best brunch spots, Sheila and I headed to Chloe's Cafe at the corner of 26th & Church in Noe Valley. With only 16 seats inside and 20 outside, Chloe's Cafe is certain qualifies as a neighborhood joint. That of course meant the wait would long; it ended up being 40 mins since we opted for an inside table with the weather a bit cold.

Within minutes of being seated, the owner came by to take our drink orders - latte for Sheila and mocha for me. The $4 single shot mocha served in a tall glass was made with dark chocolate and a hint of cinnamon. On it's own the drink was a tad bitter for my taste; however that was good thing since I order a sweet brunch dish.

For brunch Sheila ordered the cinnamon french toast and I ordered the buttermilk pancakes with a side of hot grilled potatoes. We opted for the short stacks (two pieces); at $7.00 each, it was a good value for the portions. Service was a bit slow and we noticed several patrons going directly up to the cash till to pay their bills. Despite that, the wait staff was cordial and attentive overall.

Both the pancakes and french toast were served with two pre-packed butter cubes and maple syrup. Pancakes were hot off the griddle, moist, and fluffy. I could taste the distinct buttermilk flavor; a one note dish that was flat in my mind. I've also come to expect homemade or organic butter from SF brunch spots, which Chloe's did not have. In hindsight, I probably should have ordered the banana walnut cakes. Oh well, not sure that would have made a difference.

The potatoes came out slightly burnt on one half and slightly mushy on the other half. It was bit disappointing since I was looking for savory and crunchy in my side dish, not lumpy and burnt. Despite that, the potatoes did cut into the sweetness of my pancakes.

Sheila's french toast looked very appetizing, drizzled with some confectionery sugar and cinnamon. After a few bit, the heaviness of the dish sank in. The problem, it was extremely eggy and

that overwhelmed any taste from the bread or cinnamon. Sheila always orders french toast, similar to me and margherita pizza, so I've come to trust her discerning palette. I took a small piece and ended up only eating half of it. Enough said.

Chloe's has been described as solid and down home local. I can't say we agree with that. Nothing to fret about though, there are plenty of other great spots in SF to choose from.

Burgers at Barney's...

...and I don't mean with Barney Stinson from HIMUM, but rather the burger chain with circa six locations spread across Nor Cal. There's an outpost in Noe Valley amongst the plethora of other gourmet options along 24th St. The Noe Valley shop recently went through a remodel, there are updated finishes, bright pastel colors on the walls, quirky artwork vegetables, and an open kitchen. Kinda reminded me of the Hill Valley Dinner from Back to the Future 2! The servers were attentive but not over bearing which you'd expected in Noe.

The great thing about Barney's is that all their burgers can be made with either garden or tofu patties. With names like North Beach, Milano, Carribean, Teriyaki, etc; the options are pretty endless. Even their fries have options - spicy curly, sweet potato, skinny, cheesy, etc. Each burger is around $8.50 to $10.00 with the sides ranging from $2.50 to $6.00. It's a reasonable price considering the amount of food served.

Our last visit was on a cold rainy Wednesday night when comfort food was in order. Sheila opted for the Chipotle Burger - jack cheese topped with spicy chipotle sauce, red onion, tomato, lettuce and pickles. I went for the Sunshine Burger - cheddar cheese, red onions, sprouts, avocado, tomato, and thousand island dressing. We split a single other of the spicy curly fries with ranch dressing.

The fries came out first, piping hot with a slight kick of spicies. They were cooked through, unlike what tends to happen at In-n-Out with they're rushing behind the counter. The single order was plenty for us and can't imagine a larger size - it was tough to resist the urge to fill up on just the fries!

The burgers came out about 10 mins later and were served open face. The toppings are piled high, so if not in the mood for a heaping of sprouts or avocado, order them on the side like I did. Sheila's Chipotle Burger was equally appetizing. However, she had to take off a good layer of the spicy chipotle sauce in order to eat it. To my pleasant surprise the Sunshine Burger came out on whole wheat sandwich bread. Their homemade garden patty tasted fresh full of oats, barley, carrots, peppers, and brown rice. We often feel that garden burgers can become overly dry when cooked too long, which these were not. The accompaniments of lettuce, tomato, onions, avocados were to Barney's finest and fresh motto. They were certainly large burgers, which meant it took us while to finish.

Overall, we come to appreciate Barney's as our comfort food joint because of it's (1) proximity to our flat, (2) selection of veggie burger options, and (3) relaxed casual vibe. Perhaps you will to.