Kappou Gomi

Kitty and Ducky

Kappou Gomi

5524 Geary Blvd

San Francisco, CA 94121

(415)221-5353

Note: They recently started taking reservations but it requires $30 to place the reservation. On popular nights I recommend either coming butt early or butt late if you're opting out on reserving a table.

Ducky and I were craving for Japanese food and heard of this place via a classmate's recommendation. We heard it was a bit pricey, so we chose it as our Valentine's Day dinner venue. With no reservation we came up to their door right when they opened at around 5:45 pm. All tables were reserved except for one and the bar, so we got lucky.

Flying Fish Sashimi

[$19]

This is the tastiest sashimi I have ever eaten.  The flesh of the flying fish was very sweet and delicate.  Unfortunately, it only comes with about 6 or 7 small pieces.  It makes me wonder what they do with the rest of the fish?  There are no other flying fish dishes on the menu.  On the other hand, I have never seen a fish prepared in this way.  The flesh is removed leaving the spine, head and tail.  The cut up sashimi is lined up along the spine with some daikon, carrots, and seaweed for a garnish.  Just seeing the fish displayed so artistically is an experience in of itself.  It is very rare that Kitty will even eat sashimi, but she made an exception and tried a few pieces.  She was surprised that it had little to no fishy taste that she dislikes about sashimi.  This is the only restaurant she actually found the sashimi to be palatable.  -Ducky [4.5/5]

Miso Grilled Black Cod

[$9]

Despite its small size, it delivered an enormous tasting experience. The flesh was so soft and so saturated with exquisite miso flavor yet it was not overly salty at all. In fact it was even a bit sweet. I was also very impressed by the presentation. That fish tail decoration was actually carved from a piece of pickled ginger. -Kitty [4/5]

Cha-Soba

Green Tea Noodles with Onsen Egg and Deep Fried Vegetables

[$12]

I was hoping to taste green tea flavor in the noodles but I did not. This dish served as a palate cleanser for us since all our other dishes were so flavorful. Although soba is a very typical dish that can be found anywhere, I found that Kappou Gomi still grilled their basics down and still made this simple piece remarkable. The noodles were soft and not starchy at all. The onsen egg was well made, soft and delicate egg white and creamy runny yolk on the inside. Their tempura was one of the best I've had: big crunch, not too oily, and a good vegetable to batter ratio. -Kitty [3.5/5]

Crab Cream Croquette

[$7.50]

The crab croquettes were very nicely deep fried.  The skin was crispy and contained the creamy goodness of the crab and sauce.  We were surprised that they used real crab instead of the imitation crab meat.  The crab meat was slightly sweet and the sauce was just savory enough.  The croquette had a good contrast of flavors and texture.  The crisp of the first bite followed by the crunch and springy-ness of the crab meat inside made this one of my favorite croquettes.  -Ducky [4.75/5]

Golden Yolk Grilled Sea Urchin

Mix of Egg Yolk and Sea Urchin Baked in an Apple Topped with Grilled Sea Urchin

[$12]

This was probably the most unique dish we had and its deliciousness matched up to its exotic nature. The grilled top was straight up savory sea urchin but as I dug deeper, the core revealed a center full of creamy and rich sea urchin mixed with egg taste. And not to mention the divine sweetness coaxed from the apple blended excellently with each bite. This is a MUST try! -Kitty [4.5/5]

Miso Grilled Oyster

[$7.50]

Ducky

Kappou Gomi knows how to do seafood right.  I do not like the raw fishy taste of oysters.  Rarely do I order oysters because I feel that most places don't do them the way I like them, sans fishyness.  I decided to give kappou gomi's oysters a try because of all the reviews about the freshness of their seafood and the skill of the chef.  The miso grilled oyster dish comes with two decently sized oysters slathered in a sweet and savory miso sauce.  The oysters were just how I imagined them to look and, to an extent, taste.  The oysters were free of the fishyness that I do not like, but I felt that the trade off was to have the oysters drowning in the sauce.  I felt that the sauce was a bit overpowering and took away from the oysters a bit.  However, I would not mind trying Kappou Gomi's other oyster dishes in the future.  Until then, I still am in the search for an oyster dish that I fully enjoy.  - Ducky [4/5]

Horaku Egg Custard

Egg Custard with Shrimp, Crab and Scallop

[$13.50]

When I ordered this I imagined it to be more similar to chawanmushi, steamed egg custard in a cup. Instead this was served in a very shallow bowl, but nonetheless I was still pleased. It was jam packed full of fresh seafood giving this dish a sweeter essence. The egg was a little overcooked but I imagined it to be because of the shallow vessel. Otherwise still good. -Kitty [3.5/5]

Isobe Mochi

Grilled Mochi Wrapped in Seaweed

[$4]

Mochi is one of my favorite carbs, so I was excited to try this. The outside was definitely crispy and well saturated with the flavor of soy sauce. On the inside, it was still soft but after a couple of bites I noticed a dry and crumbly texture in my mouth. Not bad, still an enjoyable side. -Kitty [3/5]

Rib Eye Sukiyaki

[$30]

This was my first time having Sukiyaki.  I didn't really know what the difference between shabu and sukiyaki is, but they seem to be very similar.  I think the main difference is the sauce/soup that is used in sukiyaki.  The flavors are a lot stronger and penetrates into the meat and vegetables more.  We ordered the rib eye sukiyaki.  It was the middle tier quality meat that was available.  We didn't want to completely cheap out, but we didn't want to splurge any more than we had to.

Animal Fat to Grease Our Pan

When the waitresses brought the shallow pot/pan out to us with a solitary piece of flesh, we were a bit confused.  I was shocked that this is all we get for $30!!  Fortunately, this was just the chunk of animal (pig?) fat to grease the bottom of the pan.  This was the first time I have seen any place use actual animal fat to grease the pan instead of butter or some sort of vegetable oil.  Plus, the little bit of meat in the middle of the fat was a nice bonus later.  The pan is resting on top of a portable propane stove that they brought out to our table.

Entire Sukiyaki with Meat, Noodles, and Vegetables

Lastly, they brought out the vegetables and the sukiyaki sauce.  The waitresses helped us get started with the sukiyaki soup and placed some of the noodles and vegetables into the pot for us.  The soup/sauce really penetrated into everything that was cooked in the pan.  The meat and vegetables were nicely flavored in a light miso taste that was sweet and savory.  After the waitresses got us started, it was essentially like shabu where we cook our own meats and vegetables and consume them as we go.  We decided to save the meat for last and got some confused looks from the waitresses, but it still turned out just fine.  There were a large variety of vegetables to add to our sukiyaki, but it is not something I would crave and have to get again.  -Ducky [4/5]

Would we come here again? Probably, but in the far distant future.  It was just too pricey for our shallow pockets.  The total for the two of us came out to be about $119... Yes, that is not a typo.  It was good food with fresh ingredients, but Kappou Gomi is not somewhere I would eat regularly.  -Ducky

This was probably the most gourmet Japanese restaurant that I have been to. Its service, quality, and presentation really placed themselves into a higher level than your typical nice sushi bar. If you're looking for bento combos or sushi rolls, then this is not a place to go. If you're looking for something more on the traditional side then this place marks the spot. -Kitty

Overall Score: [4.5/5] A pricey romantic evening, but definitely a gourmet dining experience