As I prepared to write this note on Benu, I recall thinking after our meal that the restaurant was certainly worthy of its Michelin stars (two) at the time. Since I was there in October 2014, the restaurant has been awarded its third star. I think this is obviously great recognition for Chef Corey Lee’s efforts to lift and modernize fine Asian food without losing aspects of the dish that people love. While Benu may be classified as fusion (it’s described as ‘new American fare’ on Google Maps), I think it still leans more to towards its Asian characteristics – mainly Chinese, Japanese and Korean – and as such, avoids being too heavy handed in taste and/or confusing for diners. For this reason, I think Benu is arguably one of the best modern Asian restaurants and worth a visit to when in San Francisco.
The restaurant’s entrance is tucked inside a courtyard just a block over from the St Regis Hotel and opposite the W. So, it’s within walking distance for most visitors staying at any of the hotels around Union Square. My husband and I had just come from a visit to Yosemite National Park and hadn’t packed clothes more formal than what can be described as “country club appropriate”. So we called ahead to find out if jeans were acceptable and happily it was. While I felt underdressed in the restaurant, this was mainly due to how well other patrons were dressed, as Benu’s staff were more than welcoming.
The restaurant decor is probably best described as Zen – clean lines that feel sparse. This would be consistent with the presentation of the food – more Japanese influence here. Some of the plating is beautiful.
Also in the tradition of most fine Japanese eateries, Benu only serves an omakase (degustation) dinner. This means an a la carte offering is not available. The dishes change depending on what produce is available seasonally and daily. For this reason, to make the most of Benu, you have to come hungry, enjoy shellfish, and be prepared to pay more than USD270 per person (inclusive of service charge). So, pricing is in the realm of Japan’s sushi temples and more expensive than some of Europe’s Michelin 3-starred restaurants.
In defence of the cost, Benu’s omakase dinner consists of around 18 courses and may comprise ingredients such as foie gras, conch, fish maw, lobster and other fine fish. A lot of thought and skill has gone into each morsel. But, if after looking at the menu, you are only craving the xiao long bao and steamed fish, going to a good Chinese restaurant may be preferable. I can imagine one the criticisms from some patrons (I’m thinking of some of my relatives) is that you may feel like you’re paying a lot for a dumpling.
I do have to give a shout out to Benu’s sommelier Yooh Ha, he was friendly and helpful in his recommendations. Since we’re not familiar with Californian wines, we were keen to try something local. As we like French chardonnays – generally less fruity with a bit more oak, Yoon Ha suggested the Mt. Eden Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay 2012, which we enjoyed. And we also had a glass of the Peay Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2012. Yoon Ha also gave us a list of other places to go eat in San Francisco – one where we had a good dinner and another, a fine lunch.
Contact Benu: www.benusf.com
Our Dinner
Benu’s traditional starter is called a thousand year-old quail egg served in a potage with ginger. I don’t have a good picture of this but safe to say, it looks like half of a Chinese century egg in a thick soup. However, it doesn’t have the heavy ammonia smell of the century egg. Since I love the traditional century egg, especially when slightly soft, Benu’s version didn’t excite me on its own but it went well with the potage.
Our second course – cherry blossom, red bean and pistachio. Next (No. 3) came the oyster, pork belly and Kimchi except that mine didn’t have the oyster (I don’t eat oysters). This was followed by eel wrapped in a feuille de brick, served with creme fraiche. I don’t have a good picture but the wrapped eel looked like a bread stick. It went very nicely with the creme fraiche.
No. 5 was deep-fried anchovy with celery and peanuts – reminded me of a Malaysian dish called ikan bilis and Japanese shirimi also. No. 6 was homemade sunflower tofu – nice and delicate. This was followed by a slice of XO sausage – looks like a salami slice – accompanied by a cube of basil curd (not pictured).
No. 8 – Beggar’s purse of treasures from the oak. I enjoyed this dumpling, that if I recall correctly, contained truffle and Iberico ham. Following this, grain bread with ginseng and honey butter was served – a nice surprise that marked the end of the series of “starters”.
Next was a three-part course, comprising palm, jujube and gingko nut. Following this three part course, is one of Benu’s signature dishes – the lobster coral xiao long bao (in the main picture of this article). The xiao long bao was excellent – the skin was delicate and smooth and the lobster adds a nice springiness compared to the traditional filling.
Dishes were now getting more substantial in taste. We had the Japanese spiny conch (No. 11) followed by fish maw with potato, lemon-sesame (No. 12) and coriander.
No. 13 is another favourite – jellyfish-wrapped shrimp, caviar and horseradish. This was delicious with the shrimp nicely cooked (not overdone). No. 14 was sablefish, wild bamboo funghi, cabbage and hot mustard. This reminded me of a Cantonese dim sum that comprises bean curd sheet (like yuba) wrapped fish paste that is steamed. Benu’s version is much more refined.
No. 15 was roast quail, mountain yam, barley and pea shoots. We then added a supplemental course of Okhotsk sea cucumber stuffed with shrimp, cucumber, perilla and fermented pepper. I love sea cucumber – mainly for its heavy gelatinous texture as this seafood doesn’t have much of its own taste. I think I was just happy to see this on the menu. It did not beat my aunt’s braised sea cucumber but Benu’s was good too, and much prettier.
No. 17 was beef rib, shitake mushroom, burdock and charred scallion. The beef was tender and still flavourful (I prefer to taste beef without sauces). Next, No. 18, came another signature – “Shark fin soup”, dungeness crab, Jinhua ham custard. It’s not real sharks’ fin – thank goodness – as I try not to eat sharks’ fin on environmental grounds. I really enjoyed this dish. I think crab and savoury custard – which is more like the Japanese chawan mushi here, but with the stronger Jinhua ham flavour – is always a nice combination. The fake sharks’ fin adds a welcome texture contrast.
At the end of our meal, we had a yuzu sorbet (not pictured) followed by a dessert comprising fresh and dried yuba, almond and white chocolate. I’m a big yuba fan so I couldn’t be happier with this dessert.