Pabu Izakaya, SF

I remember when Pabu Izakaya opened in SF.  It was a big deal - a new adventure for star chef Micheal Mina, venturing outside the standard fine dining mold.  It got a lot of press, and along with being known for attracting talent in the kitchen, it was noted for fairly high prices, particularly for somewhere dubbed an izakaya, usually a bit more of a casual everyday sort of place.  But given the prime financial district location, perhaps that price point was considered "everyday" for those on expense accounts?

I didn't ever go to Pabu in those first few years, as reports were that it was fine, but not outstanding, and definitely not worth the price.  But I did attend a few events with Pabu making made to order hand rolls, which were always decent enough, and their sister establishment (Ramen Bar) offered up memorable Japanese style deviled eggs topped with crispy ramen.  Ramen Bar has since closed.  It was again, all fine, but nothing I'd seek out at their prices.

"A celebration of world-class sashimi, sushi, grilled meats from the robata, and a modern, seasonal cocktail menu. "

The menu at Pabu is definitely more higher end than traditional izakaya snack food, with expensive steaks and of course their version of miso black cod.  They also have a full sushi line up.

Pabu managed to survive the pandemic (although The Ramen Bar did not), with a pivot towards more takeout, bento boxes, and packaged cocktails.  So one evening, when I was really craving uni, just a few days after visiting Nobu in San Diego and finding them out of uni (!!!){TODO: LINK}, I decided to order delivery from Pabu, for exactly what I was craving: uni and a nice whiskey cocktail to go with it.  I ordered via Door Dash, and although Pabu is just a few blocks away, it still took over an hour for my delivery, I think because the restaurant was fairly busy.

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I was impressed with the delivery experience, and I'd do it again if I really wanted pricey but reliable sushi.

Drinks

A great thing that came out of the pandemic is many restaurants offering cocktails for takeout.  While I can easily buy a bottle of wine to enjoy at home, mixing a cocktail takes a bit more skill, and I'm glad to be able to get a well made cocktail at home.  Pabu has a small cocktail menu available for takeout, but all are ones I'd gladly order, such as a classic Manhattan or Negroni, my regular cocktails of choice, a crowd pleasing margarita, and a signature cocktail.  They also have beer and sake by the bottle available.

Classic Lolita. $15.

"Suntory Toki Japanese whisky, Okinawa sugar, bitters."

I'm re-discovering the joy of a good cocktail.  I really haven't had many cocktails as a "real adult" - rum & cokes, Jungle Juice, etc in my college years, a few Lemon Drops when I first could order for real at a bar, and the occasional fruity slushy drink on an island do not count.  There were a few years where a co-worker did make me negronis on the regular, and sometimes when I went out frequently a few years ago I'd get a nice whiskey or gin based drink, but, it really isn't all that common for me.  At home, it is always wine.  But I was really craving a whiskey cocktail after my recent business trip, which, yes, did involve some cocktails, and thus, the signature house cocktail at Pabu sounded perfect.

I give Pabu credit for great packaging for takeout, clearly something they pivoted to during the pandemic, but I loved the adorable little bottle with clear label.  I was expecting a regular takeout cup!  I was amused however that the bottle was inside a regular cardboard takeout box of its own.  Heh.

Anyway, the cocktail was quite strong, but, balanced out nicely on I put it over ice (as instructed on the bottle).  Nothing earth shattering, but, a well made whisky drink.  ***.

Manhattan. $16.

"High West Double Rye, Punt e Mes, Angostura."

I was tempted to get my standard, go-to drink, the negroni, this time, as I got the lolita last time, but decided to be a bit more interesting, and opted for a manhattan.  Interesting only in that it isn't my standard drink, its my #2, lol.

It came packaged a bit differently from my last cocktail, this time split into two small bottles, rather than one slightly larger bottle.  Just like last time, I did kinda laugh at the bottles being placed inside a regular takeout container.

The cocktail was good - basically, exactly what you'd expect from a well made manhattan.  I had no qualms with it, and the two small bottles made for two perfect size mini cocktails, one I enjoyed before my dinner that night, as I paired my meal with a glass of wine, and one I had the next evening as a nightcap.  Value was good for $16.  ***+.

Sushi

The sushi menu at Pabu is fairly standard: a decent lineup of nigiri or sashimi, standard rolls, and a few house special rolls.  None too crazy, not too much in the deep fried heavily sauce department, as Pabu does trend a bit more classy.  Many restaurants don't offer uni for delivery, and since I was really craving uni, I was quite happy to see that Pabu does, even if it would be pricy.

Uni Nigiri. $20.

I selected the nigiri rather than sashimi.  In general, I prefer sashimi, but for uni, I did want a little bit of rice with it.

I give my Door Dasher delivery person some credit for this arriving looking, well, perfect.  Granted, Pabu is just a few blocks away, but, the sushi clearly wasn't jangled around.

The uni was ... ok.  The portion was good, several large in-tact lobes in each piece.  One tasted a bit sweet like I like, but the others definitely had a bit of funk.  Not its-gone-bad funk, it still seemed fresh, but, just a bit of funk, and I suspect this was local uni, which tends to have that flavor I don't like as much.  Still, it seemed fresh and good quality, and, well constructed generous pieces.

The sushi rice was very lackluster - it didn't have any seasoning, and didn't seem to stick together very well.  For a restaurant of its calibre, I was quite surprised to have such mediocre sushi rice.

My nigiri came with soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi, all of which seemed very average quality - the wasabi in particular surprised me as it was clearly just paste, and not very flavorful.  Compared to the wasabi I had from Nobu two days prior, it was night and day difference.  Again, for a restaurant of this calibre and price point, I expected better wasabi, and better ginger.

So, overall, rice and condiments were lower end generic, uni was fine but not a variety I cared for.  ***.