Bouche

Perfect ambiance for a romantic dinner. The highlight of our meal was the marinated salmon on poached egg that was absolutely divine. The price range is actually really good given the quality of the ingredient and the intricate designs. Being French, I can attest that restaurants in Paris offering similar dishes would be a lot more expensive. We had a great time at Bouche and will be coming back as soon as possible.

Oomea, Inc. 5

I felt like I was reaching the end of my rope with Contemporary-American-French cuisine. Restaurant after restaurant, it just seemed like the same old dishes -- roasted chicken (or quail), braised short ribs, or grilled pork chop with some kind of tart fruit glaze. It got to the point where I started to never crave anything that was "Contemporary-American-French." In fact, without foie gras, I feel like French food (at least in SF) has become boring in general. Tasty, perhaps, but boring. That is until I came to Bouche.

Now, there were some small misses here and there, but honestly, the food at Bouche breathes so much new creative life into the SF food scene that it's worth those small flaws to enjoy a meal that actually makes Contemporary French exciting again.

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FOOD:

Scallops:
I loved the intricate and subtly sweet flavor to this dish. The dish is a cold dish, which kind of caught me off guard, but the scallops were insanely tender.

Marinated Salmon:
This was one of my favorite dishes of the night. The salmon meshed perfectly with the crunchy (equivalent of a) bird's nest and the creme fraiche. I've never had anything like this before and it was an incredible first.

Lamb Shoulder:
I normally don't like lamb due to its sour gaminess, but the lamb shoulder is cooked to absolute perfection. It tastes like a very tender braised beef short rib, which is awesome for those who normally hate lamb. What really makes this dish, though, is the sauce -- a sweet marmalade with crunchy almonds-- that really brings out the flavor of the lamb shoulder. I could've done without the tangy sorbet-like carrot coriander puree, since there was so much sweetness in the marmalade already. Perhaps a more subtle puree, like turnip or potato, would complement the marmalade better.

Veal:
The veal had an amazing flavor, but it was a bit too well-done. Whatever flavors they used though, worked very well.

Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta:
This dessert was a bit too boring and tasteless for me, except those moments when all you have in your mouth is salt (not enjoyable either). The caramel sauce was a nice touch, but it just needed something else to really make this panna cotta memorable.

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Bouche has an intimate, hidden atmosphere that really brings out a rustic, underground Paris ambiance. It's actually pretty cool. Kind of reminds me of the upstairs section of Gitane.

Shane, our server, was on point. Our water was always filled, our wine glasses were never empty.

All in all, what I love most about Bouche is that it really pushes the envelope when it comes to discovering wildly inventive flavors. Most of what I ate tonight brought flavors and textures that I've never had before, and it was incredible to experience. I'm impatiently looking forward to a return visit.

Oomea, Inc. 4

I went to Bouche not long after their opening a year ago, and I went again a month ago, and they improved a lot!!

The soup is a delight, I would go again just for the soup!!

The kitchen is very small, it's impressive how the staff can deliver such a high level of quality so fast.

I'm usually very disappointed in many of the other "French' restaurants in the city, this one is the best I tried, by far. Congrats to the chef and to the team!

Oomea, Inc. 4

Bouche. Even the name is enticing.

We sat upstairs looking out on Bush Street while sipping sparkling rosé, feeling transported somewhere else – I imagine Paris, though I’ve never been. Even though the tables were close together and the early evening traffic was flowing steadily outside, there was a sense of seclusion. We felt removed from the concrete sidewalk below, contrasted by the tables made of wooden wine bottle racks under glass and the dim sconces against dark walls, creating a delightfully rustic ambiance. Next to the candle on our table stood a small, organic-looking stone tub of coarse ground salt and pepper.

While the French-speaking host who sat us was charming and polite, our food server was a bit on the brusque side. We could sense his hurried nature as he took our order and answered our inquiry about his recommendations.

Appetizing on the charcuterie selections, we discovered that Bouche’s platter easily stood out from others. The pates and jams were so delicious, we couldn’t wait to see how the rest of our meal was going to compare. We were not disappointed when the house smoked salmon with poached egg and crème fraiche arrived at our table. It was a surprisingly large portion – it could have been an entrée - and so delicious that we finished it quickly and quietly.

The wild boar civet was accompanied by raviolis, turnips, and green apple salad. The partnering of the items was perfect, and the flavors exploded in my “bouche”, if I may be so crude. The only disappointment was the wild mushroom medley with spicy apple sauce which, though tasty and earthy, was quite sandy. My attempts to cast the grittiness from my mind when chewing on them were unsuccessful.

The most amazing thing is the tiny kitchen, which is practically a two-person standing-room-only, boxy space. How they assemble and cook such culinary creations in such claustrophobic quarters is beyond my comprehension.

With the bag of leftovers tucked securely under my arm as if it were gold, we left the restaurant without having dessert, but were completely satisfied and happy.

Oomea, Inc. 4