Friday, October 17, 2008

Fables have their upside

Unicorn

Sachiko and I joined two new friends, Ikuko and Miyako in San Francisco's Finanical District for a dreams-do-come-true dinner at Unicorn. The restaurant has the perfect moniker since it is hard to find the essence of legends very often at eating establishments. Unicorn is 'Pan Asian Cuisine', yet it has definite fingerprints of Vietnamese flavors.

Tuna Ceviche with Green Mango, Lotus Rootlets and Basil-Nuoc Mam Salsa
Tuna Cheviche with Green Mango, Lotus Rootlets and Basil-Nuoc Nam Salsa

The Tuna Cheviche was a wonderful blend of fruit, fresh raw tuna and exotic lotus rootlets, topped with jalapeno peppers. We all enjoyed a taste of it.

New Zealand Green Lip Mussels in Coconut Wasabi Bisque
New Zealand Green Lip Mussels in Coconut Wasabi Bisque

We all ooohed and ahhhed over the green lip mussels and the smooth bisque it sat in. I would definitely order this one again.

Albino Rolls
Albino Rolls (Dungeness crab meat and scallop) - Ponzu Sauce

The Albino Rolls were a taste treat with Dungeness crab meat and scallop tucked inside rice wrappers and deep fried.

Cubed Filet Mignon with Blue Lake Green Bean
Cubed Filet Mignon with Blue Lake Green Beans (Niman Ranch)

I did the heavy partaking of the Blue Lake Green Beans which accompanied tender cubes of Filet Mignon.

Butterfish in Banana Leaf with Light Soy Brine
Butter Fish in Banana Leaf with Light Soy Brine

We all enjoyed the subtle flavors of the Butter Fish in Banana Leaf, which was infused with coconut milk and other herbs. It was very tender, flaky and delicious.

Spicy Mango Tofu with Chinese Eggplant
Spicy Mango Tofu and Chinese Eggplant

This tofu dish was an unusual blend of Chinese eggplant, mango and fried tofu cubes. It went quite well with the jasmine rice that was served.

Edamame
Edamame

We women were having such a good time, and sipping our wine slowly, so ordered some more food to keep the good times going. This edamame appetizer was warm and salted appropriately.

Rice Paper Wrap for Vermicelli
Rice Paper Wraps with Hot Water

Our vermicelli dish first came with rice paper and hot water.

Steamed Vermicelli with Rice Paper Wrap (chicken)
Steamed Vermicelli with Rice Paper Wrap (Chicken)

Then followed by the stuffing of fresh vegetables and chicken over the steamed vermicelli. The vermicelli was thoughtfully pre-cut so that it was easy to portion in the wraps we dipped in the hot water to soften. This was a fun dish to share with friends, and tasted fresh!

Golden Plum Ice Cream and Ginger Pear poached in port with Cinamon-Passion Fruit Sorbet
Ciao Bella Golden Plum Ice Cream and Ginger Pear poached in Port with Cinnamon-Passion Fruit Sorbet

The finale was a scoop of Ciao Bella Golden Plum Ice Cream and a Ginger Pear poached in Port with some Cinnamon-Passion Fruit sorbet surrounding it. We took a leisurely three hours and three bottles of lovely wine to travel through the meal laughing together. The venue was beautifully decorated with glass art and the service was impeccable. Unicorn is highly recommendable from many aspects!

3 comments:

Zoomie said...

Holy Cow, that was a major feast! I love the humble edamame, don't you? In Hawaii, we call them Squeeze Beans.

Anna Haight said...

Yes, it was! We were very slow and savored everything! We were lucky to come at a time when there weren't major crowds so we could easily talk too.

Nancy Ewart said...

What a delicious treat - a feast for the mouth and the eyes. I'm putting that restaurant name on my list for "special places to dine" when I have friends visit or when I actually sell one of my paintings and have a reason to celebrate!