Noodle in a Haystack — Restaurant in San Francisco

"Stupidly Good"

We had dinner at Noodle in a Haystack last night, and we're still trying to wrap our heads around what we experienced. We made a point to go in completely blind - no food photos, no PR, no reviews. And I’m so glad we did. From the very first bite, we knew we were in for something special.

I don’t usually write reviews, but we’ve been lucky enough to dine at many of the world’s top restaurants - both on and off the 50 Best list and Michelin guide. I mention that only to give some context.

In a world where many fine dining chefs follow a well-trodden path - culinary school, staging, and years perfecting classical techniques - Chefs Clint and Yoko (both ex-corporate, entirely self-taught) are rewriting the rules. Together with Patty, their small but mighty team delivers a 2.5-hour dining experience that’s completely original, technically flawless, and deeply intimate. Every element - from pacing to presentation - feels intentional and meticulously considered.

And then there’s the food.

There wasn’t a single dish that didn’t completely blow us away. The textures (shoutout to the chawanmushi, wagyu salumi, and that absolutely insane lobster stuffed, uni topped milk bread donut) were unlike anything we’ve ever tasted. The ramen was the best we’ve had outside of Japan. The coffee basque-style cheesecake rivaled what we’ve had in San Sebastián. And the sake and wine pairings were spot-on, perfectly complementing flavor combinations that are wildly inventive and clearly the result of countless hours of obsessive R&D.

The restaurant currently seats 10 and is only open two nights a week - making reservations extremely hard to come by - so if you don’t get one right away, keep trying. It’s absolutely worth the effort and the cost.

I can confidently say this is my favorite restaurant in San Francisco, and I can’t wait to experience what they dream up...

This is the hardest reservation to get in the San Francisco Bay area. This is a strong 2, maybe 3 Michelin star experience. A top 2 meal in my life.

Clint and Yoko have written a love letter to ultra refined Japanese flavors and umami with their Noodle in a Haystack tasting menu.

Each dish is a poem to the carefully selected ingredients, where umami, acidity, texture, temperature, and depth are artfully balanced. The layering of garnish, sauces, oils, and acidity in each dish is masterful. The piece de resistance of my tasting menu was a fried 16 hour cooked pork belly, which was a textural adventure; crispy on the outside, melting on the inside, with different internal and external flavor profiles brought on my the pork's fattyness and the sauces on the inside and outside.

All dishes feature numerous techniques. The amount of touches diners see put on them by Client and Yoko in their well rehearsed open-kitchen choreography is borderline dizzying.

Clint and Yoko narrate the development of each dish, some which have been workshopped for 8+ years to get to their masterpiece state. They are excellent hosts and their conversations and story's during service really add an intimate personal connection.

As an ultimate compliment to the chefs, I did not leave a single morsel of food on my plates when the 7 course menu was complete.

Do what you need to do to get a seat at this restaurant, becauseit is truly an unforgettable masterpiece.

Deviled Ramen Egg Kanpachi Crudo Japanese Caprese Dungeness Crab Gravy w. Alkaline silken tofu, topped with Salmon Roe and Sea bean and finished with roasted shrimp head oil Pork Belly Kakuni Karaage - 16hr...

Flavors of each food were almost flawless. Interior was decent and cozy. Service was friendly, fast and good. While I broadly enjoyed the food, there are some shortcomings that discounted the experience. For $150+ a head, I can only give 4-stars.

What I got for weeknight menu: One half deviled egg. Unassuming at first look, but the flavor is unique and complex. Chawanmushi. A classic of omakase, and they have done its justice. The steamed egg curd is elegantly presented with fine ingredients (sea urchin, scallop, shrimp, seaweed). Wagyu beef with baby potatoes. Tastes good and finest ingredient, but missed an opportunity to make it more refined. Salad. This is the simplest, smallest salad I’ve ever seen…It was a few salad leaves in a tea cup drizzled with vinegar. Japanese style pickled cucumber and dashi. It was served on a sauce dish (just to illustrate the size) Dan Dan noodle. I’m not a fan of dandan noodle but enjoyed it. The flavor is complex and noodles are chewy. However, there was no fine ingredient in this course, just grounded meat sauce, cilantro, onion. Size-wise it was the portion of a regular main course. Dessert, shaved lichee ice on silken tofu. Great flavor and texture.

These amounted to 7 items, including 2 simple side dish not counted towards the ‘5-course’ advertised online. But keep in mind the first deviled egg is very small too. I think better ingredients and more refined presentation can be improved for the small dishes.

The portion imbalance between the noodle and others course means that my experience and review are disproportionately anchored to the noodle. And while it was good noodle, it’s not quite...