September 2005
website • reservation • tell-a-friend • print
San Francisco '05
by Celia Cheng
AQUA
252 California St
(Battery & Front St)
415-956-9662
Aqua is one of those restaurants that just gets it. Everything is right on spot. Often you read about a restaurant — how it’s supposed to look and what it feels like to dine there, what the philosophy is and what it’s striving to do — but then you just can’t agree with what you read once you’ve tested the waters. Aqua, on the other hand achieves what it sets out to do and leaves the customer satisfied and wanting more.
The cuisine is seafood prepared in a contemporary style with French influence, created by executive chef Laurent Manrique. The decor of the restaurant itself is sophisticated, the food high-quality and the staff professional and well trained. While experiencing Aqua’s fine dining, there is no air of pretension and stuffiness, which is where I think the restaurant really succeeds. From chef to sommelier to wait staff, everyone is down to earth and easygoing and yet not overly casual or familiar. Located in the financial district of downtown San Francisco, it’s the ideal place to go for a business lunch or dinner as the large dining room seats 120 people extremely comfortably in a capacious setting with high ceilings and large windows.
Laurent kindly prepared a tasting menu for me that started out with a single Kumamoto Oyster with a touch of caviar to start. Next came two appetizers: Hamachi Crudo and Aqua’s signature Tartare of Ahi Tuna. For the entrée, I got to try the Day Boat Scallops and Petrale Sole. Dessert and tea completed my exquisite lunch at Aqua.
The tuna tartare is unique in that the tuna comes in diced cubes, with a quail egg on top. On the edge of the plate are slivered almonds, date paste and the Moroccan spice, harissa. All ingredients are displayed separately (as in the image above), then the waiter skillfully mixes them together once the plate is set in front of you. There are also little delicate dashes of lemon zest, lemon oil, mint, cumin, basil, cilantro and garlic that add to the unique flavor of the dish. The result is a refreshing combination of taste and textures accented by the crunchiness of the almonds, freshness of the tuna, and the surprisingly complementary flavor of the harissa and herbs.
The Petrale Sole was the highlight of my meal. Served over a fondue of Dungeness crab with heirloom tomato and a lime mousseline, the dish was a perfect combination of subtle flavors. The sole was tender and the crab fondue underneath bursting with aroma. I was stuffed by the time this dish arrived but I couldn’t let any of it go to waste.
My lunch turned out to be a rather luxurious three-hour affair, but I was having such a good time and felt so at ease I honestly didn’t realize that so much time had gone by. Aqua made me feel so at home that I almost made a seamless transition into the cocktail hour and dinner.
Later this month (September 2005), a completely re-hauled and redesigned Café de la Presse opens in San Francisco’s Union Square. Here, Laurent Manrique and Patrick Albert will have collaborated to develop a new menu of classic French bistro dishes. The café will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while featuring European magazines and newspapers. (The newstand will carry over 500 international magazine titles and over a dozen international newspapers.) The concept of this café is so enticing, and a peek at the menu reveals classic dishes like, Pain Bagna — a personal favorite — Boeuf Bourguignon, and Tarte Flambée Classique, I can’t help but be jealous and wish that Café de la Presse were opening in my own neighborhood Union Square rather than the one in San Francisco.
