I'm all for supporting innovative fine dining, and I don't see enough nicer Asian tasting menus, let alone a Filipino one! Naides is in their first year, but things are already running very smoothly in the old Sons and Daughters space.
Reservations are on Tock and are released on the 15th of each month. I can't recall if it was 11am or noon, but Tock will say. May was very difficult, but the June reservation was easier.
Corkage is $50, so we brought our own bottle, but they have a wine pairing and wines by the bottle.
They focus on sustainability and using locally crafted dishes and even paper. When you walk in, you get to see the open kitchen and meet the team, which is a nice and personal touch.
To start: Filipino street snacks
1. Vegetable lumpia with banana miso, pickled jackfruit, jicama, nashi pear, with a hint of cumin
2. Okoy: fritter made with spot prawn tartare, mung bean, rhubarb, pickled wild roses
3. Puto: steamed fluffy rice cake made with buttermilk, pork rillettes, lardo, wild blueberry, abd caper berries to balance the richness
Tasting Menu:
1. Kinilao: cured halibut, which is line caught by a local fisherman and sent to the restaurant 2-4 hours after catching it. It sat on a ginger yogurt with Granmy Smith apple, halibut bits, and had a sauce of fermented coconut, calamari, lime
2. Bagoong: Chayote baked in fig leaf, then charred, pickled chayote, chayote jelly, fig leaf vinegar, duck cracklings. It had 25 grams of osetra caviar on top and was finished with a sauce of cream and fermented shrimp paste.
3. Sininang: savory and sour soup abalone from Monterey (barbecued), emulsion of yam leaf, water spinach artfully arranged, pickled daikon, dry aged beef broth seasoned with tamarind
4. Bread course: Pandesal: Filipino brioche rolls with breadcrumbs on top. Condiments were the highlights:
- "Sisig" with chicken gizzards with crispy chicken feet
- Chicken liver spread with chive powder
- Atchara: Filipino style pickled papaya and sweet red bell peppers
5. Adobo: duck dry aged for 14 days; this was breast seasoned with adobo sauce, slow roasted, then pan seared and with a crispy skin on top. On the side were pea shoots and pickled horseradish. The horseradish was a really interesting accompaniment, and it was served with a duck bone jus with soy and cane vinegar
6. Tusok-tusok: duck thigh confit and duck meatball made from the drumstick with pickled mustard seed, local herb bouquet, grilled pineapple vinegar sabayon, and a skewer to eat it in the traditional street food style
7. Pili nut tart: tart made of a rich and buttery nut like macadamia nut, topped with shaved pili nut
8. Kanin: fermented rice ice cream, frozen mousse, and cherry husk jam underneath. On the side is a warm contrast with a hot rice pudding drink: barley and koji, jasmine rice, fig leaf syrup. The hot and the cold were a nice contrast for this final dessert
Final bites:
- Filipino rum (Tandy) gummies in seaweed sugar
- Calamansi curd brulee
Each dish has such rich and deep flavors balanced with something light, and each sauce that was poured was intentional and not just for show. I especially appreciate the introduction to lesser known traditional Filipino dishes, but utilizing those as a base inspiration to be adjusted with local and seasonal ingredients. Service was impeccable, and the meal gave us lots of wonderful and unexpected dishes.
Here's to hoping Naides gets the credit they very well deserve! read more