Fù Huì Huá 馥薈華. San Francisco. California. 3.1.2026.

I had known of Fù Huì Huá 馥薈華 before all the accolades came along. Due to the fact that it has 64 seatings a week and they drop their reservations only the week before, getting one is a near impossibility. To secure a reservation here is on par with some of the most difficult impossible reservations I have had in Tokyo. I had already forgotten about it until my friend Jen texted me one day and we decided to try to get ourselves in eventually. We called it The Hunger Games. Each Friday we would text each other to see what nights we are available for the week after and we would each try for a different seating. Because you have one shot and it's a game of speed and luck as these 64 seats sell out literally within a minute each time. After trying for 3 weeks, somehow I got extraordinarily lucky and we were in to both of our surprise. Perhaps I should I buy some lottery tickets...

Chef Ge is from Shanghai China, and he had created his own fusion of Japanese-Chinese cuisine of Shin-Ōkubo (新大久保) in Tokyo working for a yakuza boss during the 90s. Somewhere along his culinary journey, he also started combining it with French techniques to create his own version of Chinese fine dining that he has brought us at Fù Huì Huá 馥薈華. Like many culinary staples in San Francisco, Fù Huì Huá 馥薈華 started as a pop up in Japantown. Lucky for us, that it now has its own brick and motar where you can try your luck at your own Hunger Games. The space was redone by the father and son chef duo and the restaurant itself is run by 4 members of the Ge family. Additionally, they insist on weekly drops for their reservations as they like to see what is available at the farmer's market each week to decided if the ingredients are up to par with their weekly menu. This allows them both flexibility with produce availabilities in addition to their individual availabilities.

As a gourmand from Hong Kong, I have only had 1 fine dining in Chinese cuisine. It was 3 Michelin starred Lung King Heen (they have since lost a star). I am a regular at Mister Jiu's here in San Francisco as I am a friend of Brandon Jew and that is one of my go tos when I have VIPs in town. What Bradon has done for elevated traditional Chinese cuisine in America is undeniable. I have also had enough premium kaiseki and fine dining in Tokyo, Kyoto and Paris to understand what Chef Ge is trying to convey with his unique cooking.

Fù Huì Huá 馥薈華 is a non descriptor space on 24th Street in the Mission. Upon entry, it is similar to your traditional Japanese fine dining establishments with counter seating of 8 with view of the front kitchen. I arrived early so I was able to get the seat on the far left for the best view of the entire kitchen. I reviewed the 16 course menu placed in front of me and didn't know what to expect. Just that something unlike anything I have tasted is about to happen.

I can confirm that all the accolades and raving reviews are accurate. Some courses were stand outs and all 16 were exquisite and made with such care and time consuming technique, a rarity for what people's preconception of Chinese cuisine. I would argue that this was even better than Lung King Heen in their 3 Michelin star days by a margin. The Porridge was made with such clarity that I have tasted something similar just once in my lifetime in China. The Drinken Shrimp and Money Bag were stand outs in the third course. Shirako (milt, sperm of fish), one of my no gos whenever I go to Japan, was the Tofu course. It tasted like the most decadent silken tofu the way it was prepared. The Mock Crab, aka rival crab, was an imperial court dish created for Empress Dowager Cixi who requested crab while it was not available. This rival crab is made with egg whites to mimic the texture and flavor of crab. Abalone in Broth was such a lightness packed with umami, thanks to some help from the panda pig. The fish in the Fermented Soup was exceptional. The tomato juice as Palate Cleanser was perfection and created from different varieties of tomato. The Radish, a star of the show. The 2 types of duck was exactly what I wanted to close out the main course. The three types of Glutinous Rice Balls in sesame, peanut and almond was a great way to round out the meal in a gentle osmanthus broth. 

If you feel like getting yourself a good culinary adventure and have perseverance, I would HIGHLY recommend you trying for your Fù Huì Huá 馥薈華 reservation. They drop each Friday night at 8M PST on Tock. May the odds be ever in your favor! 

Weirdly, the other 6 guests were mostly on their phones almost the entire time at the restaurant, which really took away from the ambience of a fine dining experience. As did some of the ultra casual outfits, which is one of the regular grievances from many chefs I know. Athleisure to fine dining while on your phone the entire time. Hmmmmmm.

Winter's Depth Spring, Approaches

Porridge
Hollow Spring Roll
Money Bag | Belt Fish | Cold Noodles | Drunken Shrimp | Zao Lu
Tofu with Scallion Oil
Wonton
Mock Crab
Abalone in Broth
Yellow Eel
Fermented Soup
Palate Cleanser 
Radish
Geoduck
Duck with Braised Sauce
Winter-Spring Rice
Glutinous Rice Balls
Chilled

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Dry-cured panda pig

Ernest + Four Kings + Sohn + Aji Kiji + San Ho Won + Liholiho Yacht Club + Maritime + Zzan. San Francisco. California. 12.14.2025-21.2026.

Between December and now I have checked out a few new places in addition to some old. I broke them up so this post is not SUPER long.

First up we have Ernest, which is one of the best restaurants in SF. It's such a great meal that I decided to do one of my birthday dinners here. It is Japanese inspired and I love that the menu isn't too big that it overwhelms and there is something for everyone. The 2 of us did the smaller tasting menu and it's quite a lot of food as you can see. I added the uni toast and for dessert we added the creamisicle kakigori. The kakigori is easily Japan level good. I would know having been to Azuki to Kouri in Tokyo. And yes, I also chose Ernest for one of my birthday dinners because I want a different flavor kakigori! Busted. I can confirm that Ernest is in fact well worth the hype and the ingredients and flavors are well put together and balanced and go well together as a menu. I look forward to my returns for each different seasonal kakigori. Additionally, I am noticing that they do a variation of many of their dishes with seasonal ingredients to keep this menu interesting. Another great reason to be a regular!

Uni Toast
Jidori Egg Yolk, Brioche

Hog Island Oyster
Cranberry Verjus, Meyer Lemon

Sushi Rice
Ikura, Raw Beef, Toasted Nori

Parker House Rolls
House Cultured Butter & Its Milk

Smoked Fish Dip
Cranberry, Wonton Chips

Delicate Squash Tempura
Hibachi Hot Mustard

Koshihikari Fried Rice
Sunchoke, Sunflower Seed Chili Crisp

Chicories
Beets, Meyer Lemon, Stracciatella

Grilled Matsutake
Pine Nut, Asian Pear

Roasted Carrots
Vadouvan, Curry Leaf Salsa Macha

Roasted Hanger Steak
Shio Kombu Au Poivre, Frites

Hazelnut Soft Serve Sundae

Creamsicle Kakigori

















Right before Christmas my gay husband #1 Derrick Carter headlined with DJ Sneak. Naturally I booked us a table at Four Kings. Sadly Derrick did not land early enough but I kept my table of 6 because it's now my new favorite size of table and it would be easy to find friends who have not yet been to take up their spots. 6 is the perfect number for dinner out as it's not too big so that everyone can't talk to each other and you can order a good chunk of a menu (unless it's one of those MASSIVE menus). Everyone at the table was so impressed with Four Kings. As you may know from following me here and on IG, I have eaten here a bunch of times and it's always consistently great. My musts are below. I would stick with savories and skip dessert here.

Mapo Spaghetti
Chiuchow Olive Green Beans
Fish Fragrant Eggplant
Chong Qing Hawt Fried Rabbit *super banger
Singaporean Style Chili Crab



Met up with my friend to catch up on NYE AM at Sohn finally to check out this space. I had no idea that the old Daily Driver space they took over was so massive! Seeing that we are both designiest of design freaks, we loved the space. To no one's surprise, I got a hojicha cream top latte and the galbi patty melt. Paul got the gyeran jjim and I think I would have preferred that one. We both also got the gochujang caramel cookie, which I thought had too much umami going for it.







Since Aji Kiji moved downtown near me, I decided to get another box to go. This time, I got the Tekka Don. You can order ahead and pick up so they don't sell out, as they typically do. I did like it. Still on the fence on this one versus Sanraku for what you get at that price point... For me, the fresher rice from Sanraku makes this a bit better.







My cousin and I talked about going to San Ho Won one time, and sadly we did not get our reservation and I had completely forgotten about it for a while. This being a brain child of Corey Lee and likely the fanciest K BBQ in America, I made this top of my list as of last year and booked a table of 6 with mostly chefs so we can eat almost the entire menu. Ha. We got a few of the larger dishes since ordering every single one of those would be too much for the 6 of us, but despite that, our waiter did think we ordered too much food. He was wrong. We only had little bites of banchan and some vegetables leftover. Our special guest Jeppe was in from Denmark as he worked at Henne Kirkeby Kro and they did a residency at Ritual at Manresa. Since Jeppe is now at Evett South Korea working under Joseph Lidgerwood (white spoon chef in season 1 of Culinary Class Wars), it was a hilarious coincident before he landed in Seoul. San Ho Won is a top restaurant in SF for good reasons. Despite getting this enormous amount of food, it was still only $128 each with gratuity included. I would also argue that this is a great value for what you get here and perhaps a better way to order than the house menu as you get more variety. I look forward to my return soon with another big group as they have a new ssuk bingsu and I love ssuk!!! You like how the 6 of us got 8 desserts? Thank you pastry chef for hooking us up. We were incredibly happy with our entire meal and it will not be soon forgotten. All the savories were excellent, which is a rare comment coming from this industry table with so many Michelin stars, and we loved the black sesame soft serve and the injeolmisu the most from the dessert menu. And that may be the best tteok I will have in my entire life. How can something so simple with so little ingredients be so impactful? Go try for yourself and see.

Galbi Mandu 갈비 군만두 Griddled Beef Dumplings
Savory Egg Soufflé 뚝배기 계란찜 Rock Seaweed Sauce, Spicy Anchovy Broth

Sanma Pajeon 산마파전 Mountain Yam and Green Onion Pancake
Kimchi and Bacon Pancake 베이컨 김치전
Beef Tartare with Asian Pear 육회 Bugak, Egg Yolk
Hwe Muchim 계절생선 회무침Fluke, Fish Roe, Rock Seaweed, Chojang

SHW x JONGGA Original Kimchi 산호원 종가 배추김치
SHW x JONGGA White Kimchi 산호원 종가 백김치 
Dongchimi with Preserved Green Plum 매실 동치미 Radish, Mustard Leaf
Sesame Leaf Kimchi 깻잎김치 
Chonggak Kimchi 총각김치 Salted Shrimp and Anchovy Seasoning
Spicy Pig’s Ear Salad 돼지귀 초무침 Bellflower, Minari, Chojang

House Double-Cut Galbi “더블컷” 갈비 Marinated Prime Beef Short Rib
Center Cut Beef Tongue 우설

Ssam - Assorted Lettuces to Wrap Your BBQ 모둠쌈
Scallion Salad 파채무침 

Pacific Mackerel Fillet 고등어구이 
Western Mushrooms 양송이구이 
Grilled Tteok 떡구이 Homemade Rice Cakes, Maple-Soy Sauce
Sweet Potato

Mugunji Kimchi Jjigae 묵은지 김치찌개Pork Jowl and Tofu

Seasonal Vegetable Bibimbap 계절 비빔밥 Bibimjang, Preserved Squid, Pollock Roe Mayonnaise

Soft Serve Ice Cream 

-Black Sesame Sundae, Huckleberry

-Tangerine

Injeolmisu Tea and Chungju Soaked Lady Finger, Mascarpone, Misugaru, Rice Cake

Makgeolli Bingsu

Then one weekend I ate out 3 nights for dinner because I went to 3 Improvised Shakespeare Company shows 3 nights in a row with different people, so we also had dinner before/after the show. This is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen and laugh so hard that my face hurts each time. I HIGHLY recommend it.

First up was Liholiho Yacht Club. I had been a regular here but I had not gone for a minute; also, I love their baked Hawaii. We got their classics here to share. Always great. Yes, I did notice that you have to order the roasted broccoli separated from the game hen now. Whereas they were a single dish before.

Poppyseed Steam Bun
beef tongue, tare glaze, LYC kimchi, miso aioli

Roasted Broccoli
avocado-sesame, crispy mung bean, celery root, chili almond

Fried Game Hen
sweet & sour glaze, snowy cabbage, yuzu kosho ranch, pickled carrot

Baked Hawaii
orange chiffon cake, coconut POG sorbet

The next night, my friends and I checked out Maritime Boat Club per my other chef friends' recommendation, and it had already made it on my list. Maritime Boat Club is on the second floor of the Palihotel on Stockton Street in Union Square. It is helmed by Felix Santos (Quince, Atelier Crenn, etc.). It is a seasonal seafood centric small menu done to perfection. There is also a charming Bar Maritime connected to it with an excellent alcohol selection for those that partake. And had my chef friends did not tell me to get the grilled cabbage, I probably would not have ordered it (you should definitely get it, unless you loathe cabbage). Everything was superb and well cooked. The heavenly chocolate cake was moist and smokey. It was so good that we ordered another slice to share.

The Kraken

4 classic hog island sweetwater oysters

4 dressed hog island highwater oysters

5 jumbo blue shrimp

hokkaido scallop aguachile

yellowfin tuna curd

Brandt Top Sirloin tartare Toast

parsley, mustard blossom

Salt Baked Sweet Potato

toasted nori crema, salsa macha, scallions

Front Porch Grilled Napa Cabbage

valmar's arugula walnut pesto, preserved lemon

Mt. Lassen Trout

lonely mountain winter squash, farro, trout & squash dash

Chocolate Cake

For the 3rd night of dinner, we had to go before the show so choices were a bit more limited. We decided to go to Zzan for a quicker and more affordable Korean meal. I got the soft tofu soup with beef, ramen and mushrooms. It's a great hearty meal on a budget and I was happy to have tried one of the Korean restaurants near me. There are a few right near Union Square and a few open late if you are ever in need of some great late night options.