Restaurant Naides’s takes on Filipino cuisine are certainly not traditional, but Gabon transports diners to the heart of Filipino flavors through techniques mined from his time at San Francisco’s Sons & Daughters and Restaurant Milka in Slovenia. The dishes hit hard with sour, salty, punchy notes, and it’s all meticulously plated into a nine-course meal. Wuu’s drink pairings are an excellent complement; while there are wines, the standout here is Wuu’s nonalcoholic options, which zigzag between ferments, shrubs, and infusions with ease, holding up to, and even lifting, each course. At more than $200 per person, this meal is an investment — but for my money it’s well worth it for a splurge that’s in a different class.
The restaurant is minimally dressed with black and white photos and artwork throughout, but the open kitchen is at the heart of the space, where Gabon and his team meticulously plate each bite. It’s easy to catch glimpses of the kitchen action from certain tables, but for other parts of the restaurant, the meal can feel intimate, allowing for the space of conversation amongst parties without distraction. The marble tables continue the (at times) stark feel of the restaurant, but the hospitality team keeps the environment warm by answering questions or introducing drinks and dishes at each turn.
Restaurant Naides offers both a wine pairing ($145) and a nonalcoholic option ($110), but like other critics who’ve visited the restaurant, I’m here to say the nonalcoholic drinks are outstanding. Those flavors dial into the courses with more precision than I suspect a wine pairing would, thanks to a wider array of flavors available beyond the grape. Think: fermented kiwi juice infused with celery and galangal; tomato water seasoned with guava leaf, raspberry, and sage; and rooibos with habanero cordial. Add to the fact that the drinks also help the kitchen stay sustainable, as seen in a tepache made with pineapple and kiwi skins, and fermented with malt, to give the drink a beer-like mouthfeel.
If diners prefer wine with their meal but want a taste of the nonalcoholic pairings, Naides offers a 50-50 option ($125).
Restaurant Naides is a standout fine dining restaurant in San Francisco. Not only does it nail all of the hallmarks of the genre, including warm hospitality, precision dishes, and showy tableside presentations, but it upholds the salt, sour, and funk that Filipino dishes are rooted in. Naides challenges diners to go beyond what they know of fine dining (typically, European- and French-leaning) and to learn about a cuisine in a new context, without diluting the food’s dynamic flavor. It’s not an inexpensive meal, by any means, but if you have a special occasion coming up and you’re ready to be surprised by a fine dining meal, make your reservations now.