Last summer, I mentioned chef Adam Tortosa’s upcoming sushi restaurant in Hayes Valley, and things are getting very close to opening. It’s now called ROBIN and will be featuring a highly seasonal and NorCal sensibility, from the housemade condiments, like umeboshi and blood orange kosho, to the custom Fireclay Tile mosaic and original artwork by SF’s Ferris Plock.
Tortosa’s background includes 1760, and prior to that, he was at Michael Voltaggio’s Ink in Los Angeles and also spent four years working for master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi, including in the chef position at Uechi’s Kiwami in Los Angeles.
Omakase will be available at the sushi bar, while guests in the dining room can choose omakase or from an à la carte menu. Look for local seafood and creative nigiri, like salmon belly nigiri with whipped tofu, confit of Japanese tomato, and Thai basil; seared A5 wagyu with foie snow, lemon-soy, and Half Moon Bay wasabi; and uni with shiro dashi egg emulsion and Meyer lemon. Some Japanese classics like milk bread toast will be updated with torched lardo and smoked maple syrup, and sesame noodles will come with shaved black truffles and Japanese chimichurri. Seasonal soft-serve flavors for dessert can include green tea with olive oil, sea salt and housemade umeboshi, or sake lees with Cara Cara granita and pistachio.
The beverage list will be assembled by experts Anna Nguyen (a certified sake sommelier who has worked with Kinjo and Liholiho Yacht Club) and Andrew Nelson (Grandes Places Sélections), who will be assembling a list of Champagnes along with German and Austrian varietals. Plus, Hitachino will be on draft.
620 Gough St. at Fulton.
Milk bread toast with torched lardo and smoked maple syrup. Photo: Albert Law.
