Abacá - San Francisco (CA)

5 /5 Andrew Wolpa: Had a fantastic meal here. Lumpia were honed in, bright and tasty with the seasonal fruit and apricot katsup. I like the way they refined the presentation from my previous visit a couple years prior by assembling each with its accoutrements. The skewers had the perfect amount of flavor from being grilled over charcoal: lightly smokey but still balanced with the flavors of the marinade and the picked toppings. The chicken liver mousse was such a dreamy luxury; the mini pandesal that it came with were so impossibly light and airy, warm, and soft. The squid with the homemade noodle tasted fresh and perfectly cooked and the cashew sauce was super savoury. The crispy pata had a refined texture that came from a careful, thoughtful cooking: soft moist meat beneath super crispy skin. The seasonal fruits in the halo halo were a nice way of elevating something I’m used to being one dimensional and sweet into something balanced and full of flavors. We tried four cocktails and they were all exciting and balanced. The service was super friendly and warm from everyone who touched our table. I also really like the atmosphere here: it’s quite comfortable I feel really relaxed eating here. Everything we ordered I look forward to ordering again and would wholeheartedly recommend. We of course went a bit overboard with ordering because we were excited but you could easily order half as much and still leave with a full belly and exciting experience. While you shouldn’t go in expecting it to taste like Filipino home cooking, you will definitely taste the Filipino roots with great quality seasonal ingredients that add oomph and fine dining level execution. P.S. I’ve eaten here for breakfast a few times there breakfast is also super highly recommended

5 /5 T Mar: Go there now! I can’t even describe how everyone enjoyed their food. The dishes were so unexpectedly original and well executed. This gives Filipino food a new direction, since it’s elevated here in an original way. Everyone’s overall favorite was sisig rice, but there were so many other outstanding plates such as caviar starter. I’m sorry I can’t remember the name of more! The family menu was a great choice for our table of six. They brought us 12 dishes. Such a superb variety of food and fusion style dishes. The least favorite was the added Wagyu dumplings. Honestly, the best service experience we have had in a long time. From the moment we called to book a table to the dessert wine, everything in between was amazing. Our sever is a phd candidate at UCSF by day and helps in the restaurant at night to unwind! What a great and attentive fellow. The chef and wine expert (not sure if he was a sommelier) both visited our table to chat. We brought our own wine from a family members winery-Tyler. The wine guy hadn’t tried it before so we shared a bit. In turn, he shared his house made limoncello. Such a treat. We had two people specific dietary needs and they graciously made separate dishes for them as needed. It was very clear they avoided cross contamination as much as possible and were so eager to meet every detail of the requirements. Do not expect quick service, this is a place to savor and enjoy at leisure. Possibly the special dietary concerns also needed more time? Our meal was three hours since we lingered in conversation and enjoyed time between courses to catch up with each other over dessert. Glad we arrived at 5pm. Valet parking is cash only and $25 with tax.

5 /5 Nicole: The menu is a fusion of many cuisines with local California ingredients and mainly inspired by filipino cuisine. Went here for fathers birthday dinner and had their "Paubaya" style dinner. Its essentially a tasting menu type setup with Chefs choice tastings. Our group had one picky eater child with us but the kitchen was very kind to cook her fries, fried egg and rice (not on the menu). Each item had a story that the staff shared as they served us. It was a lovely touch and really showcased the thoughtfulness behind each dish. My dad was given a thoughtful birthday card signed by their staff, an ube swiss roll and a neat instant-photo of all of us at our table. I recommend the Black Cod.

5 /5 Daniel Kim: Amazing food!! We were looking forward to eat here for our trip and they made our anniversary dinner very nice and special. Will definitely be back! Sisig fried rice was really good! The drinks were very nice too!!