kiki's B.F.F: State Bird Provision [San Francisco]

We headed over to San Francisco after Las Vegas and State Bird Provision (@statebirdsf) is probably on top of my to-eat list. I plan my trip (aka restaurant research / reservation) probable over 2 months in advance and I still haven't been able to snatch a reservation. Good thing is they set aside a good portion of seats for walk ins.

They open at 5:30pm and we decided to head there at least half an hour early to line up (so unlike me who hate waiting in line for anything usually). It just happened that we were staying closer than we expected and arrives an hour early but there was already a huge line up... yes, we did line up for more than an hour (>_<) Good thing was, we were seated right away (no more waiting) since some people in front of us was there to get a table later that night.
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Being voted as the Best New Restaurant of 2013, I had my eyes on this place for a while and was beyond excited to try. Love the "dim sum" concept where they bring out their daily specials of small plates on carts and trays with the price right next to it, then mark it on your "menu card". Yup just like dim sum!

Then there's larger plate on their regular menu/a-la-carte.

Smoked Duck
This was the most underwhelming dish of the night, definitely not a great start to the meal since I did have high expectation. It was perfectly good and definitely not bad, just nothing special.
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Guinea Hen Dumpling w/ aromatic broth $3
Confit guinea hen with preserved lemon and mushroom in a chicken broth. The ravioli made in house was thin and stuffed to the brim but the star is the broth here, so intense and delicious.
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Smoked Trout Mousse w/ Chips $9

Love it with the potato chips instead of the usual tortilla chips for this and love the mushiness of the trout and the creamy avocado together.

Duck Liver Mousse w/ Almond Biscuit $6

Though the concept was good but failed to deliver. The almond biscuit was kind of like madeleines, a buttery sponge cakes but thought it doesn't really go well with the mousse. Too sweet and soft?! Maybe add a savory element to it or maybe a scone instead?

Albacore Tartare "constructable" $12 (half order)

Love the crispy nori chips instead of the usual chips or toasts and the fish was only slightly marinated which was perfect since it was so amazingly fresh.

Garlic Bread w/ Burrata $8

The bread was twisted and rolled like a cinnamon bun and deep fried until golden brown which resulted in a crispy exterior and stretchy doughy fluffy interior, With the stretchy creamy burrata cheese was a match made in heaven then topped with madras curry spices, peppercorns and fennel seeds made it even more perfect.

CA State Bird with Provisions $9 (half order)

This is their signature dish which is a must try according to very review I have read. It was delicious although I still prefer fried chicken over this fried quail, I find that it doesn't have enough meet in contrast to the crunchy shell.

Pork Belly Plum Salad

This was probably my fave dish of the night, the pork belly being braised before lightly battered and fried was super delicious. It was actually not fatty at all and the refreshing plum and bits of jalpenos complimented the crispy pork belly very well.
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Bacon-curry w/ Crispy beef sweetbreads & pickled squash $16

This was way too salty.

Pickled local anchovy tomato toast $3

This somehow came last but we were glad it did, love the crunchy sesame toast with the the anchovy and we infidelity didn't want to share this one.

"World Peace" Peanut Muscovado Milk $2

This is another of their signature dish that's been feature in Bon Appetite Magazine and it tasted like a super fancy delicious peanut butter milk. They boiled unsalted peanuts in whole milk with vanilla bean and pour over dark roasted muscovado syrup. Love the light yet intense peanut taste with a mild vanilla backdrop. Delicious!!!

Asian Pear granita, Coconut, Tapioca, Persimmon $8

We were rather full and still wanted to try their dessert so we choose the lightest one. This was light and refreshing, a perfect palette cleanser at the end of the meal.
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