We had a blast at Manresa during Valentine’s day 2019, so we decided to come back to celebrate it again this year. As the only Michelin 3 star restaurant in the south bay, Manresa attracts many foodies. It is very hard to get a reservation at dinner time. We were lucky to grab one during the second seating at 9PM on the Friday after Valentine’s day.
Manresa is located on a quiet street in beautiful Los Gatos. The restaurant partners closely with local farms and vineyards to offer contemporary California cuisine.
Our night started with the chef’s signature amuse-bouche: red bell pepper jellies and black olive madeleines. Although they looked like small sweet treats, they tasted more savory than sweet.
The second amuse-bouche was granola crisps with goat cheese. The creamy and tart goat cheese compensated for the slightly sweet and crispy granolas.
Left: Petit fours
Right: Granola crisp with goat cheese
The first appetizer was fresh oyster and caviar. The disproportionately large glass plate with an irregular shape resembles the shell of a giant oyster. I thought that this dish was not as pretty or as tasty as the oyster dish at Bar Crenn.
Oyster, caviar, leeks and kombu
The next dish was sea urchin and burdock root. The fresh sea urchin had a sweet aftertaste that balanced really well with burdock root. Although burdock root is relatively popular in Asia, I have never been a big fan of it because of its bitterness and strong earthy flavor.
Sea urchin with burdock root and shellfish essence
After the sea urchin dish came shellfish. This was my first time having cioppino with geoduck. Although interesting, I prefer the traditional cioppino.
Cioppino with geoduck, lobster and mackerel
It’s rare that I think a salad is the most memorable dish of a meal, but I still think about this salad a year after we ate it. The presentation was very creative, and it tasted very refreshing. Eating this felt like sitting in a beautiful garden and eating vegetables picked right there. The ingredients were brussels sprouts, heart of palm, and edible flowers.
Garden Salad
The dungeness crab we were served came from Washington. Fresh dungeness crab is slightly sweet, and pairs very well with fresh and local cabbage.
Dungeness crab and cabbage
The next dish was sawara and squid with kohlrabi and watercress. Sawara is a type of mackerel, a very oily and strong-tasting fish. The squid was slightly seared and a bit crispy outside, but very tender inside. The bright watercress sauce paired well with the natural oiliness of the fish.
Sawara and squid with kohlrabi and watercress
The final savory dish was squab with baked onion. The onion was fermented and a bit sweet. The squab was cooked perfectly tenderly.
Squab and salt baked onion with black truffles
Our dessert of the night was persimmon pudding and rum raisin cake. The crust was hard and crispy, but the cake itself was soft. The waiter flambéd rum at the table and poured it over the cake. What a show!
Persimmon pudding and rum raisin cake
We were so full at the end of the meal that we had to pack the chocolate mignardises to go. Perfect snack for the second day. Also don’t forget the salted caramels on your way out! Grab a huge handful of them.
A year after this meal, we still talk about it, and can’t wait to go back next time!
Reference Links:
https://www.manresarestaurant.com/
https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/los-gatos/restaurant/manresa
