restaurant review: pres a vi

how do i begin to tell you how much i like the restaurant, pres a vi? =D i first read about it on sfgate and found out that the chef is of filipino descent. that got me really excited since i love to cook and i am proud when i read that filipinos are becoming rising stars in the culinary world.

anyway, back to pres a vi. the restaurant is located at the presidio with views of the bay, the golden gate bridge and the palace of fine arts-that view alone already sells this restaurant! it is a little difficult to find the place since mapquest can't give you the exact location. address is one letterman drive but the corner of lyon and francisco street would be more accurate is you're using a map. it's right in the same building as LUCAS ARTS (yes, george lucas' studio). street parking is recommended (although it might be difficult during the evening) since parking at the garage is $6/hour and you would want to be at the restaurant about 3 hours so parking gets pretty expensive. it's not an 'eat and run' kind of place so you eat and enjoy a good conversation with your friends or whoever you're dining with or watch as the chefs and the cooks prepare your amazing meal in the open kitchen.

there were 7 of us from work who went and we all have never gone to the restaurant. the place is big and spacious, will barrell ceiling, and a wine cellar to boot. the 'in' thing at restaurants these days are small plates so when you go, be prepared to order 2 or 3 dishes for yourself alone. everything we tried was great. i had a shot of lobster bisque which was rich and creamy, served in a shot glass (thus the name). i had the lobster and mango spring roll which was refreshing. then i had the seared foie gras and scallop....love foie gras! it's so rich and creamy...for this dish, it was just 1 scallop and the foie gras on top, so you can see why it's necessary to order more than 1 dish for yourself. after that chel and i shared the rock shrimp risotto which was good although i've had better risotto elsewhere (try the blackened risotto at brindisi at the belden place). chel had crab cakes and seared halibut with coconut cream sauce over garlic fried rice. both really delicious also. the rest of our party had ahi tartare which was dynamite! serve with crispy taro chips to contrast the texture of the fish. the paella was really good, too. chel says it's the best paella she's ever tasted although i didn't try enough to actually determine if it was that good. =) they also serve their version of surf and turf which is beef yakitori and jumbo prawns. to me, the beef yakitori tasted a little bit like tocino, which is slightly sweet. the jumbo prawns tasted like it was tossed in fishball sauce! hehehe it was delicious. throughout the dishes, i can see the filipino influences that the chef introduces to his food. he also serves shrimp lumpia (and he calls it that) which we didn't try but i will the next time i go (which is soon i hope!).

we had dessert, too. we ordered everything on the menu except the creme brulee`. i'm a creme brulee fanatic but i skipped it last nite so that i can try other desserts. almost all of the deserts we tried were outstanding. the bread pudding is the overall winner in the dessert category which everyone tasted and enjoyed. runner up would be the macadamia torte. our least favorite was a chocolate hazelnut cake (or something like that) which according to my friend amy tasted too flowery for her. i thought it tasted flour-y (different from her flowery..she said she tasted too much lavander) and the chocolate was a little to bitter for my taste.

over all, pres a vi is a must visit again soon restaurant for me. it brings food from all regions of the world and gives it a fresh twist. i definitely recommend this restaurant. be prepared to spend at least $50 per person...yes, it can get pricey since you're ordering several dishes for yourself. but every once in a while, i think we all deserve a treat and pres a vi is definitely worth it!