The Bungalow Kitchen - Tiburon
Fine dining restaurant · Tiburon ·
Upscale Cali eats with bay views, cocktails, and brunch
Upscale Cali eats with bay views, cocktails, and brunch
"Michael Mina’s collaboration with SoCal’s Brent Bolthouse in Tiburon is a coastal treat. Firstly, it’s sprawling — on clear days, there are few better options for glittering views of the Bay. The food, a triumph of seafood options including a gorgeous caviar service, is no slouch, either." - Christina Mueller
"When it opened in 2021 in Tiburon I noticed the menu centered on California cuisine using local, seasonal ingredients — from salt-baked sea bream to roasted lemon chicken — but the sushi program the community hoped for was initially scrapped because the restaurant launched amid the pandemic. Starting Thursday, August 1, the restaurant will introduce a full sushi menu plus a “secret sushi omakase” led by chef Yukinori Yama (formerly of Pabu Izakaya): a 14-course, $150 tasting tucked at the upstairs bar with three seatings nightly for 12 diners each, highlighting fish flown in from Japan and changing with ingredient availability; examples listed include Japanese sea bream with dashi ponzu and smoked fish roe, assorted nigiri such as Hokkaido uni and otoro, A5 Miyazaki wagyu, and an “unreal” seasonal chawanmushi with scallop, ikura, uni, shrimp, and shiitake. Even if I don’t do the omakase, an a la carte sushi menu debuts in the main dining room on August 7 with offerings like Michael Mina’s Negitoro (tuna, uni, ikura), the Yama Roll (shrimp tempura with maguro, avocado, jalapeño, and ponzu), hand rolls with unagi and kabayaki sauce, and vegetarian options such as the yasai (avocado, cucumber, spicy miso, lettuce, sesame). Yama’s product- and technique-driven approach — and willingness to do mainstream items like a spicy tuna roll when using great product — underpins the program, and the team also plans whiskey and tuna-cutting ceremonies, a Pabu-style tableside sushi bar where a chef dresses several fish per diner, and party buyout sushi platters; omakase seatings are Wednesday through Sunday at 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8 p.m., and the restaurant’s regular hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday." - Dianne de Guzman
"Like Aqua, the Bungalow Kitchen attracts diners seeking opulent hospitality and a chance to bliss out — a style of service and atmosphere Mina has long been associated with rather than the ‘edgy’ or ‘raw’ approach of some peers." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Bungalow Kitchen in Tiburon is another Mina Group operation referenced in the piece as part of the company’s Bay Area portfolio." - Lauren Saria
"Bungalow Kitchen’s caviar service was decadently persuasive: Kaluga hybrid caviar atop little potato roasties and shatteringly-fried chips with crème fraîche, chives, egg, and onion—crisp, crunchy, and creamy in one bite; sitting on a booth at the ferry dock felt like being part of the Bay itself." - Eater Staff