After months of anticipation, Cadence finally opened its doors earlier this year in San Francisco.

Located in the mid-Market area, Cadence is a hip modern restaurant offering Californian cuisine with a choice of a tasting menu (vegetarian or meat/seafood orientated) or an à la carte menu. On the à la carte menu, there are four sections: snacks, appetizers, in betweens, and main courses and we decided to order various items off that to share.

Snack: Kaffir Lime Castelvetrano Olives with Togarashi and Rice Cracker (710).

Snack: Gravlax Arancici with Dill Sauce and Pickled Red Onions (8/10).

We started off with a couple bite sized snacks. The castelvetrano olives were slightly cured with tangy kaffir lime and dressed with togarashi (Japanese pepper spice) and crispy rice cracker bits. The gravlax arancini were one of my favorite dishes of the entire meal. These little fried rice balls were stuffed with pieces of gravlax (cured salmon) with a delicious refreshing dill cream sauce and pickled red onion slices that perfectly cut through the richness of the rice balls.

Spicy Harissa Cauliflower with Almond Brittle and Cauliflower Yogurt Sauce (7-7.5/10).

The only appetizer we tried was the roasted harissa cauliflower with yogurt sauce. There was a nice level of heat from the harissa that paired well with the cooling yogurt sauce and the sweet almond brittle and fresh herbs added more complexity.

Mélange of Seafood with Winter Root Vegetables, Fried Catfish, Smoked Sablefish, and Manila Clams (7.5/10).

Potato Gnocchi with Charred Cabbage, Carrot Butter, Caraway, and Sarsaparilla (7.5/10).

This two dishes were the “in betweens”, similar size to appetizers. The mélange of seafood had a depth of flavor and textures. Fried pieces of catfish and smoked sablefish with manila clams, raw slices of carrots and bitter radish, and a root vegetable purée. The gnocchi was another highlight of the dinner. Pillowy dumplings served with creamy carrot butter, pickled carrot rounds, and charred purple and green cabbage. Really delicious.

Charred Miso Braised Beef Cheeks with Forbidden Black Rice and Fried Taro Root (8/10).

Lastly, the beef cheeks were unctuous and melted in my mouth but I wanted more miso flavor.

White Chocolate Pudding with Carrot Sorbet, Puffed Barley, and Rye (7.5-8/10).

Yogurt Panna Cotta with Jasmine Rice Mousse, Grapefruit, and Green Tea (7/10).

Dark Chocolate Custard with Red Velvet, Red Miso, and Chocolate Wafers (7.5/10).

Passionfruit Marshmallows (7/10).

As for desserts, the white chocolate pudding was my favorite. The sweetness from the white chocolate paired beautifully with the savoriness of the carrot sorbet. The yogurt panna cotta was very light with grapefruit segments and green tea crumble. However, the consistency wasn’t like a traditional panna cotta which was what I was expecting. Lastly, the dark chocolate custard was tasty but slightly too dense for my liking. We ended the meal with complimentary passionfruit marshmallows that were actually really yummy.

Overall, Cadence served tasty food but nothing blew me away so my rating is a 7-7.5/10. Also if you’re a jazz fan, the restaurant is connect to Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio where you can grab a craft cocktail after dinner and enjoy some live jazz!