Kingfisher, you complete me

The restaurant is centered around a lovely island-themed bar, giving off a lively and tropical vibe.

Neighborhood: Golden Hill – one of San Diego’s most historic and architecturally eclectic zones.

Price: $$$

Vibe:  Tropical chic upscale, but with the comfort of your favorite neighborhood joint

I’ve been plotting my return to this restaurant since my visit about a week ago.  That’s how unbelievably amazing it was.  I went with the “Food Club” gang to check out this oft-talked-about modern Vietnamese, French restaurant located in the Golden Hill neighborhood of San Diego.  From the moment we walked in, we immediately melded with the tropical chic vibe of the restaurant.  With a beautiful brassy island bar perched right in the middle, the elegant atmosphere of Kingfisher was buzzing in that upscale, but laid back, San Diego kind of way.  We were dazzled and excited for this eating adventure we had heard so much about.

Upon sitting we had to order something from the cocktail menu, the vibe just called for it and the options looked too good not to try out.  We tried the mango margarita (with tequila, Mezcal was an option too) and the Singapore Sling – wow, were they fresh, spicy and delicious.  The perfect start to our meal.

Mango Margarita and Singapore Sling

The staff at Kingfisher were just wonderful!  They are kind of staff that anticipate your needs before even you do.  Our server was warm, funny, and when we mentioned that we had “heard about the duck and is it still available?” he literally took off in a dead sprint to the kitchen to reserve one for us (which was WORTH the hustle, more to come on that).  The Half Smoked Dry Aged Duck sells out every night (because it was a Saturday and we had a 7:00 reservation, it was nothing short of miraculous that we still got one.)  The service makes you feel like royalty and then the food absolutely blows your mind away, and you know you’ll never be the same again.

We explored some fabulous dishes.  I want to thank our server for suggesting we try things that we otherwise wouldn’t, that ended up being some of our favorite food of the night.

Beef Tartar

Beef Tartar bite with all the fixens

We started with the beef tartar – which had all kinds of tasty, crunchy and pickle-y things in it. I forgot I was eating beef, or raw beef at that.  The flavors just popped.  It reminded me a lot of my favorite Thai dish, Larb, which has a lot of the same spicy flavors, fresh herbs and lime.  We could not get enough of this dish!  It was served with lettuce, fresh mint and basil and crunchy sesame rice crackers.  It felt like every bit of that plate was meant to be eaten together.  This one I will order again and again.

Wild Mushroom Congee

Our modo was “get something you can’t get anywhere else,” which was how we landed on the Wild Mushroom Congee and the Vietnamese Curry.  The Congee completely intrigued us. It ate like a porridge with fresh morel mushrooms, fried garlic and fresh herbs.  It was comforting like a risotto but lighter in the consistency with a wild flavor profile.  I admittedly would not let the server take the bowl, which had about 1/3 teaspoon of congee left, but it was mine, damnit!  The Vietnamese Curry, a vegetarian dish was a pure delight, and included some of my favorite vegetables like morning glory and cauliflower.  Served with a baguette of French bread which was perfect to soak up the delicious curry sauce.

Vietnamese Curry

Our next dish was the Snake River Farms Waygu Skirt Steak.  Served on a bed of fresh corn, tomatoes and watercress, the steak came perfectly sliced and spiced with a Thai chili chimichurri.  I loved scooping it up with a bite of the corn and tomato succotash, the cool vegetables allowed you to beat the heat of the Thai chilis – which were fantastic.  Get it.

Waygu Skirt Steak

For the finale of this amazing dining experience – the Smoked Dry Age Duck.  It came out on a lovely platter with the perfectly smoked and sliced duck and all the fixings to make your own duck spring rolls: lettuce, rice noodles, cilantro, mint, basil.  The duck is cooked to perfection and is so beautiful when eaten with the bright, fresh ingredients of the spring roll.  What a beautiful dish.  Now I understand the hustle to reserve this masterpiece before it sells out!

Smoked Dry Age Duck

Because we were prompted by friends to order dessert, we decided on the Vanilla Flan with a salt miso cream and coffee syrup.  I wouldn’t say I was particularly hungry at this point. Let’s be real, I just ate the crap out of those dishes and hoarded the last of the Congee.  I was ready for bed.  But when the flan came out, coffee sauce pooling over the top, I found my overstuffed self eating again, with enthusiasm.  The flan was light and enchanting.  There was something about how that sour miso and coffee just perfectly offset the bright, sweet vanilla of the flan.  The two flavors bitter/sweet just keep tossing over in your mouth. 

Vanilla Flan with salt miso cream and coffee syrup

So, my friends, you must make it to Kingfisher if you haven’t already. And even after you’ve eaten all that you think you can, please follow the guide of our friend and order at least one of the desserts, maybe both. You won’t be sorry.

Kingfisher

2469 Broadway | San Diego, California 92102