Giovedi Restaurant

I had heard nothing but great things about Giovedi so I was looking forward to having dinner there. All I really knew about the restaurant was that it was tasting menu only and BYOB. From their website I found out that Giovedi is an independent venture by three friends, chefs Bao Tran and Jake Saito, and Jennifer Akiyoshi and that the tasting menu features pan-Asian flavors prepared with classic Italian culinary technique.  

The tasting menu consists of five courses starting with very delicious Hokkaido milk rolls that were served with bottarga, thyme and lemon butter. Next we enjoyed striped marlin topped with Calabrian chili crisp, ginger and chive. The marlin was paired with a shared dish of Bangs Island mussels with the best shrimp chip I have ever had. Pasta is one of my favorites so I absolutely loved the Dan Mien Bolognese - Hawaii pasture-raised veal, doubanjiang, and whipped tofu. After the filling pasta, I was ready for dessert, but there was still the shared course of Pork alla sweet and sour - a huge serving of Kurobuta rib chop. The dessert course, sundae in Saigon, had all my favorites: black sesame and condensed milk  gelato with banana caramel and assorted toppings.

Hokkaido milk rolls

Crudi: striped marlin

Bangs Island mussels

Dan mien bolognese

Pork alla sweet & sour

Nanatsuboshi and Venere rice

Funghi misti

Sundae in saigon

We had a wonderful meal with great service and I would recommend this restaurant to others. The dining area is small, but intimate and would make a great date night or friends night out. Giovedi is located at the Waterfront Plaza and the entrance is inside the second floor parking lot. The tasting menu changes every 6-8 weeks and you definitely need a reservation. They are currently a pop-up restaurant until they can secure a permanent location.