The story
In West Oakland, Sun Moon Studio is a quiet, serious restaurant that lets the ingredients do the talking. The team describes their cooking as “farmer and producer-driven cuisine,” and the tasting menu that earned them a Michelin star is built around the bounty of local farms and waters, interpreted through the chefs’ own life experiences.
The menu, priced at $180 per person, changes with the seasons. A recent sample showcases the range: a Santa Barbara uni with Hodo soy milk tofu and shao xing wine, Cape Cod scallops with gamtae, and a Humboldt kumamoto oyster with pickled tomato and sansho. There is a Taiwanese-style sausage on steamed brioche, salt and pepper sweet potato, and Mt. Lassen trout with arrowhead cabbage and maqaw. A Dungeness crab noodle with black trumpet and yuzu kosho, Wolfe Ranch quail with piracicaba and chanterelle, and a pretzel croissant lead into desserts like bay leaf ice cream with honey and black pepper, and pistachio cake.
The beverage pairing is available for $100. The restaurant is happy to accommodate dietary restrictions with advance notice, but cannot guarantee modifications for those disclosed upon arrival.
This is a focused, ingredient-first Californian restaurant that rewards attention. Reservations are released on a rolling basis six weeks in advance via OpenTable, and a credit card is required at booking.
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