Chouchou

400 Dewey Blvd
San Francisco, 94116
(415) 242-0960

Chouchou, which means teacher's pet in French, has definitely became a pet for me. After two visits, I felt like I can always depend on it to serve me a great French meal. Like many restaurants in France, the place was very humble in size. The tables are very close to one another as my sister, cousin and I squeezed and walked sideway into our seats. This considers a very hard task when people were seated at the next table.

After seated, the waitress did not hesitate to bring out the bread basket filled with warm French baguettes, the menu and the wine list. As the meal progressed, she also consistently came back to fill our glasses and clear our table.

Chouchou participated in San Francisco Dine About Town, which took place every January and June of each year. The month-longed deal allowed diners to order a 3 courses meal for $35. Taking advantage of the deal, my sister, cousin and I ordered a variety to share. We started with the Crab Salad, the P.E.I Mussels and the Escargots a l'ail. The crab salad came out first. It was creamy with the natural sweetness from the crab meat and crunchy bites from the diced vegetables. Shortly after, I could smell the other appetizers few feet away. Both the mussels and escargots were very garlicky and buttery. The mussels were not slimey at all, only a bit fishy. The garlic and butter-filled escargot was perfect! It was not chewy nor grassy.

Escargots a l’ail - snails, butter, shallots, garlic, parsley

P.E.I Mussels Marinieres with shallots, garlic, parsley, cream, white wine

For entree, we ordered Seared Shrimps with Polenta and the Angus Hanger Steak with Pomme Frites. I love the creamy polenta, thus I could not stop digging my fork into it. The seared shrimps were a little bland. The asparagus that they sat on were green and crunchy and absorbed the garlic butter sauce well. The hanger steak was very juicy and tender. In contrast to the shrimps, the steak was salty. It was served with a balsamic shallot sauce but I did not taste the balsamic nor the shallot at all. The plate was also piled with fries. I could not stop myself from dipping the fries into the garlic aioli that came with it. At this point, I stopped caring about my calorie intake especially with the garlic and butter. The food and company were good, and that was all I cared about.

Seared Shrimps with sautéed asparagus, creamy polenta, Pastis flambée, garlic butter sauce

Angus 8oz Hanger Steak with pommes frites, balsamic shallot sauce, fermented garlic aioli

Despite our bloated stomach, my sister, cousin and I were excited about dessert! We ordered a Creme Brulee and Chouchou's popular Assorted Fruit Tart. I had creme brulee three days straight before this meal, so I instinctively went for the tart when it were placed onto the table. The crust was thin, light and flaky. The glaze on the shiny fruits made it very appetizing. One bite and I was in love! The thought of buying the whole tart went through my mind, but I forgot to ask before I leave. The Creme Brulee was not bad either but I had creamier.

Fresh Fruit Tart with apricot, pear, mandarin orange and blueberry

The atmosphere, the food and the service Chouchou offered were perfect. I highly recommend this place!