Cafe Kati

Cafe Kati is a quaint, intimate cafe located in San Francisco. I had New Year's Eve dinner their in years past and it was so much fun and the food was delicious.

Yeah, I know I gave it a three. But it really was a fantastic experience.

Food: Gorgeous in appearance and in my mouth. I had duck with pomegranate seeds and a couscous-watercress stacked salad. We also had a lovely bottle of wine from Ridge, unfortunately I can't recall the variety. They also served a lovely amuse-bouche: it was like Indian naan, very spicy with lovely yogurt cilantro sauce on the side. Hmmmm.

Service: All the servers were quite friendly, attentive, smiling and dignified. They warned me of a nasty women's toilet and allowed me to use the men's (sometimes restaurants get pissed off if the opposite sex goes in another toilet--I've always wondered why). It was a busy Wednesday night, they served eight of us a bottle of wine and one entree. It took 2 hours. I almost didn't notice until we got in the car and I saw the clock. I guess that's a reasonable amount of time, all things considered, but I do not want to attempt a weekend visit.

Ambiance: Whoa! It's loud in there. Small, but I wouldn't say cozy because I was freezing my buns off. Kept my jacket on the whole time. Super cold that night. The table nearby had a heater, but our table didn't get much lovin'. I like the Asian and minimalist theme to the place, but I'm sure there is room for a couple more sweeping red curtains to absorb the sound. The volume makes it seem like the-place-to-be, but the wait staff had to work so hard to hear and be heard.

Food great. But prepare for a wait, maybe some cold, and the noise

i have to give it 4 stars because the dishes were not consistent. i tried a halibut that was dry and overcooked.

however, there are definitely some dishes that were brilliantly composed and very creative.

entres are in the 22-28 range and appetizers 7-10, which is definitely worth it. the service was a bit slow.

My husband and I have been here once recommended by a local. It is a tiny restaurant in a neighborhood. They have very different dishes, putting together flavors you would never think would go together but taste wonderful. The presentation of the dishes are nice. The prices are high and the service was okay. Very busy place.