70 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {food coloring} Robin Menlo Park doesn’t exactly broadcast its presence. Between the subtle signage and the wall of potted bamboo shielding the entrance on busy El Camino Real, it’s easy to walk right past the new Peninsula outpost of San Francisco’s highly regarded modern Japanese restaurant. “I don’t know if it’s the smartest marketing choice, but … I personally love things that are hidden in plain sight,” declares Adam Tortosa, Robin’s chef-owner. “In Japan, that’s basically every restaurant.” Robin’s concept of taking a traditional menu-free omakase restaurant—where diners trust expert sushi chefs to create a personalized multicourse meal— and giving it a more relaxed vibe with a splash of California flavors has been embraced by Bay Area foodies. For Adam, a Baja fish taco-loving San Diego native who devoted years to mastering the art of sushi-making, it’s all about delivering a good experience. “A lot of omakase places can be pretty intimidating,” Adam confesses, even though he says he loves them and has eaten in them countless times. “There are these unwritten, unspoken rules that you feel you have to follow. ... So we’re trying to still be very serious about food, but a little more relaxed and fun and inviting.” ABOVE (center): Chef-owner Adam Tortosa at Robin Menlo Park’s sushi bar.
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