Last Friday I got to go to one of my favorite restaurants in Oakland at Jack London Square called Bocanova. For those of you that haven’t been to Jack London Square in a while it is becoming a little hip site for some trendy new restaurants like Bocanova or Haven, candy shops, outdoor activities like kayaking, great Sunday farmers market, and jazz concerts.
Bocanova has great food and a great ambience. As it starts to get warmer you can sit outside with a great view of the marina and Oakland estuary. The inside is very modern, a sort of hip Vegas restaurant feel with dark woods and great lighting. Not only is the ambiance good, but also the food is amazing.
Bocanova is a combination of cuisines from North, Central and South America all made with sustainable California ingredients. They offer killer cocktails like Lavender with Vodka and Honey, to Cucumber Gimlet, to so many artistic creations using various types of tequila. The food is to be shared among the table and I can’t say there is not one thing I have not liked. The ceviches are…click below to read more fantastic. The mango, papaya, red peppers Ahi Tatare just melts in your mouth. The heirloom carrot soup with fresh crema cannot even be expressed in words.
For dinner we shared a full achiote marinated roasted chicken with tomatillo and white chocolate mole. It was fabulous. I had the leftovers today, two days later and they still tasted amazing. With our chicken we also ordered the roasted brussels sprouts with hard apple cider, bacon, and caramelized apples in addition to fried small potatoes with cumin, saffron and other spices. I would also recommend their black bean feijoada, which is made with pancetta, brisket, and Oaxaca cheese added.
Make sure you make reservations for larger parties bigger than 4 as the place fills up on Friday and Saturday nights. I would also recommend stopping by on a sunny afternoon for a great cocktail and their lunch menu, which is just as superb.