The ever-changing selections at One Fish Raw Bar in Campbell offer daily adventures for customers, not to mention for chef and owner Trent Lidgey and General Manager John VanBuhler , finishing the menu half an hour before they open.
“We have standing orders for a lot of things,” VanBuhler told the San José Spotlight, “but for the most part, we get whatever the ocean provides that day, and then decide what makes it on the menu. Keeping these are our feet.”
On any given night, the restaurant might be getting ocean trout from Scotland, scallops from Japan, sea urchin from Fort Bragg or squid from Monterey, along with whatever else it can get from a network of suppliers that developed over the past two years. VanBuhler said the restaurant works with “peak-of-season produce and proteins.”
Lidgey spent years working at high-end restaurants such as L’Espalier and UNI in Boston, Atelier Crenn in San Francisco and Brae Restaurant in Birregurra, Australia, before meeting VanBuhler in 2020.
“I learned a lot in those places,” Lidgey told San José Spotlight, “but I also learned that I didn’t want to be fine dining anymore. I want something casual, but still have great service and to have a good time here.”
Initially envisioned as a casual order-up-front spot, the pair made a quick pivot within the first week. The restaurant is dominated by a chef’s counter — where Lidgey prepares his meals — with a small number of seats that can be booked for an 11-course tasting menu.
Tables are also available, and for those not sure where to start on the menu, One Fish Raw Bar offers a five-course family-style meal with a selection of shellfish, sashimi, items from the snack menu, baked dish and dessert. An upscale version offers five different sake pours paired with each course.
“It’s a ‘chef’s choice’ tour of the menu,” VanBuhler said. “There is an elegant progression, with some off-menu offerings as well, that highlight our culinary vision.”
Small dishes might include Korean fluke paired with a Rangpur lime sauce and pickled Asian pear, Tai snapper with agua chile and shishito peppers or hamachi with bacon and smoked cashews.
“I love sashimi,” says VanBuhler, “but, often, the flavors you get are very linear. Trent has a really fresh perspective, from a lot of global cultures, which makes it exciting. .”
Slow-braised short ribs with eel kabayaki and butterball potatoes highlight the hot dish menu, along with seafood cassoulet made with local Dungeness crab, lobster, uni and kohlrabi or One Fish chowder with cornbread croutons.
“We want you to feel good when you leave here, but still feel good,” Lidgey said. “I want food to be fun and light. You don’t leave here feeling anxious.”
Sake has become increasingly part of One Fish Raw Bar’s identity, almost by accident. VanBuhler said he and Lidgey knew nothing about sake when they opened the restaurant.
“We thought since we cut raw fish, we might as well have sake on the menu,” VanBuhler said. “But there seemed to be an opportunity there, so I developed some technical knowledge and learned to talk about it.”
A certified sake sommelier, VanBuhler hosts “Sake 101” events at the restaurant. The next event in Feb. 4 from 1-3 pm will focus on its seasonality with crisp and light winter sake, floral and sweet spring sake, sparkling summer sake and umami-driven autumn sake, all accompanied by a sashimi platter.
Contact Robert Eliason at [email protected].
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