That Marble Goby at Humpback

I'm glad that Humpback is still around. Its menu and choices of Washington state oysters suit my tastebuds. I really love their flavors because of how much they remind me of food in the Pacific Northwest. The chefs really gave it a think. The current rotation of oysters are Hama-Hama from Hood Canal, Aphrodite from North Puget Sound, Eld Inlet from South Puget Sound. Monday nights are great for oysters since it's happy hour all night. Heh.

The wine list is pretty hip, and the chefs currently at helm are quite brave to also showcase marble goby as a main. There's no main chicken or beef here or in its small plates. There's a main of Kurobuta pork chops from Snake River Farms with sesame miso and tuscan black kale.

Having dinner at Humpback is always fun. If it's just the man and I, we could easily demolish a whole Dover or Cornish sole. With friends, we do even more food. One night, we literally had almost the whole menu. That included two rounds of oysters. Hahaha. The burrata with roasted soybean and spiced plum was delicious! While I loved the taramasalata with tomatoes and chili crunch, it could have gone lighter to nothing with the strips of shiso leaves; because I dislike the taste of shiso. Eioow.

Their fish is good. They curate the menu for the freshest and most sustainable catch they could get. The grouper from Ah Hua Kelong is nowhere on the menu anymore this month. I don't mind a grouper, but if I have a choice of other fish, I'll order those. One day I'll get to their red amadai (done with crispy scales) with spinach and pumpkin, from Ehime Prefecture in Japan. Had the whole grilled Cornish sole with baby potatoes and kelp butter is sourced from Prodemar Aquaculture in La Coruña, Spain. That was lovely.

I think their star is the marble goby (soon hock) is excellent. Served with broccolini, black garlic and mussels with a miso drizzle, the menu stated that this fish is sourced from from Tembilahan River in Sumatra, Indonesia. I usually prefer it steamed in soy sauce. But grilled this way, it's really rather delightful I've had it a few times now and they're consistent in how they grill it. Mmmmmm.