Located in Noe Valley, Saru is my neighborhood sushi restaurant. One day I was talking to the owner and mentioned that I've done a few projects for Quince and Cotogna. He was interested in getting new tabletops and possibly a countertop, but since the restaurant is only closed Monday and Tuesday it's tough to make any large renovations.

With the two week break over New Years, Brandt at Hume Studio and I were able to get the tabletops and countertop built and installed.

What should have been a straight forward countertop installation was complicated by the fact that the existing countertop was not straight, or level. Because we were only installing a new wood top on it, not replacing the whole thing, this meant a LOT of shimming. Lesson learned - be wary when asked to build upon other's (rushed) craftsmanship.

The six tabletops were straightforward - 6/4 white oak milled to 1.25" thick, joined with dominos, edges routed with a 1/8" roundover, sanded to 220, and finished with Rubio Monocoat.

The countertop is an L shape, with about a 12' run and a 9' run, joined together upon installation. 6/4 walnut milled to 1.25" and also finished with Monocoat. New countertop was fixed to the existing top with construction adhesive and many many lag bolts. Matching walnut trim strips were fastened to the old countertop face. Fully caulked and the kitchen-side is trimmed with stainless.