Over the weekend, the latest addition to the M Restaurant Group in Durham came to fruition with the soft opening of M Tempura.
Chef Michael Lee’s restaurants, which include nearby M Sushi and M Kokko, follow a similar aesthetic: intimate, cozy, tucked away spots that provide not just quality and thougthful meals, but also quality and thoughtful dining experiences. Sitting at the M Tempura bar, just like sitting at his sushi bar down the street, makes you feel part of a unique and special experience.This was our first authentic tempura experience, and I really didn’t know what to expect. Of course, we have ordered tempura at restaurants before (where it varies from heavily battered carrots to soggy sticks of asparagus), but have never had tempura made-to-order and with all the proper fixings. Just as Chef Lee modified my perception of sushi, he has now modified my image of tempura.
To start, each diner is given a tray with dipping sauce, seasoning salts, a lemon squeezer, and palate cleansers like pickles and minced daikon.As Lee explained to us, tempura is meant to be a light batter so you can still savor the protein or produce beneath it (provided it is actually made with a quality product you want to taste, which makes sense why other tempura is masked with heavy batter).
Here, the thin crispy outer layer adds just the right amount of flavor and crunch to already delicious products like Argentinian prawns, local shrimp, fresh okra, and eggplant. Some of my personal favorites were the large shiitake mushrooms, bright green asparagus, plump scallops and delicate flounder. I’ve never tried so many different items tempura-style before, and I loved it! The seasonal vegetables were just as good as the shellfish.I also imagine I’m not the only one who has never had tempura Omakase style, where it is chef’s choice–each piece delicately fried and served immediately after being plucked from the fryer (as the chef notes, tempura is best eaten as soon as it comes out…without burning your mouth, of course), and the difference is undeniable. Each piece is enjoyed freshly cut, freshly fried, still warm and never soggy. Plus, with Omakase style, you may get to enjoy some of Chef Lee’s other creations, such as miso soup and sushi rice bowls.For those who do not know exactly where M Tempura is located, just like the other M restaurants, it is wedged descritely in a Durham alleyway. This one, on Orange Street, in the exact spot where Scratch Bakery used to be.
M Tempura will serve dinner only for the rest of this week, then expand to include lunch service.
There are a few more M restaurant concepts percolating. We are so excited to see how, where, and when they pop up and to share the news with our readers!
Tracy Richardson says
Can’t wait to try this place. Love MSushi and Mkoko.