Unlike my recent attempt to try a quick visit to Slim & Husky’s, I made better plans to try out Tànsuǒ, the newest venture by Morph Hospitality Group, co-founded by Maneet Chauhan. It's a sister restaurant to her Chauhan Ale & Masala House next door on 12th Avenue North (and the upcoming Mockingbird, in the same building).
It definitely helped that we arranged to dine at 5:30 p.m. (in time to get home for Matlock), but there was already a decent crowd when we arrived, and the restaurant filled up as we dined. The upstairs area of Tànsuǒ has not officially opened yet, as they ramp up in the kitchen and open up more reservations, but by the time that happens in a couple of weeks, this should be a huge, energetic space.
As I mentioned in my preview, it is a stunning space. When I last saw it, they were still in the final stages of construction, but I could already see that it would be a dramatic dining experience. Part of the restaurant is lit by colorful hanging paper lanterns, and the ambiance in those sections was very alluring. We sat in the middle of the restaurant under LED lights that were in beams 20 feet overhead, leading to an odd combination of intense but diffuse light by the time the photons made it to my menu. I’m sure that’s something they’re still figuring out, but the effect was a little jarring in contrast to all the soft materials and organic ambiance of the rest of the dining room. A small quibble, indeed.
Service was fantastic, although admittedly they knew who I was from my previous visit. But I hope everyone gets the same level of service that we received from our talented server, and from what I observed, the guests at every table looked like they were getting the same treatment. Our server Ray was well-versed in the background and philosophy behind each dish, an important attribute considering that some of the plates created by chef Chris Cheung had some unexpected curveballs in them.
I asked in my original post, “Is this finally the high-end Chinese we've all been waiting for?” I’d have to say the answer is “not really,” because that was too simple of a question for the answers that Chef Cheung is plating. I guess what I was looking for was the same sort of traditional Cantonese or Sichuan cuisine that I remember from my days living in the Bay Area, but Tànsuǒ doesn’t intend to offer just straight-ahead Chinese food.
The best way I can describe it is that Chef Cheung has taken traditional Americanized Chinese food like General Tso’s Chicken, beef-and-broccoli and chow mein and dressed them up with fresh ingredients and cheffy techniques. Then he has also taken authentic Cantonese and Hong Kong cuisine that may not be as familiar to Nashville diners, and made them more approachable with some novel tweaks.
For example, Tànsuǒ's Beef and Broccoli does feature a brown gravy, superficially similar to what you might see on a local buffet, but this sauce is a delicate housemade oyster sauce with abalone. The twists the kitchen puts on more traditional dishes is no less interesting. Believe it or not, given my carnivorous reputation, one of my favorite plates of the night was a Sichuan Cucumber Salad made with hothouse-grown cukes that marinated in a Sichuan pepper pickling blend and served with crunchy shallots, fried ginger, scallions, tomatoes, bean sprouts and Chinkiang dressing made with black vinegar. The dish was delicious, and I expect it to only get better over time as the included tomatoes ripen and have more flavor to contribute to the dish.
I’ll leave the full review to someone else after the restaurant has been open a little longer, but I will say that other dishes that receive our seal of early approval were a Miso Cod, with crispy skin and an unexpected depth of flavor, and also the Crispy Spring Chicken. That poultry plate was kind of a poor man’s version of Tànsuǒ's Peking Duck, without the required 48-hour notice. Chef Cheung told me the roasted chicken was his homage to Jonathan Waxman’s JW Chicken, and it was very skillfully roasted. What really elevated the dish was the gravy, representing a lovely mix of Southern and Chinese culinary culture, with both ham hocks and chicken feet flavoring the broth. The whole chicken is presented to the table and then returned to the kitchen for carving and presentation on a sharing platter with generous slices of eel and that delicious gravy.
There’s a short list of specialty cocktails that look like they would make for a nice accompaniment to a quick dim sum experience at the bar, as well as plenty of beers from the Chauhan group's brewery, Mantra Artisan Ales, and other respected breweries. The wine list leans toward sweeter and more acidic wines to accompany the Asian flavors, but if you want a shiraz to pair with your Peking Duck, they’ve got you covered.
Again, the space is not being completely utilized yet, so the energy level in the room was not as vivacious as Chauhan Ale & Masala next door on a weekend night. The volume levels of the music were appropriate for dining, although I could imagine the joint jumping later in the evening once it’s full of 250 diners who have all been primed with cocktails and exotic cuisine. I look forward to that time. (For y’all. I’ll already be in bed.)
Tànsuǒ
121B 12th Ave. N.
Nashville, TN 37203
(615-782-6786
