Eel-stuffed chicken with chicken-foot gravy in a pool of chili oil.
With a name that is certain to rival MAFIAoZA'S as the most cut-and-pasted restaurant name in Nashville food coverage, Tànsuǒ is finally about ready to open to the public this Monday, March 13. Part of the Morph Restaurant Group that includes Maneet Chauhan and her eponymous Ale & Masala House, Tànsuǒ is located in the same North Gulch building as her restaurant, occupying the space that formerly housed the Anthem nightclub. As part of the rehabilitation of the 110-year-old warehouse, a passageway has been constructed to offer easy access between Tànsuǒ and the kitchens at Chauhan next door, as well as to the upcoming Mockingbird project.
The kitchen at Tànsuǒ is helmed by executive chef Chris Cheung, who is bringing several employees with him from New York, where he has been the chef and owner of Brooklyn’s celebrated East Wind Snack Shop. He will be dividing his time between New York and Nashville, working at both restaurants, and will depend on other staff members who have grown up organically through the Chauhan organization.
The menu at Tànsuǒ is described as “an exploration of contemporary Chinese cuisine reminiscent of China's night markets and traditional street fare,” and Chef Cheung has designed a kitchen that looks to be ready to prepare just about any Asian dish he can envision. A special combi oven has been designated strictly for cooking ducks, a planned specialty of the house. Sourced from Long Island, the ducks will be hung and dried in a special cooler with a specific humidity level set to create the sort of crispy skin that differentiates Peking duck. Another dedicated fryer will be used to bathe the duck in oil rather than dunking it like a Bojangles leg.
Cheung is trained in the food style of Hong Kong, but has worked in kitchens under world-famous chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Vong and Jean-Georges, as well as chef Masaharu Moriomoto at Nobu. He promises his food will offer a tour of Chinese regional cuisines with “cheffy” touches but without creating a stuffy dining experience. “I want our customers to learn about and explore China in general by eating here,” explains Cheung. “I plan to introduce ingredients to Nashvillians in cool ways.” Examples he noted included thousand-year-old eggs, salted fish and chicken feet.
Cheung promises, “I feel like our food will be elevated and whimsical. I want to tell a story or introduce a cool technique or novel flavor in every dish.” Similar to what Maneet is doing at Chauhan, Cheung intends to expand the traditional expected definition of his native cuisine. For example his Chop Suey offers what he calls “Chinatown vegetables.” The traditional street-food example of the dish contains canned bamboo shoots, baby corn and water chestnuts, but Cheung will substitute actual fresh versions of the veggies to the dish.
I visited the space while it was still in the throes of construction, but you could already tell the main dining room will be a stunner. Cool blue tones and plenty of natural materials like stone and milled bamboo create an organic and chill environment. Fan motifs and lots of Chinese lanterns will remind diners of the Asian theme without beating them over the head with dragon wall hangings everywhere. Seating options will be available on three floors, with booths, bars and intimate tables offering room for up to 250 diners at one time. Huge wooden beams dominate the main dining room, and clever visitors will note that they are actually hollowed out to serve as light boxes and music speaker locations.
The bar program will feature Asian-inspired cocktails plus beers from Mantra Artisan Ales, another of Chauhan’s business ventures. Currently, there is quite a lot of parking around the new restaurant, but as business grows, Mockingbird opens and more residential and commercial projects progress in the area, I recommend embracing the concept of valet parking. It is part of New Nashville, after all. Heck, you can valet at the airport and the mall, so such parking should be an expectation at a hot new restaurant like Tànsuǒ.
Get ready to fight the crowds to try it our beginning next week. I'm guessing it will be well worth the effort!
