Next came their Fish & Chips ($15 - whole fried Mojarra, citrus-soy, ginger aioli, and housemade chips), a dish they say usually turns heads in the dining room. The noodle was of the vermicelli variety, and the soup slightly sweet. I did not particularly enjoy this one much but Duc slurped it up with no problem. After all, anise is a prominent characteritstic of that iconic dish but what came out was more of a soupy slaw. If I could have licked up the bowl without making a scene, I would have.Ĭurious about their two soup options, I chose to get their Anise Beef Noodle Broth ($8) with the wrong assumption that it would resemble pho broth. It isn't often that I find gnocchi done in a switch-up of cuisines that performs well but these soft, pillowy dumplings were able to resist being heavy with the inclusion of citrus and spiciness. Also, just a small misnomer - this would be nigiri, not sashimi! Our other small plate was their Gnocchi ($10 - potato dumpling, Pecarino, cilantro, serrano, and lime), an exciting dish executed very well. We absolutely enjoyed the watermelon part but found the rice too dense to compare it to appropriate sushi. What could watermelon sashimi be? Well, we were informed that it is dehydrated watermelon that is then compressed and marinated in a sashimi-inspired mixture of sesame oil and other fixins. Take for example their Watermelon Sashimi ($7 - watermelon, sushi rice, and sesame oil) - it attracts many guests' attention because their curiosity is piqued. So what are some popular items? Though Tempo changes the menu often, there are some mainstays. The smokiness came through just a tad on the nose, giving it a unique touch without being overwhelmingly deviant. I really enjoyed the Old Fashioned as well as it was one of the most balanced drinks I've had in a while. There were pieces and a much stronger flavor of the sweet addition. The Tamarindo was an excellent alcoholic version of the classic drink, and using actual tamarind in it made all the difference. They were accompanied by a bit of cantaloupe with li hing apparently the fruit changes with availability but always joins cocktails. These came served on a small wooden board which doubled as a coaster, I assume. We opted for their Tamarindo ($10 - housemade tamarind extract, reposado tequila, and fresh lime) and Hickory-Smoked Old Fashioned on Draft ($10 - hickory-smoked Old Forester bourbon, Luxardo Amaro Abano, grade B maple syrup, Peychaud's and Angostura bitters) to start us off. So many of the inclusions were created in-house as well including the bitters, a feat that restaurants would be proud of.

The cocktails were riffs on some classics but with respectful nods toward the originals. At Tempo, there seemed to be a great pride in the drink menu and once we took a gander at it, we could tell why.

Tempo urban kitchen