TATU Restaurant is a brand new sushi hotspot located near Fed Hill. Its elegant and stylish ambiance adds a nightclub feel to the pan-Asian grub. With two bars on either side of the restaurant and an innovative sushi menu, the restaurant is a great option before going out on a weekend night.
For the of-age, TATU offers a diverse and rather complex cocktail menu. My fellow diners tell me that the Lychee-tini is an enjoyable option. At once tart and light, the Lychee-tini is comprised of peach vodka, white cranberry juice and fresh lychee fruit. Diners who ordered the ‘tini’ were surprised at just how fresh the lychee tasted. Although it was not ordered, the Watermelon Mojito, made up of platinum rum, fresh watermelon, mint, lime and sugar sounds absolutely delicious. The extent to which the bartenders incorporate fresh fruit into all of the cocktails is rather impressive.
All of the appetizers are meant to be served family style. I would suggest that each person order a dish so that the table can sample as many plates as possible. We ordered the Crispy Crab Rangoon, the Rock Shrimp Chop Chop, the Crackling Calamari Salad and the Wild Mushroom Pot Stickers.
First, the Pot Stickers. The mushroom filling was seasoned to perfection. They were at once smoky and almost teriyaki-inspired. The Crispy Crab Rangoon was equally impressive. Although the ingredients of crab, cream cheese, and scallions might not seem appealing at first, the bite-sized, dumpling-inspired dish was incredibly flavorful. The soft texture of the filling juxtaposed with the crunchy wonton outside was interesting and delightful.
The Rock Shrimp and Calamari Salad were similar in make-up. Both dishes are plated with the shrimp and calamari atop a heap of greens. The shrimp is quintessential rock shrimp-fresh, small shrimp tossed in a spicy mayonnaise-based sauce. The greens are fresh, and the salad is a tasty pre-sushi appetizer.
Three out of the four diners ordered sushi. I had the Power Roll and a white tuna-inspired roll. The Power Roll consists of shrimp tempura, jumbo lump crab salad, tuna, avocado and cucumber. The crab salad balances the harder-edged shrimp tempura nicely. The avocado and cucumber also follow the trend of crunchy versus soft texture. The two vegetables add a refreshing, healthy element to the roll. The white tuna featured in the second roll was surprisingly fresh and delicious. The individualized sushi pieces another diner ordered were perfectly plated and fresh as well.
The only negative element to the meal was the Ceviche. The dish had too many contrasting flavors to it and the fish did not seem recently caught. It was sent back to the kitchen, but the wait staff proved accommodating and warm.
For dessert, an absolutely enormous pile of Candy Apple-flavored Cotton Candy was presented to the table. The green hue of the Cotton Candy was quirky and the Cotton Candy proved a light, airy finale to a rather filling meal. I would have preferred the ever-tasty burnt sugar flavor of regular Cotton Candy, but nevertheless, this dessert was fun and a lovely centerpiece for the table.
With stylish, bohemian-inspired décor and a creative Asian-fusion menu, TATU is an affordable, enjoyable restaurant perfect for a Friday or Saturday with friends. Order-up a bunch of appetizers and some simple sushi, and the meal won’t disappoint.
