Tuome

Tuome, which sits on the quiet end of 5th Street near Avenue B, feels like the kind of low-key spot you might randomly walk into while looking around for a place to grab a glass of wine and a bite. It’s not as casual as it seems—with a high-aiming food menu that incorporates various Asian influences, and a fairly extensive wine list—but the relaxed, bar-like atmosphere makes it a decent choice for a date without too much pressure. 

When it opened in 2014, Tuome was among a crop of restaurants bringing fine-dining techniques to laid-back neighborhood locations, and we were so excited about it, we gave it an 8.4 rating. A decade later, the prices have adjusted for inflation, while the flavors haven’t changed much. There are still some good bites here, but the food doesn’t quite have our hearts racing anymore.

The bread course is still great, and includes four lighter-than-air puffs served with something that reminds us of cream cheese with everything seasoning. The crab noodles are luxurious, and roughly 30% butter by weight. The seasonal kabocha squash tom yum takes the bold flavors of the Thai soup and makes them subtler, but no less complex. Served with shrimp, a beautifully seared piece of flaky white fish, and a few very carefully placed mussels, it’s a good dish to split. So is the Pig Out For Two—Tuome’s signature pork belly platter.

Other dishes feel like seeing the people who peaked in high school on the night before Thanksgiving. We like the octopus, which has 360 degrees of crunch, but the pork XO/brown butter sauce it comes with is served table-side out of a cream whipper, which feels a bit dated. The same goes for two palm-sized lamb chops, served on the rib, with soubise and a shishito pepper. If you come here expecting something new and experimental, chances are you’ll find Tuome a little snoozy.

photo credit: Britt Lam

photo credit: Noah Fecks

You can still have a nice time though, and weekend tables are plentiful if you reserve a few days ahead. If you do find yourself in the area on a weeknight, you could pop in for a glass of volcanic orange wine from Hungary, and an order of their crispy-fried deviled eggs. They've been on the menu since Day One, and no longer feel particularly novel. But like most things at Tuome, they're perfectly fine.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Britt Lam

Bread Course

Four donut-adjacent puffs, served with cream cheese and toasted seeds. A great riff on bread with butter that involves neither bread nor butter in their classic form. We wish we could order more of these.

photo credit: Britt Lam

Deviled Egg

The deep-fried panko crust is a nice touch. But even in 2014, we estimated there were "200 restaurants serving some newfangled ‘fancy’ take on deviled eggs.” For $15, we’d expect a refresh on the microgreens at least.

photo credit: Noah Fecks

Octopus

Once the overplayed tableside whip-creamer dispensing of XO and brown butter sauce was out of the way, we actually really liked this octopus, which is crispy on 100% of its surface area. The texture changes from full crunch to juicy and tender the further up the arm you go.

Pig Out

This is Tuome’s big signature dish, with 10 blocks of exceptionally crispy pork belly, plus a salad and two bowls of al dente spicy peanut noodles. Worth ordering if you’re hungry, but at $69 it no longer feels as great of a deal as it felt at $49.

photo credit: Noah Fecks

Snow Crab

This noodle dish is our favorite thing on the menu. It’s extremely rich, and there’s a really generous portion of sweet, sultry snow crab. Split this with someone—it’s too rich by itself.

photo credit: Britt Lam

Lamb

We knew there had to be a quenelle hiding on this menu somewhere, and lo-and-behold, it came via a dollop of soubise. Opt for mains elsewhere, these lamb rib chops cost a pretty penny at $48, and won’t blow your mind.

photo credit: Britt Lam

Sugar Snap Pea

Charred and served with an herby yogurt sauce, this is a tasty side dish, but feel like something you could probably eat at a summer BBQ.