Tomo is a new Seattle restaurant that offers the cuisine typically associated with fine dining – think micro-seasonal, locally sourced dishes – in the congenial atmosphere of a neighbourhood hangout.
The cusine
The restaurant, which already has a thousand-plus waiting list, features a consistently changing five-course set menu that places a premium on Pacific Northwest ingredients and is heavily influenced by Japanese techniques and flavours.
Dishes include delectable Chawanmushi savoury egg with tropea onion; pork collar with kohlrabi cabbage and sea lettuce; and albacore with sansho pepper and caramelised onion. It’s food that is experimental without being polarising, ideal for those who enjoy the experience of small-plate dining but without the shirt tails.
The interiors
That relaxed attitude is reflected in Tomo’s interiors, which have been designed by Seattle and Amsterdam-based studio Graypants.
The space, like the food it serves, takes Northwestern materials and filters them through a Japanese sensibility. Wood felled in Washington forests fills the space, from the walls to the tables and the chairs, with much of it stained a deep ebony in homage to the Japanese practice of shou sugi ban (where the surface of wood is charred).
Textures are combined, with one wall of scale-like shingles running parallel to a wall of vertical ash slats. The lighting is subtle and intimate, integrated into the architectural elements such as the wall panels, the bench seating, and the bar shelves.
‘I love how the space expands and contracts,’ says Brady Williams, Tomo’s founder and former executive chef of Seattle’s landmark 1950s restaurant Canlis. ‘There are both intimate zones and areas for guests to spread out and let loose.’
‘The restaurant's interior not only helps draw attention to and set the stage for the food, but creates a real warm, comfort for guests – it's a space you want to spend an evening in. And that was definitely our goal as a restaurant, to be a destination, to make people want to stay.’
Whether its the food, the atmosphere, or both that make you want to stay, Tomo is almost certain to please. Is worth sticking around for the lighting alone, which, as Williams puts it, is ‘extremely flattering – everyone looks great in here’.
INFORMATION
tomoseattle.com (opens in new tab)
-
‘A crossover of ideas and emotion’: Simone Rocha on introducing menswear to her labelAs the collection arrives at London’s Dover Street Market with a special installation and zine, Simone Rocha speaks about the roots of the menswear offering, the art of collaboration, and a campaign which subverts ‘the archetypes of masculinity’
-
Colour Clash is a bold compendium of dazzling supergraphics and logos that pop
Polychromatic perversity in graphic design is celebrated in Colour Clash, a monograph that looks at the new wave of visual expression
-
Beacon House is the contemporary rebirth of a midcentury San Francisco home
Beacon House by Edmonds + Lee Architecture is a renovation project that sensitively brings a modernist San Francisco home into the 21st century
-
Lavender and Truffles: plant-based ice cream with Asian-inspired flavours
Fashion industry veteran Alicia Liu launches an ice cream brand like no other, with passion and grit as the main ingredients
-
In Washington, DC, Yayoi Kusama and Veuve Clicquot are in full bloom
Yayoi Kusama and Veuve Clicquot continue their long and fruitful collaboration with a series of art events in Washington, DC, headlined by the artist’s major show, ‘One With Eternity’ at the Hirshhorn
-
New York exhibition celebrates the history of African American cuisine
‘African/American: Making the Nation’s Table’ is a new exhibition in New York City that examines the traditions and innovations of African American cooking
-
Mickalene Thomas’ recipe for duck with chimichurri
Try Mickalene Thomas’ take on a much-cherished recipe for duck with chimichurri. As featured in our monthly Artist’s Palate series, a Wallpaper* homage to our favourite contemporary art
-
Kelly Wearstler designs California-style gingerbread house for Flamingo Estate
In collaboration with LA's Flamingo Estate, Kelly Wearstler designs a limited-edition gingerbread house in her signature California Modernist style
-
Wondrous Brewing Company celebrates new minimalist home in San Francisco
Wondrous Brewing Company's new headquarters by Garcia Tamjidi Architecture Design makes its mark in San Francisco
-
Tate creates Yayoi Kusama-inspired menu
Celebrate Tate Modern's Yayoi Kusama exhibit (17 May 2021-12 June 2022) with these Japanese dishes inspired by the artist's work
-
Yayoi Kusama’s collaboration with Veuve Clicquot hits an optimistic note
Called on to interpret Veuve Clicquot’s premium cuvée, La Grande Dame, the Japanese artist creates a limited-edition sculpture with flowers, polka dots and a message of hope
