Tabelog Event at Tuome, East Village

This post is in collaboration with Tabelog.

I recently had the pleasure of being invited to another meet and greet hosted by the lovely folks at Tabelog. This time around, the event was at Asian fusion restaurant in East Village called Tuome. Run by Chef Thomas Chen, Tuome opened not too long ago and has been getting a lot of great press lately.

Compared to the last event at Skal, this one was much more intimate. I had a wonderful time meeting other foodies and reconnecting with others that I had met at the last event. It’s fun when you recognize someone from their Instagram or Tabelog account! Everyone was friendly and cheerful despite the cold, and since it’s a foodie event, you know that everyone already has a love for food in common!

The delicious cocktails were one of the highlights of the event. Fire in the Sky, a combination of sake, Thai chili, and yuzu warmed me up from the cold. However, the East Village Blossom was my favorite. A yummy mixture of brut rose, hibiscus, and blood orange, with some lavender salt on the rim.

Originally from Queens, Chef Thomas Chen combines his Cantonese roots with new American flavors to create irresistible fusion dishes. He was humble and passionate about his creations. Not sure if he was expecting so many people to take his photo.

For this event, Tuome whipped up seven different types of hors d’oeuvres, most of which are on the dinner menu. Starting from the farthest corner: deep fried deviled eggs, crispy berkshire pork, ice cream filled beignet, beet with quinoa and yogurt, blue crab mac & cheese, chicken liver mousse, oxtail egg rolls.

As the token vegetarian at the event, I could only eat a couple dishes and dessert, but I thoroughly enjoyed every bite! The beets with quinoa, five spice yogurt, and pumpkin seed was very refreshing with a nice crunch. However, the deviled eggs seriously stole the show. Deep fried panko deviled eggs topped with garlic chili sauce. Magic in your mouth. Next time I visit Tuome, I’ll have an entire plate of these to myself, please!

Many thanks to the Tabelog team for another fun foodie night out. The Tabelog crew always treats us food bloggers so well, and they’re all such lovely people too. I believe that food brings people together (it’s the concept behind my blog’s name), and this event at Tuome was a wonderful example of that!

P.S. Can you spot me in this photo? I’m the one looking in the wrong direction when everyone is looking at the camera, hah.

* Bar photo and group photo courtesy of Tabelog.

Note: This post is in collaboration with Tabelog. I was invited as a guest to this event and received a complimentary meal. This was not in exchange for a positive review and all opinions expressed here are my own.