Temaki & Tea Japanese Cuisine

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by Erica McMillan for MarquetteMagazine.com

Bite into a Dragon Roll at Temaki & Tea. (Marquette Magazine photo by Soullenz Photography)

Marquette, Mi – Nov. 15, 2013 – Temaki & Team Japanes Cuisine – Our fist food review, yay! Who doesn’t want to travel around sampling delicious cuisine from around the world and writing about it? This could easily be my favorite category for Marquette Magazine! We chose Temaki & Tea in Marquette, MI as our first restaurant review for a reason… the location of our first date was a Japanese cuisine restaurant in Honolulu. We figured another life-altering encounter between us should be celebrated with the same style plate that we came together over 12 years ago.

Interior shot at Temaki & Tea in Marquette, MI. (Marquette Magazine photo by Soullenz Photography)

So, let’s get on with the review! The Temaki & Tea Japanese Cuisine Restaurant is conveniently located across from the NMU campus on 1422 Presque Isle Ave. It’s a bustling place as you walk in with lots of window light and a wide variety of nooks you can cozy up in with a bowl of hot noodle soup, try their sofa chairs around the fireplace. Want to eat while you study or watch the game on the big screen TV? Lots of open seating with roomy tables to fit your laptops or books making it a perfect spot for students. For the more traditional crowd there’s even low table seating with bamboo mats on the floor with a table size zen garden.

Tokyo Noodle Bowl with Udon noodles, fresh spinach, and Tempura sweet potatos, onion, zuchinni in a Dashi onion broth by Temaki & Tea in Marquette, MI. (Marquette Magazine photo by Soullenz Photography)

As for the food, thumbs up there too! We tried one of the Japanese cuisine standards on the menu, a Tokyo Noodle Bowl. It starts with traditional Dashi onion broth and then you build your own soup from there. Choose from 4 varieties of noodles and 5 tempura selections with meat and vegetable options. Making the Tokyo bowl a delicious meal for both vegetarians or meat lovers alike. Our choice on this occasion was the Udon (thick wheat noodles) with Kakiage (sweet potato, onion, zucchini tempura). Yum Yum, we finished it off to the last drop.

In addition to the noodle soup we opted for one of their fall menu specials called the Dragon Roll. This sushi roll features Surimi Crab, cucumber, avocado, and green onion rolled in white sushi rice and topped with pickled ginger, teriyaki sauce, and BBQ eel. Slightly sweet and smoky with just the right amount of ginger heat. Delicious from start to finish and again, not even a grain of rice left on the plate when we were done.

Ginger Chocolate Tart topped with chocolate fruit sauce and whipped cream at Temaki & Tea in Marquette, MI. (Marquette Magazine photo by Soullenz Photography)

Japanese cuisine being a lighter fare than Italian or Mexican we had room for desert too compliments of Michael Sprague, lead cook at the Marquette Temaki & Tea restaurant who helps design all the specialty items on the menu which change from season to season. His selection: A Ginger Chocolate Tart made with a ginger snap crust, filled with an orange/ginger infused chocolate ganache and topped with a drizzle of chocolate fruit sauce and whipped cream… wow, wow, wow! Dark chocolate lovers and sweet tooths will NOT be disappointed by this! Mouthfuls of heaven, enough to satisfy those cravings but not overwhelm. Better try it soon because this is a specialty item that won’t be on the menu much longer, unless perhaps we keep demanding it!

Great lunch for two just under $20 at Temaki & Tea in Marquette, MI. (Marquette Magazine photo by Soullenz Photography)

All this was topped off with a pot of hot Jasmine Green Tea served in an asian style iron teapot in harmony with the atmosphere of the restaurant and great for warming up on a cold day. The atmosphere of Temaki & Tea is relaxed and casual while still delivering a quality Japanese cuisine experience and all at a very reasonable price! Lunch for two with 2 entrees and a hot pot of tea came to just under $20. Happy tummies, happy wallet! Their sign on the wall says it like it is: Balance, Harmony, Serenity on all levels.