I have written about many restaurants throughout Southern California for the past decade. Only a handful of those conjure the passion and energy necessary to create a memorable dining experience; I am adding Tempo Urban Kitchen (TUK) to that list. Our time there was filled with beautifully presented incredibly delicious food beautifully. They have an awesome design esthetic and a very friendly and strong team that gives great customer service.
Brea is the home to the first TUK, which boasts a chef-driven, farm-to-table dining experience that is truly unique. With a menu of fresh, sustainable ingredients presented in one-of-a-kind modern American fusion venturing into Latin, Asian and Italian integration’s.
Fresh Ingredients are the face of TUK
Jorge Cueva is the visionary behind TUK and he has filled a niche in Orange County’s ever changing culinary landscape. He is a seasoned restaurant veteran, having opened numerous concepts across the country. Cueva has paid his dues having worked in every restaurant position from busboy up to business owner. His position as a top executive for Daphne’s Greek Café and Sharky’s Wood-fired Mexican Grill helped companies grow into hundreds of locations. Now, as President of the Lascari’s Restaurant Group and Cibo Fresh Catering, he has his sights on getting this brand out to exclusive communities around the world. He worked feverishly to seek out fresh, hot talent in the culinary world to bring his dream to life and is succeeding with flying colors.
Jorge Cueva and Executive Chef Chris Tzorin
Chef Tzorin, Chef Medina and Chef Carrillo are the final ingredients to this eclectic concept – and they have completely brought his vision to life. I have followed Chef Chris Tzorin’s journey for a few years now. He was born to be a chef through ambition that drives him to go beyond his dreams, because to him nothing is impossible. He is a second generation chef; his father Chef Luis Tzorin mentored Chris beginning at the age of 15. Growing up, he helped his mother make traditional enchiladas and special Mexican sauces including her signature Mole. Is your mouth watering yet?
He jumped from his childhood kitchen to the kitchen at The Art Institute of California in Orange County to create the foundation for his career. By age 20, he was already Executive Chef at The Beach House in Dana Point. His resume includes Chateaux, 195 Downtown Grill, Tortilla Republic and Savannah Chop House and Kutsi. Chef Chris had memorable appearances on the Food Network shows; Cutthroat Kitchen, Guy’s Grocery Games and Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown. We also met another Chef on the team, Charlie Medina. He brings a strong background to the team and is yet another great asset in the creativity and professionalism of the TUK kitchen.
I knew the flavor combinations were going to be epic and as you read on you will see that they were. First things first, a margarita, Chef Chris recommended the Gardez Margarita, mango-serrano infused tequila, pineapple, cucumber garnished with spicy salt and was voted one of the best margarita’s in Orange County by Modern Luxury Magazine for good reason. My guest enjoyed a Carmel Road Unoaked Chardonnay from the impressive and thoughtful wine list.
Award-winning Margarita
Our server Jasmine started 2 months ago with TUK and she was one of our favorite servers ever. She was gorgeous, smart and well informed about the menu. I’m not surprised that she went to school to study Restaurant Management. I definitely see a future with her in this company, especially with new locations opening up in Anaheim Hills and other prime locations throughout California and the world.
Server Jasmine Rocks Her Job!
The menu is constantly evolving and on our visit, the entire menu was very enticing. We all eat with our eyes and the appetizers were visually stunning as well. We started with the Tinga Taquitos, Chipotle braised shredded chicken in a yellow corn tortilla, deep-fried, chile-lime cream were really tasty. Duo Ceviche is vibrant and fresh, comprised of marinated fish and shrimp, lime, ginger, red onions & clilantro. A yummy shrimp ceviche with spicy secret sauce was its counterpart. Another favorite is the Bacon Wrapped Shrimp accompanied with a ridiculous Asian Fusion sauce.
Chicken Taquitos Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
One of my favorites was definitely the Seared Tuna Sashimi, an ultimate combination of lime vinaigrette, avocado, onions & lettuce was one of my favorites and truly divine.
I was quite impressed with the unlikely pairing of Pork belly and Octopus, crunchy pork belly on avocado puree with a marinated octopus, cooked to perfection and wonderfully tender, the marriage of these two worked well together and was an explosion of flavor on the palate.
Duo Cevichi
Mole is one of the most delicious sauces ever and I had to try the Short Rib Mole Soft Tacos — they did not disappoint and the good news is there is a great selection of tacos to choose from. Short Rib Chocolate Tacos, chocolate Guinness sauce, lime crema, abuelita, chocolate tortilla, crispy & pickled vegetables.
For the main course, my guest indulged in the Mayan Salmon, grilled with Saffron rice, pineapple, guajillo, achiote vinaigrette & roasted Poblano guacamole. He loved every bite and the presentation was so wonderful too.
Mayan Salmon on a Plank
Indulging in beef is something I do on special occasions and so glad I did the Carne Asada with the grill marks and presented sliced was absolutely tender, I couldn’t eat it all at the time, that evening, I nuked it for 30 seconds and it was still melt-in-your-mouth tender which show me that these chefs really know their stuff. It came with a unique pinto bean sauce, chicharron, mozzarella cheese, pico de gallo & avocado over prickly cactus. I will go back for that one and such reasonable prices.
Carne Asada over Prickly Cactus
So, if you order ice-cream expect to get a show, the flavors change daily, but the day we were there, they offered cinnamon, maple bacon, but we went for the Blueberry. Custom dessert presented through a decadent hydrogen technique resulting in creamy perfection topped with fresh fruit which was pretty much orgasmic.
Getting a Table-side Ice Cream Lesson
On the way out, by coincidence, we ran into friends who were eating The Shishito Peppers. They encouraged they are a great combo to start with a cocktail. The Lime cream and malt vinegar salt are very addictive and you will love them.
Word is that they can have up to a three-hour wait on weekends, so get your reservation in, well in advance. They smartly serve a refreshing complimentary Sangria to those waiting for their tables; now I call that classy and smart!
Tempo Urban Kitchen, 1060 E Imperial Hwy Brea, CA. Reservations: 714.529.2900 or tempourbankitchen.com
Business Hours –Tuesday-Thursday’s 11:30 am – 10:00 pm – Friday’s 11:30 am – 12:00 am
Saturday & Sunday Brunch – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday Dinner – 2:00pm – 12:00 am
Closed On Mondays,
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