After nearly two years of planning and design, as well as a nationwide search for a chef, Tigerlily will open to the public on Aug. 10 at 4 p.m. in the former Antihero space (231 W. Nine Mile Road) in downtown Ferndale.
The Japanese restaurant will debut a special limited menu featuring sushi, creative small-plate shareables, and items from its authentic Japanese robata grill.
Robatayaki or robata, meaning “fireside cooking,” harkens to a centuries-old Japanese cooking style that is similar to barbecue. Using a white oak, binchotan charcoal that produces little smoke or flame, ingredients are skewered and cooked over the coals. The accompanying sushi bar includes imported A5 wagyu, caviar-topped nigiri, and sustainably sourced bluefin.
Tigerlily Executive Chef Chris Vasquez was recruited by Hometown Restaurant Group, which runs the new restaurant, in May while working as head sushi chef at Chicago’s Momotaro restaurant. Born and raised in the Detroit area, Vasquez has more than a decade of sushi experience, including positions at Maru and Nippon in metro Detroit.
“This is a new kind of sushi that Detroit hasn’t seen,” Vasquez says. “We are taking an Edomae style of sushi and bringing in different contemporary flavors and techniques. We are creating a new style — not like New York sushi, but fusing it with different cultures while still being authentic to what sushi is. It’s really an expression of a fun new concept that’s a bit more sophisticated and unique.”
In addition to an elevated level of food, Tigerlily says it will be raising the guest experience to new levels. A private “omakase” room allows for multi-course meals where menu choices are left to the chef’s discretion, based on each individual’s preferences. Guests may always make their own selections from Tigerlily’s wide range of sushi, nigiri, sashimi, small plates, and robata items.
The 4,000-square-foot main dining room, designed by Birmingham architects Ron & Roman, features an open, marble-topped sushi bar set beneath a six-panel mural installation by Detroit artist Glenn Barr and retained from the original Antihero design. An extensive bamboo countertop anchors the east side of the restaurant, adjacent to the private omakase room at the front of the restaurant.
Inspired by Asian influences and Ferndale’s color and tradition, Tigerlily gives a nod to the flower that once grew wild in the area — the tiger lily — which is considered a symbol of pride and positivity.
Tigerlily will be open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday; and 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
