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*TEMPO (596 College, 531-2822) Sushi-meister Tom Thai brings cutting-edge Japanese fare to the epicentre of College Street cool. Because no reservations are taken, show up early to get a spot at the six-seat counter where Thai presents his astounding ad-libbed-tasting menu for less than you’d expect. Best: while a la carte menu items like lobster maki with white-truffle oil and tuna tataki salad with arugula are first-class, they can’t compare to such creative fare as Spanish mackerel tartare with sundried-tomato salsa raw silver moonfish with chrysanthemum greens tea-infused tofu with green-tea-powdered grouper sea urchin and oba leaf wrapped in wafer-thin salmon grilled-fiddlehead handroll minced-lamb-and-duck-liver gyoza dumplings. Complete dinners for $30 per person, including all taxes, tip and a glass of sake. Open Monday to Wednesday 5:30 to 11 pm, and Thursday to Saturday 5:30 pm to midnight. Bar open till 2 am. Closed Sunday and holidays. Fully licensed. Access: partially barrier-free, washrooms up three steps. Rating: NNNNN
