Tanzie’s Cafe in Berkeley has earned national acclaim for its Thai brunch celebrating the cuisine of Chiang Mai. Now, its chef-owners are opening a second restaurant nearby — but with a different focus.
Nudi Blue will arrive just a mile away from Tanzie’s at 2049 San Pablo Ave., serving high tea during the day and raw seafood at night. It will open for breakfast and afternoon tea first in March, and dinner several months later.
Owners Jezreel Rojas and Krissana “Tanz” Tussanaprasit had been hoping to open a fine-dining raw bar and wine bar when their business partner happened upon the West Berkeley space, Rojas said. Tea and seafood made sense for this particular location — a former coffee shop with no hood, fryer, grill or range — and is also inspired by the owners’ love of mountain-grown Thai tea. They plan to serve raw, pickled, cured and dried seafood, such as oysters on the half shell, full caviar service and several kinds of tartare and carpaccio…