An Asian restaurant with sterling credentials has debuted in old downtown Plano. Called Curry Tei & Bar, it's located at 1001 14th St. #100, in a former ramen shop. The new restaurant is serving Japanese curry, yakitori skewers, noodles, and rice bowls.

The concept comes to Collin County courtesy of Michelle Vi Pepping, who also owns Okaeri Cafe, the buzzy restaurant she opened in Richardson in 2021.

Pepping recognized an opportunity in Plano because, she realized, the area was short on the sort of cuisine in which she specializes.

The restaurant, which has quickly become a foodie darling, is casual and comfortable, with a patio at the entrance, a convenient short walk from the Downtown Plano DART Rail station.

She describes the menu at Curry Tei as "Japanese comfort food," featuring curry, the rich spicy stew that originated in India. The Japanese version has earned its status as a national comfort food thanks to its thick texture, bolstered by the presence of cooked carrots, potatoes, and onions.

Curry Tei's curry can be ordered over rice or udon noodles, then topped with choice of 10 proteins: tonkatsu fried pork cutlet, katsu fried chicken cutlet, tofu katsu fried tofu cutlet, shrimp katsu, karaage fried chicken, Japanese sausage, fried potato croquette, sliced beef, hamburger patty, or gyoza dumplings. Prices range from $15 to $17.

Their bowls and noodles run the gamut from chicken teriyaki over rice to chilled green tea soba noodles with vegetable tempura. Starters include edamame, dumplings, and karaage fried chicken.

The menu also includes two signature dishes from Okaeri: okonomiyaki pancakes, the authentic Japanese dish made with shredded cabbage, scallions, and meat or seafood, and bento boxes, an Okaeri trademark.

The bento boxes are generously portioned, featuring steamed rice plus some of the toppings offered with Japanese curry, such as karaage fried chicken and so on. The bento boxes also include two sides. Choices include potato salad, pasta salad, seaweed salad, or garden salad. They're regularly priced from $16-$18, but at lunch on weekdays, they're only $12.

And because no restaurant these days can forgo the French fries, Curry Tei has them in two options: with truffle Parmesan seasoning, or else loaded with green onion, furikake (a Japanese seasoning blend), and spicy aioli.

There is a full bar with creative Asian cocktails such as the matcha sour, with rum, matcha, yuzu, and pineapple, described as "tea forward," and a wasabi margarita, with tequila, lime, triple sec, and wasabi for a little jolt of heat. Rounding out the beverage favorites is an extensive selection of sake including a sake flight, matcha lattes, and loads of intriguing teas.