19 December, 2008

Tenya - First Tempura Bar in a Singapore Foodcourt

People who are close to HFB knows that he is not a big fan of foodcourts. He usually associates foodcourts to expensive sucky food. The only good thing about them is that they are air-conditioned – not that HFB needed it, as you can always spot him in a hawker center or kopitiam eating away.

However, Tenya – the first tempura bar in a Singapore food court is set to dispel this negative mindset of HFB. Think Yong Tau Foo, where the freshest of seafood and vegetables are laid out for your choice on the counter to be “tempura-ed”.

Paired with steaming Japanese rice and their special sauce that complements the crisp of the tempura batter, lovers of Japanese cuisine will be delighted to know that they can now enjoy restaurants’ standard tempura at a food court prices (vegetable items are going @ $0.60 per pc, seafood items are going @ $1.80 per pc and Japanese rice is $1.00 per serving).

To cater to the working crowd, the management team has also came up with a few set meals for one’s perusal – consisting of two seafood items and three vegetables ($6.40 per set). However if one prefer to go ala carte, you can do so with a minimum of 6 items choosen.

With chef trained in Japan, HFB was not disappointed by the quality of food that was served.

Each individual tempura is crisp on the outside with a tint of light fluffiness on the inside. Although HFB’s initial fear was that the special sauce poured over the tempura would wreck a good dish, tasting it confirmed that his fear was unfounded.

A little sweet on its own, it complimented really well with the rice and the fried food. And if one is worried that the person you bring along is not a tempura fan, there are other options offered by Tenya.

The Unadon at $7.50, is of reasonable priced. Unlike many other Japanese establishments that tend to over-grill their eel, Tenya really prepared theirs with care. Although HFB preferred the eel slightly charred, he fully understood Tenya’s intention of doing so – so that one can taste the natural sweetness of the eel while retaining the moisture of its flesh. Oiishi!

Besides the fish, one can also opt for the Tori Karaage Don @ $6.20. This is a dish that HFB will never get sick of – deep fried chicken pieces. The batter was flavoured and the chicken was tasty, however be warned that it will turn soggy if you leave it under the air-con for too long.

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable tasting session as Tenya truly triumphed over the negative notion that foodcourts are for those who do not know how to appreciate good food. Till then, you will definitely find HFB back at The Food Place @ Level 3 having his tempura while sipping his glass of Ice Green Tea ($1.20 each)! *Refreshing*

252 North Bridge Road
The Food Place, Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore 179103

Disclaimer: No ratings would be given, as this is an invited taste test. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Jason and Kent for their generous hospitality.

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9 comments:

Anonymous_X said...

*drool* =P

a_x

Ivy said...

LOOKS SOOOOO GOOOD!!!!! <3<3<3<3

*makes my way to raffles*

His Food Blog said...

a_x: :)

Ivy: Haha, I am very sure this will tempt a Japanese food lover like yourself to give them a try! ;)

Let me know what you think when you tried it :)

Unknown said...

Wow....very tempting!

Steve said...

*sighs* I'm addicted to your ratings HFB! I get sad when you do an invited taste test because this means we don't get the benefit of your reasonably comprehensive rating system.

Having said that, we by now know how to pick up from your writing style whether it was worth or not - and this seems to fit the bill nicely. Will give it a try next week.

Anonymous said...

Shiok la! Vege Tempura! 60c a piece aint expensive at all!

His Food Blog said...

Foodies Queen: It is!! You should definitely give it a try.

Steve: Hi there my friend - sorry to upset you :)

tempura maniac: Oh have you already try it? Let everybody know if you did. We would love to hear from you :)

Steve said...

okay - finally got there last week. Made the mistake of taking my mate from Hobart who is a fitness instructor... you should have heard the trouble I got into for so much as suggesting that we eat fried foods!

Despite the protests, I had the tempura, and it was rather good. Unlike you, HFB, I didn't go much on the sauce they poured on the tempura... thought it detracted from the flavours of the various foods.

Although 60 cents a piece isn't much, the meat and seafood is much more than that and I found my lunch costing just shy of $10. Just a friendly warning so unsuspecting punters don't get a shock.

Overall, a nice meal.

His Food Blog said...

Haha! I thought it was made known that tempura is deep-fried food, Heh. Hope it didn't cause you too much trouble with your friend.

I had the initial fear that the sauce would ruined the taste and texture of the tempura - but I was surprised it complemented well.

Yeap. The seafood items are $1.80 per pc - you should read my post more carefully next time. :)

Glad you enjoy my recommendations.

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