Tenmaya is part of the many food outlets newly opened at Nexus, Bangsar South. If it seems strange that I would end up at that part of the world, LC happens to live nearby so inevitably this new shopping mall peaked our interest.
Groupon is currently having a deal for RM60 for RM100 worth of cash vouchers valid at all F&B and shopping/services outlets at Nexus so we took advantage of the deal to drop by with his mum. We've been raving about Tenmaya too much that we had to bring her sooner or later. Do take advantage of the vouchers - they come in RM10 denominations which is great for sharing and to use on separate occasions.
P/S: No, Groupon is not paying me for promoting them lol.
During our previous visits, we had all the usual 'taste testers' and Tenmaya did not disappoint. Their soba, udon, tempura, maki and set dinners as well as ice cream tasted good on all occasions. We were quite impressed that they successfully maintained the quality of their food. This visit was no different.
To share, we ordered a Salmon Ikura Cheese Maki. It's a reverse maki roll topped with salmon, cheese, ikura, garlic chips which are flamed mentai style which gives it a nice burnt taste. The ikura gives you bursts of saltiness which is countered by the cream cheese on the inside. I know it sounds very rich but all the flavors come together very well and you only get 1-2 pieces per person so no worries on the jelat factor.
Here's a close-up of deliciousness.
On a separate occasion, we tried their Spicy Unagi Tempura Maki (if I'm not wrong, that's what it's called) which had chopped chili padi in it and boy it was good as well! You'd expect a burst of spiciness but they balanced the spiciness very well so you get just a little bite of the chilli.
(This is a backdated photo from our previous visit)
LC's mum had a Nabeyaki Udon based on my recommendation and she was impressed at the portion. There were 3 raw slices of fish left to simmer in the broth as well as chicken, carrots, mushrooms, fish cake, a piece of prawn tempura and 2 kinds of vegetables. The broth was sweet and tasty from the assortment of ingredients making it a very satisfying meal. The udon was springy and cooked well. If you have a small appetite, this is perfect for 2.
I had a Tempura Soba (which is not in the menu but available for order). I love their soba as there is a strong taste of buckwheat. It reminds you of the real stuff from Japan.
They are quite generous with their tempura - two pieces of (perfectly translucent on the inside) large prawns, a piece of yam, a piece of pumpkin and a piece of brinjal. Lightly coated with stringy batter, it went well with the soba.
Another off-menu item is the Tempura Udon that LC ordered. The soup base is the same as the soba I ordered. The udon cooked to the perfect texture with lovely springiness.
We ordered another portion of Tempura Moriawase not knowing that it came in a really large portion - 3 shrimps, a piece of salmon (which was surprisingly very good!), a slice of pumpkin, a slice of sweet potato, a piece of brinjal, a piece of green chilli and 2 clumps of enoki mushroom. Very worth it considering the variety you get and the quality of ingredients. The enoki mushroom was very well done, the frying broke down the stringy-stuck-in-your-throat-and-teeth texture and gives you a light, crispy texture.
To end the meal, we ordered a scoop of Green Tea and a scoop of White Sesame ice cream. On a separate visit, we have tried the Black Sesame and it trumps the White Sesame without a doubt. The green tea was rich and creamy, very nice. Our advice would be to try the green tea and black sesame.
LC has put Tenmaya pretty high on his Japanese makan place list - above Kinpachi in SS17 which he loves. The food reminds him of Japan and perhaps this is as close a you can get to the Japan taste for a decent price. I place Tenmaya above Hokkaido Ichiba in The Gardens Mall but Hokkaido Ichiba wins for its dessert variety. But other than that, Tenmaya triumphs for its udon and soba.
Well worth the price considering we paid RM131.60 (RM60 for a RM100 voucher + RM71.60 balance) for so much food - the nabeyaki udon being the most worth it item we've had so far. We really hope that they keep up the quality of the food because that will bring us back for many, many more visits in days to come.