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Singapore, August 23, 2010 Tenza Izakaya You can tell that a restaurant is driven by passion when a) its owner makes it a point to be there every evening after he finishes his day job; b) persuades his fiance to do the same as well; and c) somehow also manages to find time in between all that to maintain a blog and a Facebook page about it. Which is what Tan Zhenyang is doing. Tenza Izakaya Check out newly-opened Japanese restaurants: Other stories about wines & beverages:
106 Clementi Street 12, #01-38D
The pharmaceutical industry professional and first-time restaurateur, who runs Tenza Izakaya near Sunset Way (and looks unfairly fresh-faced despite his punishing schedule), is going all out to ensure that his three-month-old Tokyo-style venture is sending out the message he wants it to by personally communicating with the guests at Tenza; documenting his restaurant’s growth on a dedicated blog; and leaving posts about its fresh food and drink arrivals on
Facebook each time there is a new delivery. The message? That sake is great grog, and that it’s even better when enjoyed with good food.
Tan is, by his own admission, “really passionate” about sake and the whole sake-and-food pairing experience, which is why there are more than 50 types of the Japanese rice wine available at Tenza, including varieties such as Hakkaisan Kongoushin Junmai Daiginjyo and Kokuryu Daiginjyo (the latter is said to be one of the Japanese emperor’s favourite sakes).
Even more impressive, however, is the food list – there are nearly 200 dishes on the menu here that run the gamut from sashimi and sushi to tempura and grilled items.
Tenza’s chef is Donny Tan, who has headed respectable Japanese restaurants such as Tomton and Tonkichi in the course of his three-decade-long career, so what you can expect is food that is fresh and decently cooked.
It’s not mindblowing stuff, but there are some items that really stand out, such as the buta bara ninniku ($2.40 per skewer), which is juicy thick-cut cubes of pork grilled with melt-in-the-mouth fat and garlic; and the zaku don ($12), tender braised pork in soya sauce seasoned with spices served atop rice.
The restaurant – which has eight counter seats within its pretty wood and granite interior and a larger al fresco area that overlooks Sunset Way Park – also takes pride in bringing in fresh seafood from Japan three or four times a week, which it offers as seasonal specialities.
On a recent visit, we were recommended the ayu fish ($17 each), a type of sweet smelt that the Japanese take as a summer dish. This the chef grilled simply with salt and served the traditional way, with home-made tade-zu (a sharp, lightly sour dip made with vinegar, sake and a type of herb that the ayu live in close proximity to) that complemented the sweet, flaky flesh of the fish perfectly.
Good, too, was another seasonal dish, the asari sakamushi ($15), which comprised plump little clams in a clear sake-based sauce, as were all the desserts we tried – a chewy home-made black sesame ice-cream ($4.80); an intensely flavoured umeshu jelly ($5.80); and a light, wobbly warabi mochi ($3.80) sprinkled with soya powder.
But some other dishes didn’t turn out too well, such as the gyu tan (cow tongue; $6.80 per serving) which was tough and overcooked; and the special Tenza Salad ($14.80), whose bland sesame-based dressing turned out to be not so special, and which could have done with a sharper accent than the accompanying just-seared slices of beef gave it.
Another thing that could do with a bit of improvement is the temperature of the food served – if you’re dining at the restaurant’s al fresco area, some items (in particular the grilled ones) aren’t as hot as they should be by the time they get to your table.
Still, those are minor issues that can be fixed. All said, Tenza is doing the key things right, such as making sure that its produce is always fresh, and that its staff are friendly and knowledgeable. It’s a little izakaya with a lot of heart in an area that doesn’t have many other establishments of its calibre, and that should keep it beating for a long time to come.
Rating: 7/10
106 Clementi Street 12, #01-38D
Singapore 120106
Tel: 67730093
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