Tensaya

6.3 Average

Food  4      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

I always thought Tensaya was great to have in Kingsford (since there isn't much Japanese around this area) so I hopped in with a friend. I ordered the Tensaya Bento box and the box was large with many parts to it including nigiri sushi, sashimi, tempura, chicken karaage. There was a crack in the base of my bento box which didn't bode well.

I started with the tempura which was crispy and delicious. The karaage wasn't quite as good, it was hot and crispy but the batter seemed too thick and there was a smell to the chicken, not as overpowering as some Japanese restaurants though so I didn't think too much of it. The real let down was with the sashimi and the nigiri sushi.

The consistency of the fish (salmon and tuna) wasn't firm and the tuna nigiri was simply poor, I couldn't bear to swallow it which is the first time this has ever happened to me. After this I pretty much lost my appetite. There was also a cut up sushi roll with just crab meat and, perhaps, some seaweed inside which I didn't eat, they should at least attempt to put a few more ingredients in there or substitute it for California roll. My friend had the tempura bento box and enjoyed it but there was no sushi or sashimi in his box.

I felt very disappointed by my meal tonight, I love sashimi and I've had good meals at Tensaya when it first opened. I'm not sure if this was a one off bad night but I feel they need to raise their standard even if they are serving in a student area. It will be a long time before I dare to return.

Jan 15, 2012 

5.8 Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  6     

We had sashimi, gyoza, miso, spicy pork, and chicken katsu don. The sashimi was of decent quality. The gyoza didn't have much flavour. Probably one of the worst we've had. The miso was average. The spicy pork was good. The katsu don was okay. The tables were close together and it was quite loud.

The service was friendly and quick. The prices were average. We really like Japanese food and eat it quite often, so we thought we'd try Tensaya. Unfortunately, we weren't impressed enough to warrant returning. There are definitely better places around.

Oct 30, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

It was one of the first restaurants I went to, I've tried many others in Kingsford after that, but the food just comes no where close to this.

The restaurant is clean, and you can taste the freshness of the quality food when it comes out.

The service is excellent, and the boss is very friendly and helpful. In case if there was some special requirements, ie families and babies, he will do what ever he can to cater for them.

The food value is very very good. I normally go there for the Fish-Obento (which comes with fish, rice, salad, tempura, agedashi tofu, miso) for a bit over $10 lunch special.

I've been a continuing customer of the store since I first visited. And all my friends I recommended really likes it too. Highly recommended! Go in and try their food!

Sep 23, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  9     

Love this place. It my little hidden gem.The decor is great. Love the wallpaper. Its very Japanese. The staff are very welcoming which in turn makes this place feel authentic. Food is great with big servings. Served fast but have never been rushed out the door even when they have been very busy. Recommend the katsu chicken and any of the inside out nori rolls.

Aug 08, 2011 

1.3 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

Food not worth the price, if you sit under the stairway kind of structure you can see the wallpaper's not done properly. Looked like a douchy place to me. Music too loud, service very poor (all waitstaff are Koreans, talking so loudly in Korean over the music and will not notice you until you shout or wave in their faces) and doesn't have the essential stuff that all Japanese restaurants should have (such as wasabi, tooth picks etc). In fact the same place has been changing owners quite frequently over the last two years I've been in the neighbourhood and this one took so long to renovate too.

Jul 27, 2011 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I adore this tasty, fresh little restaurant. Service is always fast and the staff are adorable. Tensaya has fantastic bento boxes, fresh sushi and sashimi and are very reasonably priced. I reccomend this restaurant to everyone.

Apr 03, 2011 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

Highly recommended new Japanese restaurant! easy to find as it's right next to Churchill's bar.

Went there for dinner with two friends on Monday evening, the place is buzzing! lovely service throughout the meal. Bento boxes were excellent! Teri-Chicekn, Teri-Fish, came with rice, salad, extra fried fish and prawn, delicious agedashi tofu. Sushis were also yummy, had salmon, and crab. Also had some takoyaki at the start, very good balance of flavours!

This is a fantastic place to hang out, eat a meal with friends, generous portions! Will definitely go back!

Feb 22, 2011 

6.3 Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

Pretty average, but you can't expect too much when you visit a "Japanese" restaurant run by Korean chefs.

Yes the food comes in large portions and it probably is good value if quantity is your priority but there's nothing flash here other than your standard tempura/sushi/katsu etc. I was quite disappointed with the eel on rice, it tasted frozen and it was obviously microwaved and not made fresh. This place offers convenience for the times where you crave a cheap bento box and can't be bothered going to other suburbs with authentic Japanese food made by Japanese chefs with pure Japanese flavors.

Jan 30, 2011 

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

This is a new restaurant in Kingsford. I always look forward to a nice eatery in Kingford that serve good quality of food. I don't really like the student-fair restaurants but Tensaya definitely did well in terms of the quality of food. We went there for lunch, ordered agedashi tofu, a bento box with sashimi and salmon sushi. They have good lunch deals. The quality of food is good. Sashimi in the bento box was fresh and the portion was quite big.

The agedashi tofu was good, it was an entree but the size was a good decent size! I didn't know that they serve agedashi tofu in the bento box as well, so I had a lot of tofu on the day!

The decor is a bit out of the box, it looked like they use nice expensive gift wrapping papers as their wall paper. I could be wrong but it just look that way, although I quite like it that they are a bit creative in that sense. I spoke the owner and he told me that his sushi chef has 15 years of experience as a sushi chef. I would definitely come back and to try out other dishes.

Nov 10, 2010