Tenmaya By Kevin Eichenberger kevin.eichenberger@thestar.com.my F OR those in the know, this is one of the few places to find authentic Japanese cuisine in the city, but only long-time fans may have noticed that the Tenmaya had moved to the upper deck of The Sphere from the Nexus, on the other side of Jalan Kerinchi, Bangsar South’s main street.
Headed by one Chef Kiat, a 30-year veteran of Japanese cuisine trained in the old ways of itamae at the Shangri-La KL Nadaman, the Tenmaya presents a unique selection of dishes that one would be hard-pressed to find in any other Japanese restaurant.
The menus feature a widely varied selection of the expected and unexpected: everything from hand-rolled sushi, sashimi, rice (plain, vinegared, fried, as well as curried), and even hot pots – all helpfully accompanied with labels in katakana and kanji for native Japanese and diners seeking to brush up on their grasp of Nihongo. Some dishes are even available in smaller lunchtime portions and popular menu items are pictured in exquisite detail for ease of reference, but if you’re uncertain as to what to order, here’s a breakdown of what we at StarProperty have tried.
Sea Urchin Bean Curd A sensorial experience is to be had with the Umi (Sea Urchin) Taufu.
The delicate inner lining of a sea urchin’s threatening shell is laid over a freshly made bed of mildly fragrant and silken bean curd for a pleasant blend of tastes and textures few have encountered anywhere else.
Grilled Cod Fish With Marinade Sweet Miso Sauce The Grilled Cod with Sweet Miso Sauce Marinade, wrapped in the leaf of the Japanese Magnolia obovate, allows the fish oils and the sweet miso sauce to mingle – rendering the buttery flesh easy to pull apart with the lightest of touches.
Foie Gras Steak on Fried Rice According to Chef Kiat, foie gras, formerly an opulent component of luxury French cuisine, became widely popular in Japan in the last half decade or so.
Tenmaya’s simplistic yet generous Foie Gras Steak on Fried Rice provides the surprisingly light taste of herbed liver complemented with fried rice.
Salmon Ikura Cheese Maki With the distinct dishes involved in our adventure at Tenmaya, we opted for something a little more familiar to casual diners – the maki.
Despite its name, the Salmon Ikura Cheese Maki is not all salmon roe but rather a nearly equal parts combination of grilled salmon flakes, large chunks of seared salmon steak, and roe combined with cream cheese for additional richness.
Real Wasabia japonica rhizomes served on ice.
The rare taste of Wasabia japonica is apparently the result of an unstable chemical reaction, which is probably why the real thing doesn’t fare well in long-term storage or in transit.
The spectacle of having wasabi rhizomes grated at the table is a memorable experience in itself – the famed heat and flavour of the real thing is unlike the relatively inexpensive substitutes typically found in tubes and tiny packets on grocery store shelves.
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