A little late to join the game to check out Tempura Tendon Tenya but finally had given them a try at their ION Orchard outlet since we thought we should try out something new instead of sticking to the usual favourite all the time (i.e. Tenjin at Shaw Centre). While there is no longer a mad queue to dine at Tempura Tendon Tenya as compared to the days when they had just opened their doors, diners should still expect a short waiting time in order to dine here — we made our visit on a weekend afternoon for lunch, and the staff did take down our particulars to ring us up once there was a seat available. Whilst we were informed that there was going to be a 20mins to 30mins wait for it, the wait did seem to be a little bit closer to 15mins in reality for us. One thing interesting with Tempura Tenya Tendon is how their menu works — whilst most other Tendon specialists offer their Tendon without many variations apart from the ones that sees a combination of various types of tempura pieces in a single bowl, Tempura Tenya Tendon does offer Tendons that would suit certain patron’s taste buds more — case in point would be the Prawn Tendon that comes with three tempura prawns, as well as the Seafood Tendon that features tempura prawn, Anago, scallop and red fish amongst other ingredients as well. Patrons also do get to opt for more rice or less rice as well — which the former is charged at 50 cents more and the latter sees a deduction of 50 cents off the standard price of the tendon in the menu.

Being our very first visit to Tempura Tendon Tenya, we found ourselves going for the the Tenya Tendon; pretty much their most basic offering that features Tempura Prawn, Red Fish, Squid, Pumpkin and French Beans. At $8.90, the Tenya Tendon can also be said as one of the most affordable ones around as well; we opted for less rice for our order since we usually find difficulty in finishing the tendons served up at other establishments — this reduced the price of our order to $8.40. Going through all the tempura pieces, we did feel that the tempura batter is rather interesting here — whilst it is not quite as airy as compared to the tempura batter of the usual spot that we visit, the tempura batter is still considerably light; almost light a fusion of tempura batter and panko crumbs if one may put it that way. The tempura pieces here does offer a bit more crunch, but still remained light and crisp as compared to other forms of fried fare. The various elements are considerably fresh for the price point; only felt that the red fish was a little muddy but wasn’t too much of a deal breaker for me — liked how the various elements still managed to retain its own moisture despite being deep-fried. Going down to the rice, the short-grain rice were pearly and a little sticky like how they should be; all that drizzled with an ample amount of sweet-savoury sauce that gave it a pretty good flavour whilst also ensured that the rice wasn’t too dry to down. Chili flakes are provided on the side; patrons who wish for some spiciness can choose to add it to their tendon as they wish.

Whilst we did come to an agreement that Tenjin does serve the better Tendon between the two, we can’t deny how the offerings at Tempura Tendon Tenya are pretty affordable especially for those who are tight on a budget — the Tenya Tendon costing almost pretty close to a meal at a fast food restaurant. The quality of their Tendon also does match pretty well for the price — there wasn’t much to complain about the Tenya Tendon, and could even be said as a better offering as compared to some attempts of tendons served up by food court stalls elsewhere. This pretty much explains the popularity of Tempura Tendon Tenya even till this day — sure, there isn’t a crazy queue for it these days; not that we would do that either. That being said, with a minimal wait, Tempura Tendon Tenya is a pretty decent fuss-free dining choice for a decent Japanese Tendon eatery for the masses at a wallet-friendly price point; though we would still probably heading to Tenjin considering its proximity to the other Tempura Tendon Tenya outlets around the island.

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