Updated: 25th Dec 2014; This restaurant is closed according to Urbanspoon.com.
We met up with Kim Ho for dinner last month. Kim Ho had been a prolific commenter on chowtimes and he also had a blog which he calls it Words of Wind. He recommended a Japanese restaurant Tenhachi which apparently is one of those places that had been blogged about many times by local Vancouver food bloggers.
Tenhachi is located in the ground floor of a bed-and-breakfast place unlike the B&B that most people are accustomed to. Firstly, despite the name Shaugnessy Village it is not anywhere like the tony Shaugnessy neighborhood. Shaugnessy Village is more like a cheap hotel more than it is a B&B.
Tenhachi comes across to us as a pure Japanese restaurant. Decor-wise, there is no hint of this being a Japanese restaurant but we were greeted in Japanese. We tried to tell them we don’t understand Japanese (in English of course) but they kept on talking to us in Japanese. Hmmm … if anything, Suanne and I do not look like a Japanese at all. But service was great and have all the hallmark of Japanese politeness.
I had absolutely no idea what I was ordering. So I ended up ordering something that sounded good. The above is Beef with Ponzu Sauce which costs $14.
I did not know what Ponzu Sauce (it’s soya sauce with lemon) was but now I know. That is because Kim Ho is like a walking encyclopedia! Ask him any obscure question, he is able answer!
The beef was thinly sliced and served cold … just like a beef salad of sort.
It also came with Pine Mushroom. It was quite good. I am not familiar with these mushroom … is this Japanese?
My Beef with Ponzu Sauce came also with “organic” miso soup. It was certainly one of the best tasting miso soup we ever tried and it has “stuff” in it.
Oh yeah … Suanne pointed out to me that Japanese do NOT have soup spoons unlike the Chinese. You are supposed to slurp LOUDLY direct from the bowl!! He he he … to the Chinese that is rude and frown upon as uncultured. **shrugs** … to each their own!
Suanne was less adventurous and opted for their Spicy Chicken Teriyaki from their Dinner Plate section. This one costs $10. There is nothing spectacular about this dish and despite the name, it is not spicy at all.
The rice is served with a sprinkle of something like black sesame seed. What is this supposed to do? Is it just for garnishing or is it supposed to impart flavor and texture to the rice? We could not tell the difference frankly.
Arkensen ordered the Assorted Nigiri Sushi. Ohh … expensive … $16. But it sure looked good but I think it’s a bit too expensive. Is there anyone particular item here that makes this expensive? They all looked pretty common to me.
Nanzaro had the California Roll and Fish & Chips and Sunomono. This is definitely NOT Japanese except perhaps the “Sunomono” which I have absolutely no idea what that is. This one is $11 and is more western than Japanese.
Since it is more western and Nanzaro had ketchup with his sushi … yew!
We also ordered Mushroom Tempura (or at least I think that is what it is).
Hey, what exactly is this thingy up there? What does it go with? They gave us so little of this … it’s like no bigger than your fingernail.
We were too full but Kim Ho got some desserts — definitely not Japanese 🙂
The bill came up to $90 including tips. If you ask me it was expensive because it was just only for three adults and two kids.
I am so sorry to say this but both Suanne and I had diarrhea after the dinner. I had to get to the washroom in the middle of the meal but Suanne had it worse … she spent the whole night in the washroom at home! We think it must be either the cold beef or the miso soup because it is what both of us had and not the boys who were fine. So, I guess we had just bad luck here.
Despite the good reviews we find in the net, I am afraid it is not a place we would go back to again. But we want Kim Ho to know that it was a great pleasure to have met you. We’re looking forward to meeting up again in the FoodBuzz dinner on the 20th this month!
Business Hour
Morning (Everyday): 7:00 am to 12:00 pm
Lunch (Wed to Sun): 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Dinner (Tue to Sun): 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Mondays Dinner closed
Hi Ben,
Thanks for the plug! It was nice to meet you and your family. And thanks for your words but the extent of my knowledge is greatly overrated… As for myself, while I don’t think the meal was bad, I don’t think it was that great either. In the meantime, Van-Ya Japanese Restaurant will serve as a substitute for me. Still, I hope we will be able to do this again.
On an unrelated note, I should mention my blog’s name and address has been updated, though the link provided will redirect you to the new one. See you on the 20th!
Oh, BTW, the name of the restaurant is Tenhachi.
I enjoy your blog very much!
Note about the sunomono–it’s a pickled dish, similar to kimchi (but without the spice of course). I’ve had the cabbage sunomono before. From what I can see in the picture, the little dish of cucumbers was the sunomono.
thanks for the info on how it treated your little stomach. this was a fine piece of internet journalism, maybe all it needed was a photo of how little you tipped.
i wonder if pine mushroom is matsutake. i always hear about this kind of mushroom and if i remember my japanese lessons correctly matsu=pine.
hi. if i’m not wrong, the thing thats not bigger than your fingernail..
the white one is shredded radish and the other one is garlic.
its meant to go into your soyasauce or sth.
i usually just eat it as it is.
hahahah
I am a big fan of this place, and I am sad that you didn’t like it. There are some fantastic items on the menu.
The small little items are grated radish and ginger for your tempura sauce. You get to mix it to your specific taste.
Ponzu has a citrus flavour but is not soya sauce and lemon. It is much more complex than that and with a thinner consistency. It is used quie often with tataki.
If you go back try their fish, its fantastic.
Love your blog btw. Keep up the great work.
cheers
http://www.vancouverslop.com
Hi Matt,
Regarding ponzu, mea culpa. That’s how it was described to me once when I asked about it! ^_^;;;
caramel pudding is VERY common in japan. It is widely eaten and especially as a snack for after school kids. In japan, every bakery sells caramel pudding and on average they are priced ~$4 and some can even go as high as $6-10 for one extremely tiny cup of pudding. wel.. lets just say japanese sure love their caramel pudding 🙂
Tenhachi! I have been there recently. I laughed when I saw the picture of the sushi in ketchup, what an interesting way to consume sushi! If you happen to pay a second visit there, I would highly recommend having the KATSU DON. It is breaded pork fillet with egg and onions. It was done extremely well the last time I was there. I also would recommend having some ice cream, the kids would like that as well! I asked the staff where they got the ice cream, and it was a secret.. truly intriguing!