Since its a Japanese buffet restaurant, you'd expect nothing but the best from their Japanese counter. And I think they did not fare too bad. I must say I like the layout of the items. Sashimi tidily laid out and ready to be picked with long metal tweezers, sushi elegantly arranged on wooden carvings, and the sinful oysters on ice.
Fresh Oysters - 4/5
Salmon Sashimi - 5/5
Tuna Sashimi - 3/5
Butter Fish Sashimi -5/5
Octopus Sashimi - 3/5
Unagi Sushi
Shrimp Sushi
Keeping things fresh is of absolute importance in this counter as the taste literally depends on it. Tenji's sashimi are by far the freshest I've tasted so far.
The octopus sashimi was very chewy and a bit lacking in natural flavor. Needed soya sauce to down it with. The salmon sashimi was a delight; soft, tender, and full of flavor. My personal favorite has to be butter fish sashimi. A wonderful melt-in-your-mouth affair which has fatty oils melting onto your tongue once u have it in there, awesome!
Grilled Unagi - 4.5/5
One of the better tasting dishes at the Teppanyaki counter, these eels are marinated and packed elsewhere(I think foreign) and shipped to Tenji in white box trays. This and most of the non-raw Japanese dishes requires you to place your table pins into their respective bowls for them to prepare your dishes on the spot. Grilled and teppanyaki style cooking has to be eaten hot to be fully enjoyed. My only comment on the unagi was that it had a slight bitter aftertaste to it. Is it common to unagi? But besides that, a sweet and flavorful dish to whip up your appetite. Recommended appetizer!
Fried Soft Shell Crab - 5/5
This is another tasty affair, fried so crispy you can enjoy eating the entire piece, even with the shell.
Grilled Fish - 4/5
Crispy on the inside, soft on the inside. Nothing great, but a fresh tasting piece of fish. Not too sure what fish was used exactly though.
Grilled Prawns - 2/5
Tiny, bland, and not interesting to say the least. One to pass.
Clockwork from top : Crab, Teriyaki Chicken, Fish (Yaki), Prawn Tempura
The teriyaki chicken was not bad at all, sweet and spicy flavored tender skewered chicken, but I found the tempura rather tasteless even with the accompanying sauce. Therefore I find it weird as to why the tempura is the hottest item at the Japanese counter.
My first attempt at oysters. Frankly I was scared. I haven't tried something this raw before. I'm not too sure even how to eat them. Just so you know, I took the smallest oysters there, just to try. The others were huge. Tenji has been known to serve giant oysters. But as far as taste goes, you need to find someone who lives on eating these aphrodisiacs.
After a squeeze of lime (forgot about the tobasco sauce), I and SS looked at each other as to who can down it first without laughing while also dreading how it taste like. The meat slid surprisingly easily off the shell. After a light chew, a quick gulp followed. It tasted okay, but I guess I need to try it at different eateries to know the difference.
That wraps up the Japanese counter. There were still quite of items I did not try as I was saving room for others. Most notably were the sushi, custom made-to-order miso soup available with prawns, crab meat and noodles, and a few other teppanyaki-style meats.
Coming up next : Part III - Western Counter
