Tenji Japanese Buffet @ Solaris Mont Kiara

By
vkeong
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145
10541

No doubt Tenji Japanese Buffet @ Solaris Mont Kiara is the latest craze in town. It has been forwarded in emails, blogged by numerous food bloggers, and perhaps the most attractive thing about it currently is the buffet luncheon promotion @ RM49.90 per pax. If you are a fast eater you might even grab it at RM29.90 for the first hour, followed by an extra RM10 for the subsequent hours. I was there yesterday and there are a few things (not mentioned in other blogs) you ought to know:

  • The luncheon buffet is fully booked until 15th Jan 2009 Good news, the luncheon buffet has been extended to 17th Feb for RM55 nett per pax. This means there’s no more per hour dining.
  • If you did not make a reservation, you might as well forget about going to enter as a walk-in guest. Because only guests who made reservations were allowed to enjoy the buffet. Unless, you are willing to try your luck to see if any of the guests who made reservations did not turn up, then you could take their places. Chances are pretty low to be frank.
  • The full luncheon buffet costs RM54.90 per pax, inclusive of 10% service charge. No government tax.
  • Like some have mentioned in forums, the restaurant is not full even though they say they are fully booked. I guess they want to restrict the number of guests in order to maintain the service and food quality. Or simply because they might not be able to cope with the volume of customers, since it’s a new restaurant.
  • Tenji’s Japanese Buffet is pork free.

That being said, let’s move on to the food!

sushi platter

The sushi was good, I enjoyed the salmon sushi the most. The rest you see on the plate were so-so, because the lobster salad was pretty bland tasting. If you are wondering, the maki behind was not made with soft shell crab. I must admit I was tricked into taking it because it certainly looked like soft shell crab maki.. but in fact it was just fried prawns (the tail part).

fresh-oyster

Then I went to take some sashimi and oysters. Tenji’s oysters are seriously huge, just humongous – at least 50% larger than the largest I have had so far. If you could down it in one mouthful, it would be really impressive, lol.
You can see it is as long as the plate, with plenty of flesh too. They were fresh as well but some had sand in them for not being cleaned thoroughly, which was the only gripe I had. If you are an oyster lover, I bet you would be 110% delighted to have joined this buffet.

tenji-coconut

For drinks, I drank the imported coconuts mostly, as the fruit juices were very diluted and didn’t taste nice. By now you would have seen quite a lot of complaints regarding the coconuts not being replenished fast or often enough. But, when I was there, I noticed the coconuts were always available even at the buffet’s peak. So it’s either I was lucky, or the management noticed the complaints and made improvements. The coconuts are a must try because they had a nice, aromatic pandan flavor. Very different from the local coconuts.

paper-steamboat

There is a station for Japanese paper steamboats and it’s perhaps the most relaxed among all. The huge tiger prawns caught my eye and I just had to try it. Besides, I have never tried paper steamboat before. After picking the other ingredients like mushrooms and vegetables, you can then choose between spicy and miso soup, then delivered to you when it’s ready.
A paper steamboat holder is on every table but it won’t be lit up to keep the steamboat warm, hmm. The miso soup was OK, but the prawns were a let down. Despite being really fresh and having super tender flesh, my palate told me the tiger prawns were reared type and not those caught from the sea. Hence, the lack of sweetness.

Because this post is too long, I have broken it to 7 pages. Please click on the following page links to navigate to continue reading.

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145 COMMENTS

  1. dont worry, vkeong. you’re not missing much regarding the prawn tempura. they were soft, soggy and small. haha …

    the soft shell crabs also fried in small amount, rendering replenishing rate slower than ideal

    wonder when the promo’s over, will they regain all the customers?

    J2Kfm’s last blog post..Pizza Hut Trumped Shakey’s …. BIG time !!!

    vk: yeah that’s kinda comforting to know about the tempura, but it would still be nice to actually get to try them, as well as taking photos. I think right, after the promotion period, for RM88++ I would dine at somewhere else eg. Rakuzen lol

  2. You have been blogging expensive stuff lately, we are into global recession,pay cut and retrenchment everywhere including Malaysia. I just got my pay cut by 15%,0 incentives + 0 bonus for the whole year 2009,that would be equivalent to 60% slashed in my mthly paycheck..

    Forget about expensive food and can you recommend more on cheap and nice food around as most of us are on tight or deficit budget…thank you……

    vk: Hi, sorry about your situation. But, I have been saving the money on food the entire week myself in order to enjoy a good meal like this. Rest assured I will try to blog more cheap food in future, as that is one of my blogging aim this year. I have made a promise to myself to blog less about restaurant food, and more into hawker food. Even the restaurant related entries that appear in my blog in future would be taken from my archives – year 2008.

  3. This place seems to be getting a lot of mileage from food blogs…. I guess it’s well-deserved, save for the hitches here and there. That pix of the chef preparing the lamb was quite a sight… haven’t seen that before!

    550ml jar of faith’s last blog post..Kimchi fried rice, above Mid Valley mediocrity!

    vk: To be honest, one of the reasons I went there is I knew it would be a huge hit.. the food is only a small factor. So if you blogged about it, you will get lots of traffic from it. Japanese buffets are always a good traffic contributor for food blog

  4. Comprehensive and organized post. I have read a few others and gave me a fairly good idea whatt’s good and not so good.

    Chin’s last blog post..Tony Fernandes’ Art of War – KLIA-East at Labu

    vk: Yeah I think it’s important to highlight the good food, so it will help others to decide on which food to take.. even the three of us did not manage to try everything, especially the Western food selections

  6. Adui!!!! Awesome spread of buffet. Only RM49.90 per pax is cheap, no wonder fully booked! I wonder when is Penang gonna have such exclusive Jap buffet at such price?

    cariso’s last blog post..17 posts in 2008 – I like it!

    vk: Cariso, spend an extra 10 bucks, and enjoy better food and service @ TAO, Autocity. No kidding

  7. Your salmon sushi, unagi and fish shots are killing me!

    It’s very good that they limit their customer in order to remain the quality. Nowadays very less restaurant owner are being so considerate.

    RM49.90 is consider acceptable for me. OMG.. hope they will open a branch at Penang soon.

    I cannot tahan d… wanna go eat Jap buffet! Vkeong, next time dowan to visit your blog d… haha!

    allie’s last blog post..Invited Review | Young Heart Restaurant

    vk: Don’t worry Allie, TAO @ Autocity is much better than Tenji. I had high hopes for Tenji but in the end TAO was the better Japanese buffet. So, you can go and eat at TAO now :P

  8. Just to be frank, I am among the thousands of disappointed ones who could not make it for the promo lunch!

    Very dejected when I called the lousy call operator which is oftenly not answered, and at last to know it is already fully booked even 3 weeks before the promo ends!

    Gotta wait for the next promo then… LOL

    nice review anyway! very complete if compared to those reviews from other floggers..

    vkeong rocks

    desmond-t’s last blog post..A Bad Time To Graduate

  9. As I have not tried the buffet before, however I am very impressed by your photography skills. Those food pics really look tempting and real! Mind telling me what kind or brand of camera you are using?

    An excellent post indeed…

    laukl’s last blog post..Hong Kong trip 27 Dec 08, Day 3 (Part 1)

    vk: Hi lau, I am using Canon 400D, 50mm 1.8 lens for most of the food shots. The restaurant environment was shot with kit lens.. not really satisfied with the results though :)

  10. Haha in the end you like Tao Buffet more. Din DIY your own paper steamboat? So many scallops on the plate. Just a pot of it could contribute some value to your RM49.90…lol

    Jian’s last blog post..Penang Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry Mee

    vk: Scallop was not included as one of the ingredients for the paper steamboat lol. Anyway the steamboat was so-so at best.. miso soup didn’t taste ‘kao’ enough.. but at least I tried paper steamboat now! So, yay!

  11. oh my god..vkeong..you took my place..lol!
    Actually my colleagues were trying to make reservation on Friday night, but then they told us that was fully booked until 15th or 16th. ==”
    We missed the promotion. I heard they said that Tenji’s boss is one of the partner of Jogoya, is it true?

    Seems that you have a nice meal there, but I will try there in one day. I love Unagi so much!

    Ka Hoong Chai’s last blog post..Make Money Online With Your Digital Camera

  17. Dear Tenji Staff, I try to called many many time to following number (1700-80-1818 / 62036896), is no one pick up the call???? why? I need to need reservations for CNY for 10ppls!!!

    Kindly revert back to me ASAP.

    my phone is : 012-3943753 (Annie)

  20. Oh! Luckily I managed to eat end of December! That time there was still no notice that the restaurant was fully booked yet. Thank god! :) Anyway, are you sure Tao Autocity is much better?? I have only been to the Tao in E-gate. Is it very much different? :)

    iamthewitch’s last blog post..Sam You Restaurant

  27. Have read some about this buffet in other blogs but your blog has the most pictures than the others.

    Really enjoying to see the pics :)

    Too bad that there’s no japanese buffet rest in Jakarta except in the 5 stars hotels.

    Selba’s last blog post..Kue Serabi Solo

  29. Oh, you seems like only took the sushi instead of sashimi.. I didn’t took sushi but only sashimi when I went there last week. Cocunut is good!

    Anyway, in overall Tenji buffet choices still lesser than Jogoya, maybe it’s worthy if you only go for their promotion period. =)

    Jessey Ui’s last blog post..Hatyai Trip – Part 1

    vk: Oh, I did take sashimi, but the amount wasn’t much.. just to try them only.. you can see them behind the huge oyster lol. Guess the oyster took all the limelight haha. You are right there about it being worth going during promotion period only..

  30. Dear Sir/Mdm,

    I would like to booking for dinner on 16/01/2009 at 5.30pm-9.30pm. I need to booked for 4 person

    vk: Hi, sorry I don’t do bookings. I just blog it. You need to contact Tenji :)

  31. As usual those ‘kia-sui’ Malaysians had lots of left over on their table. Tenji should charge these people for the left over! such a waste of food! I just cannot understand these people. Don’t they have guilt at all? some waste food tak cukup, I heard some tah-pau lagi. Ini Malaysians……..betul betul lebih!

    vk: Yeah when I was there, I saw a few girls sitting beside me didn’t finish their desserts, fruit sticks from the chocolate fondue, cooked food and sashimi.. what a waste. And I noticed they, being ‘kia su’ brought one whole stack of food to the table instead of taking it slow while eating. Totally disgusted. I also saw a guy who ‘tar pao’ some potato cakes for her mom, but I think this is OK lah.. the lady was old.. maybe she liked it a lot..

  32. Hmm the sushi looks machine pressed, doesn’t look authentic.

    vk: Hi Brian, I am not sure about that.. but at least the sushi rice didn’t break easily.. I find it very annoying sometimes when the sushi breaks as soon as you lift it up using chopsticks

  33. i jus went tenji last week. I like the oyster very much cos very fresh. But those vege they cook not so nice…tasteless. And the asparagus very hard.
    Overrall the food is nice…but compare to Jogoya, i find Jogoya got more variaties…or maybe tat nite many food finished already, tat’s y i cant find other food.

  34. I think Tenji is over-rated. Overall, my friends and I did not enjoy ourselves in Tenji as compared to an enjoyable time spent in Jogoya, which has more varieties. Don’t think we are going to give it another try. But I must say the Chinese section, tea, desserts, coconuts are something we enjoyed. And of course, nice ambience and environment.

  35. Hello Guys,
    After i seen this page, I just can’t stop drooling…
    Me and my gf were thinking about to take a chance to visit Tenji anytime sooner but I just couldn’t get the phone ring thru.. My blessing to you guys that willing share the way to make reservation on it..

  37. i just came back from Tenji last week… it was during the RM39.90 for 2 hours promo….i blogged about it, then today saw your blog.. all your pictures are so nicely snapped!! so jealous~

    i have to agree, it wasn’t as good as Jogoya…

    but if you are into oyster, sashimi, unagi Haagen-Dazs ice cream,and tempura (which all happened to be my fav), it’s seriously worth the price!

    i didn’t have time for dim sum… i was too distracted by the sashimi, salmon slices and oysters… but i heard later on, that they were terrible…

    shinyin’s last blog post..Is 2009 a happy new year after all?

  38. Hi, can anyone advise me Tienji opens from 11am until wat time for lunch? thanx

    vk: Nico, they are open till 4pm for lunch if I am not mistaken

  39. Compare to Shimizu with Tenji i rather go for shimizu , as there are more food selection but beer and others like wine of course BYO or corkage apply , others looks entertaining.

  41. i been there last night, the service not good, no one clean the dishes and we have to do it ourself, the prawn not fresh, and the sushi rice no taste, food selection also less, and when they BBQ outside, the smell and the smoke is killing us.. many dishes were tasteless… i only enjoy the tea… erm… really not worth the money…

  42. hey, i got some good news for those of ya who missed the tenji promo, they decided to extend the promo til 15feb. dont bother tryin to book for the weekend, its fully booked try weekdays instead. i hope its worth my money.

  43. Nice pics… my bro brought this new place to my attention, and thought we should check out the place… now if only Tenji would pick up the calls!!! I’ve called many times, but none of the calls were picked up. That’s very unprofessional.

    2 thumbs down for first impression!

  45. Hi,

    I would liked to make a reservation on 2 person. I did call many times (1700-80-1818 / 62036896)but unable to success, or else if the line was get thru,no ppl pick up the call. It was just 11.15AM morning,shall there have so many incoming call or there was shortage of man power in this kind of economic?
    Please do mail reply me back or contact me at 012-6798810.
    I really wish to test out what ppl have introuduce so GOOD on yours.

    Thanks

    Steven

  46. Hi,

    Besides, i wish to know the phone number of
    1700-80-1818 still in valid to call in? Phone line not in Service. However 03-62036896, were the correct number to connect to Tenji? Why there were no ppl pickup the line even the line get thru.

    What is the best time and business time were allow customers to convinence call in? Since there was alots of comment from customers feedback could not reach thru your line.

    Thanks

    Steven

    vk: Steven, all I can say is to keep trying. I myself had to call 5 to 10 times in order to get through to their reservation. And the number you mentioned is VALID. I called that number too

  47. If you could not get through the telephone number, I suggest you send in your name, h/p no, time, pax, date to 016-9209008. They will reply within a couple of hours and provide you a booking number to confirm your reservation, if successful.

  49. Hi VK , & KENNY,

    Thanks for the infomation , and i will keep trying, since the number are correct.

    Or else i will think to SMS to them per your advise.

    Thanks alots.

    Steven

  50. I would say that Tenji is really overated in most blog. To my surprise, there is no fan, and no air-cond in one section. So, for those who being seated in that place, prepare to have dinner in hot ! The food is not reli a lot. Not very good in taste too.

    vk: For me, not to say overrated.. maybe just a little over hyped. But for less than RM60, I would say it’s quite worth it

  53. i totally agreed with Anything,the foods are not much choice, and the foods quality is poor, basically it was not pure japanese buffet, just can said a normal buffet, this is the poor japanese buffet i ever eat..

  54. This is the first time we have dinner at Tenji Japanese Buffet, Soho KL Mont Kiara. When we reached there not surprisingly the view, environment is nice and looks comfortable but after a while I noticed that how come the spotlights were focused on the seat…it made us felt so hot sitting there…like sitting at mamak stall having steamboat…

    Anyway, let’s check out the nice Japanese food. I am not able to name each and every one of them… but I assure you that there are less of choices. The sushi choices are very less, no escargot, no our favorite octopus, teppanyaki (you have to put your tablets number on the food u choose then they will cook and send to your place) goodness they will only cook one piece for you…one little piece of lamb shoulder, one small little salmon fish, three little small mushrooms…all in very small portion. You can put all together once into your mouth. The lemons slices for oysters were cut as thin as paper…how can we get the juice from it??

    The services were extremely bad. How come in a buffet restaurant, want to get an empty cup or glass need to wait for twenty minutes? Normally you will use a lots of plates when u having buffet right…minimum at least three plates per person…But there is nobody will come to clean up the plates on your tables…nobody will come to refill your drinks…and when u try to communicate with the waitress there….they will only said twenty minutes…twenty minutes…sorry no English…Malay huuh huuh huuh?? What kind of service is this? This buffet charged us RM96.80 per head…what kind of standard they have to charge RM96.80 per head??

    Ohh fresh pretty sweet coconuts I like it. My colleague and I took some of the coconuts back to our table. Without checking immediately I took one and drink. ?????????How come the straw feel weird ?????? What the hell mans…..the straw was bite by someone and there was something sticking on the straw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who bite the straw? Those foreigner workers there? Some other customers? What did they do with the straw? Treat the straw as toothpick to dig their tooth? Ohhhhh Myyyyyy Goddddddddddd CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW DISGUSTING IT WAS @#$%^$#@%!

    Overall, we had exasperated feel on this so called TENJI JAPANESE BUFFET. Definitely to tell you that there is no second chance for them. A piece of advice if you do decide to try this restaurant. Please make sure cutleries are clean otherwise you might end up like this….
    TENJI JAPANESE BUFFET WAS BANNED BY US!!!!!

    • uh-oh, i’m going to have dinner at Tenji tonight! Gulp!

      After reading the bad review, i can see why the price has dived to RM39.90.

      i hope i dun kena food poisoning :(

    • This is my first time been to japanese restuarant … We are having a farewell gathering.
      The food is normal and it’s tasteless. I dont feel nice and delicous.
      The main thing is that my team when and we all having stomach pain, diarhea, fever and vomiting.
      This really make us suffer from food poisoning and not able to work for the following day.

      It cost alot for us and and the food is not worth RM60++.

      Please dun go Teiji for the second time. I urge you all.

  58. Bad dinner experience at Tenji on Valentine. The food really make me feel dissapointed!..the Oyster was not fresh, the prawn and crab worst once u bite it was soft and the grill food was serve in cool condition and taste bad. Variety of the food really not much of choice and the food presentation is bad. No one come to clear the plate after u finish eating and once u leave ur place to go get some food thr clear the fork and spoon without asking whether u still want to countinue eating or not. The rate of the food i will be given 4 only and the service was 2..Very dissapointed for me and my gf that nite.

    This was my first and my last time to TENJI JAPANESE BUFFET RESTAURANT.

    vk: Hi Simon, sorry to hear about your bad Valentine’s day experience. I too faced the same problem like you did when I dined there… there were very few staff to help clean up those plates. We had to flag for them to come and clean up.. this is definitely a blow to the service.

  59. great review u got there, amazing photo quality! hope it didnt artificially increased the appeal of the food = ) i definately gonna go give it a try.
    stumbled upon ur page from a friend.

    blueembers’s last blog post..VI a national heritage @ 14/2/09 ; better late than never

    vk: thanks :) as much as I try to enhance the food’s appeal, I won’t be able to make them taste better lol. Just be warned of the many bad experiences posted in the comments section.

  60. I am a big fans of Japanese food! and I never , let me repeat NEVER! have such a bad experience! Food was not cook in right way, the setup of seats was suck ( the arrangement have no sense at all) the staff was not train in good way, the place is like CHOW KEAT … not worth to go at ALL!

  62. I weekend i went to Tenji! Comment- you pay Saisaki price but enjoy food quality even lower than Saisaki. Overall comment on food – BAD!!!

  63. i hate u vkeong, u have make a very good blog of food………
    u have cause me more miss malaysia …..

    vk: You hate me :(

  64. very dissapointed, the enviroment’s feel is not bad, but when we have food for few hours, is feel hot, and make us no mood to eat, the food is not so good, the waiter and waitress also not so good train, all like walk around only, Jogoya is better

  65. To all readers, Tenji will definitely not an ideal place for dining. I went on 20/03/09 for the Buffet of RM49.90/pax. The Bill for 2pax were RM 99.80 + Service Charge (10% x Ori.Price of RM 154) + Gov.Tax (5% x Ori.Price of RM 154) “PS: RM 77 ori. price for lunch session per pax”! The TOTAL : RM 122.90. I deeply felt cheated and it seemed like a !@#$ trick they used for consumers. And dun expect much for their explanation. The cashier told me, they are practising like Airasia, the s. charge & gov. tax will always based on the Ori. price. OMG … can anyone believe it!

  66. Had the same experience as well. For the promotion, the tax is based on the ORIGINAL Price. This was not stated earlier in the promotion leaflet i received. They changed the leaflet subsequently. But the question here is this: Is it Legal to charge the Taxes based on the Original price when the price charged to consumers is so much lesser. Is this legal? I have heard the explanations, but to me, it is nothing but lame excuses for which some ppl might fall for so easily. But, hey, read between the lines!

  67. there was 7 of us went to Tenji on 1st March 2009! it was not my first time, but to the rest of my friend it is.. No promotion..so the bill cost us RM85 per person! Overall still ok, after eating so much…my friend and I felt that we didn’t eat much things…Like not worth paying for RM85. I still prefer to dining at Ala-carte. Prefer staff serving me with food rather than keep walking and taking things to eat… :P Besides that, don’t like to force myself to eat for the amount I pay!! Oh yah, I love haagen-daz ice-cream…

    I love ur pic!! Great Job,vkeong!~ :D

    vk: Hi Pinc, for RM85 per pax I agree with you that going for ala carte at Japanese restaurants is a better choice. If not for the promotion of RM49.90, I won’t consider going actually. Thanks for your compliment :) Hope to see you around more often in my blog

  68. the photo that u take , really nice. a lots of blogs, introduce tenji, seem a very great place, a nice food…. because of these attraction, i went there, but it was the 1st and will be the last time i go tenji.
    wat i can said is , the environment are perfect, better than Jogoya, but the food, not nice at all, most are cheaper food& less various, not like Jogoya, got some expensive food like small lobster, king crab(season), scallop,bake oyster…..more choice of dishes, even the haagen dazs ice cream, jogoya have three freezer for haagen dazs no need to Q, tenji only have 1 freezer, long Q all the time jus for ice cream.
    i don mind to pay more for nice food, but i mind to pay for bad food.

    when i go that time, a lots of ppl there, we need a long Q. my bf wan to leave d coz need to Q(we never Q at jogoya), i tell him is worth to wait to try a nice food, when i walk in thaT TIME, WOW, THE ENVIROMENT KILLING ME, VERY NICE. BUT WHEN I GO AROUND TO C THE FOOD THAT TIME, OH MY GOD, THE FOOD……SO normal, like hotel buffet.

    the food that i put clip, wah wait for long long time also never come. staff seldom come to clear up table, i can c kosong table will full of finish plate.
    since the table small, they should clear the table asap.

    the member card, most horrible,, had to eat for 50++pax to finish the vocher, it have free gift, but we pay for the gift wat. and the membership only for 1yr. compare jogoya, 15pax to finish the voucher + gift(F.O.C) life time membership, with VIP dishes some more.
    Jogoya jus the same price v tenji & have special promotion occasionally.

    Tenji break my buffet record, i only take 1hr there, not too full. i think not only me i can c other ppl, near my table also, not much food they take & leave fast.

    Jogoya i spend 2-3hrs, full till different to talk, hahaha.

  70. vk.. i love your pics.. ;) anyway, i went to tenji recently, went for the promotion(last day somemore).. overall, its just a so-so experience, as there is room for improvement.. the food, i would say too few choices of japanese food.. maybe they ought to reduce their other western or chinese cuisines.. some of their food tasted blunt.. need more umph into it.. What i expect from a japanese buffer restaurant is at least 50-60% of japanese food.. but no doubt, its oysters are the best!!! LOL.. sashimi was just so-so, sadly to say.. finally, honestly to say, it would be my first and my last experience there.. but i would come back if there is major improvement in their food choices.. ;) good luck guys..

  71. food rating – 2/5, service rating – 3/5, ambience – 4/5 .. basically the place looks good, but before going in have to queue about 5-10 mins even with reservations. Tried the supper promotion (extended til 12 April) and most of the food finished quite fast and replenishing them is slower.. sushi and sashimi is lesser varieties given its a japanese buffet.. the salmon and octopus is rather not fresh so as alot of other foods as well as the oysters. the best i had was the ice cream, the coconut and the fruit stick chocolate fondue.. not sure what u call that. the govt and service tax which is based on original price indeed unreasonable and doesnt make sense..!! half of the govt taxes go to where? generally the food and style like Jogoya but standard is alot lower.. overall rating 2/5.

  72. Actually me plan go tenji d…but now…not really sure…most comments said it quite bad o….so, i decide cancel my mind oredi…

  73. so?? which 1 is better???

    jogoya…. or tenji~
    i personally feel that jogoya is the best that i have tasted…..

    never went to tenji….i think too much negative reviews….the oysters??

    hmmm……. goin to jogoya 2moro~ yay~!!

  74. Tenji not my choice….terrible food…..not worth it…….there’s few other restaurant in Solaris that worth to go……eg: conton fare, asian terrace & bon ga only….others….u better think twice.

  75. Well, it took less than 5 rings before they picked up my call today.

    Call once at 11:15am to reserve, a lady attended, well spoken.

    Call again at 6pm to cancel it after finally reading through the comments over here. And the guy was quite pissed off when he found out why i canceled.

  76. Went to Tenji with my mates for a birthday bash earlier today. The ambience was good, food was replenished quickly enough but unfortunately they failed to impress me in terms of the quality of the food. Despite having a pretty decent buffet spread, the only thing I enjoyed was the ice cream, coconuts and oysters. The salmon and other seafood sushi and sashimi were quite tasteless and didn’t seem very fresh. Despite the buffet dinner being charged at RM88++/pax, the place was quite packed but I really can’t see what the fuss is all about. I’m pretty certain I won’t be going back there again as I’ve tasted better Japanese food elsewhere.

  77. Been to Tenji’s with my gf. The choices are plenty and the ice cream they serve is HD but other than that, the quality of food is rather poor. Not really worth paying RM49++ or RM77++. You would get better tasting food in Zen or even Sakae and Zanmai.

    If you are willing to fork out the money for a buffet like this, would recommend Jogoya (still better than Tenji) and Saisaki.

    However, if you truly are a Sushi/Sashimi lover, buffets never make the cut. Then again, this is only my opinion.

  78. i have try tenji on FEB 28 2009, time 8pm the food sucks and no refill been done. Been to tempura place and the chef there does not bother to refill it, when ask then they will bring it out under the table and its cold. Then to the tempayaki counter the food is ready but not serve, but once the food reach our table, its all cold and dry. The place is abit dirty, customer pour water on floor but no one bother to clean it also.

    most eye opening during my dining there was the staff, when they pushing the trolley cart the guys is actually lying on the cart. overall its just one time business from me and family, will not recommend to friends except they improve the services

  80. We have a mixed from HK, Shanghai, Spore, total 15 nos patronize Tienji on 23 Jan’09. The place is good, eye-opening. BUT foods are worst ever buffet in life. The Sashimi chef very rude and not interested to serve cutomers despite a very long que. That day happened to be a big crowd booked by THE STAR paper. I will give 1/10 rating. And no more 2nd visit.

  81. I truly agree with all the comments above… one word to describe on Tenji… “it’s LOUSY”
    It was my first visit to Tenji and it will be the first and last… it was a very disappointing experience for all of us.
    Food was lousy especially the oyster, not fresh at all and the size of the oyster is just half of the normal oyster!!!
    environment is like a “pasar malam” and not much varieties… and surprisingly u know what?
    OMG!!!! can u imagine their plates, spoon are with stains???? sOoo grosss!!! we’re paying the normal price of
    RM88++ (dinner session) comparatively with Jogoya, they are far far behind… i will never even patron Tenji again
    even it’s given FOC. After my visiting, i truly understand now… why ppl’s are complaining about them.

  83. the environment is real good 5/5. the service is 1/5(slow and not well train). staff friendly is 1/5( a bit rude). the main course and sushi is 2/5(not really much to choice and not really nice taste) the dessert corner(cake and cookies) suck… 0/5(don eat better)….. the ice cream is good and the coconut is good only. overrall result is 1/5 only……. so the best is go there to see the environment then go home don eat…………

    • hi darence, I have never been to Jogoya before so I cannot comment. But if you ask around you would know that Jogoya has a lot of bad comments :)

      Tenji I would say it’s worth going if there’s promotions like 50% off. If not.. you should look for alternatives

  85. A friend has suggested that we go to Tenji for lunch tomorrow. Can someone pls provide an updated comment/review? Any improvement to the food and service quality?

  86. Wow….i thought i’m the 1 out of few ppl that hav bad experience in Tenji, in fact…so many….Tenji is the worst buffet i hav ever been….dont say Jogoya…even Sakae sushi, Sushi King, Teppanyaki restaurant r far way better…

    The amusing website on the nice ambience & tempting has caught my attraction to try it. Yet, v hav extremely BAD experience in Tenji. Food r lousy, service is lousy, can u imagine, u put table clip to order for california handroll, they served u Unagi handroll, not once, i tried it twice… i guess, their “california handroll” served with unagi….BUT why they has another choice called Unagi handroll???

    BBQ “live” crabs?? what the crabs served is dead smell crab, i dont even dare to put it into my mouth..Errrk….i might got food poisoning from it……

    they r so stingy!!! the food refill so slow, for how many rounds i go for ebi tempura, it was empty…thought ppl have fast….yet i saw a lady with a kid standing asking & complaining the staff why she wait for so long dint c them refill??then, u guess what happen?? The staff put 5 pcs of ebi tempura into the plate…5 PCS!!! my godness….& it was not hot….the food was left behind the table…..Is this BUFFET????

    This is the 1st time i go buffet round round walk walk, come back with empty hand……BECAUSE the food served r cold!!!

    The food were prepared very much earlier or may b balance left after the buffet lunch……no refill, no heat up…just leave it there…..Can u imagine…..u r paying $88++ (net $101.20) to eat the food even worse than MIX RICE @ hawker stall…..

    Ice Cream???Funny!!! Japanese Buffet, Dont have GreenTea Ice Cream oh……

    Paper Steamboat??? no more now….they give pot….under candle….BUT, u need to wait for an hour to cook it….. Haha…Wait lah….what u can do??steam the boat!!!

    Fried Vege…Dont talk about serving wrong food, the vege they fried??? Errrk…..how to put in mouth??? i m not fussy ppl, but…the taste really…Errrrrk…….u guess what vege is that??……..fried Taugeh……..isn’t it a simple vege??

    i guess most of the ppl will aim for sashimi & coconut….me too…for me…Tuna is fresh….1 thing ok….salmon…..Haiz….sticky…not fresh leh…Coconut???!!! got la…..neh, the normal pandan cocunut v order at hawker center la…u want cocnut like jogoya.?? 4get it la…..

    one word…….LOUSIEST!!!!!! ERRRRRRRKKKKKK….

    Tenji??? NO WAY…FREE ALSO DONT WANT TO TRY…NO MORE!!!!!

  88. Tenji.. I think it is much more better than Jogoya and Shogun. Staff there at least are all friendly even they can not speak English. Food actually much more than Jogoya lar.. Just went with my family, they even provide Haagen Dazs, Baskin Robin and Kindori!! Amazing…

  91. the environment there is very good…but the FOOD is BADDDDDDDDDDD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the plate is damn dirty…we hv to ‘ CHOOSE ‘ the ‘ PLATE ‘ when we want to take food….damn…even ‘ CUP’ also…i never test it before at other buffet restaurant… the steam fish is NOT FRESH at all…somemore…the TEMPURA PRAWN… we only can TASTE the POWDER and we CAN’T TASTE the PRAWN…..walao……..what the F…. BADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULDN’T GO THERE ANYMORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEVER EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  92. After viewing so many blogs about tenji, finally went there for supper with my bf on his birthday last month.

    We reached there quite early as we booked the table in advance but was shocked when told by the receptionist that we still need to queue up no matter u booked in advance or not. if thats the case, why should we make reservation?

    Personally, if make a comparision between jogoya and tenji, i still prefer jogoya. The food in tenji made us feel abit disappointed and the service is out of expectation. Most important, they didnt refill most of the food and coconut…the oysters there indeed quite big but not so fresh…..how sad for the first time experience…

    • hi RR, there are many good alternatives to Tenji. Honestly the only reason I went to Tenji was because of the 50% discount. Without that, I don’t think it’s worth going

      • What the other alternatives? I’m going down to KL this Sunday and hopefully to get a good place to have Japanese meal with fresh oysters. ^_^

  96. Wow! Almost all of the comments are bad enough. Actually I did went to Jogoya last month with bf, but we really disappointed with it. The dessert coner & dim sum corner are worst than road stall food. The staff showed us a black face when we requested her to change our dinning tools. The sea foods taste weird, not fresh at all. Can anyone recommend me a better restaurant?

  97. I went to Jogoya last year with 2 of my friends (our first time and also our last time)..VERY BAD EXPERIENCE!!!

    There was a MOUSE FALLING DOWN from the ceiling when I was having my dinner at Jogoya!!!!!!! The mouse HIT ON MY HEAD and make every customer scary!!!!

    In beginning, the staff didn’t applogize for it till we were angry and asked for refund.., Finally, we able to get back our money after argument. They also gave FOC member card and FOC voucher (but we oledy throw into dusbin)..

    Can’t imagine the 5 stars restaurant can have this poor hygiene conditions…

  98. OMG……so disgusting…..lucky for me….i went to Tenji last 2 week during supper….i really enjoyed the food and also the environment…maybe they already improve it….

  100. Last year december , i went here with 4 friends. The only food i really enjoyed much was the tiny coconut and the 2cm thick codfish. Other foods, i would say NO for next time. We come from so far away (Johor), just wanted to try this so-called the famous japanese buffet in KL. But, at the end we were really disappointed with foods, drinks and even the services provided.
    P/S : vkeong, my advice – to remove this blog , not to encourage ppl to go for it.

    • jhr, it’s always important to read the comments. From the latest comments you would know the quality has dropped tremendously, much worse than when I went. Sorry about your experience but there’s nothing we can do when restaurant owners do not maintain the food quality

  101. Had a so-so lunch experience at Tenji last month…the quality is definitely not up to par and the predominantly foreign staff does not help with the service….some of the outdoor stalls were waaaaay too far apart giving the impression they were storage booths of some sort instead…..with the money you’re paying i would definitely recommend going ala-carte instead or at least some other respectable Japanese buffet spread eg. the ones served at PJ Hilton/ Equatorial/ Eastin Hotel…

  102. dunno wan to give it a try or not but so troublesome need to pre-book, if just feel like then must try luck, so risky lor go so far then cannot try summore so much comments liao, really need to think hard lor! if bring frends then buat malu, heheheeeeee…..

  103. hmmmm…i went again to tenji during supper last Jan 2010…. the service is better than before, the quality of the food is still maintained, only crowded by other people. Maybe i’m lucky not to have this bad experience as yours. Looking forward to go there for the 3rd time this sunday-also for supper.

  105. i notice that the person who is in charge for the sashimi, sushi, udon etc is a malay -if i’m not mistaken.

    my last 2 visits- me & my partner were the only malay but the last visit…they were a lot of malay people also went to tenji.

    my last visit i tried to order the thai’s steamfish & crab…very nice…..think that i am very2 lucky not to have bad experience

  106. my dad personally know one of the owner of tenji… there are 5 owners all together…
    and my dad’s friend is a muslim. he said that the food in tenji is all halal.. except for the alcohol beverage of coz.

  108. went thru tenji last saturday v my gf for b’day celebration, their service is very nice and the food is quite delicious, but after dinner went back to home, both of us stomach ache like hell.. n today, i was headache also…izit our immunity not good enuf? nobody having this problem??

    • perhaps you took too much oysters =p
      anyway, i think the effect after meal depends on individual cz some ate too much, some took something that they don’t even know they are allergic to..my last visit was nice. i was ok but my frens r not..

  109. Went to celebrate my wedding anniversary
    after hearing so much from word of mouth
    and moreover, have not been to Solaris or heard of the place.
    We wanted to go at 8pm but the person there told us to come for supper instead.
    At least they told us the price difference unlike the one in Starhill where we went there 10 minutes before the discounted fare.
    We were wondering why some of them did not enter until after the lunch.
    Any way coming to Solaris, we lost the way.
    The downloaded map was hopelessly misleading.
    We went to Solaris Dutamas and the guard there was of no help either.
    We past Regency 1 & 2 without realising Tenji
    is there.
    By the time we discovered the place and arrived at the restaurant, the queue was alreading snaking its way to the elevator
    even with reservation.
    We waited for 25 minutes before we gained entry.
    Though there was enough seats left inside, they put us outside at the smoking area.
    Food wise. Mediocre.
    Starhill much better & wider range of food.

  110. I recently went to Tenji, paid RM88++ for dinner on a weekend and seriously the food sucks… most seafood (cooked or raw) not fresh, oyster ok only, sushi look like its 2 hours old with the seaweed already turning black, tempura not nice, steamboat not nice, most cooked food was yucky, service was slow.. saw a lot of workers just sitting there and doing nothing even though there are clips in the bowl..

    the only passable stuff that I ate was fried rice, coconut drink, haagen daas ice cream, and stir fried belacan kangkong.. can’t believe I paid this much to eat this kind of low quality food..

    • It’s always good to read the people’s comments so you know what to expect.. many have complained about bad experiences here.. OK OK food, only worth considering when there’s a 50% discount

  111. So disappointed for this restaurant.My friends recommend me to this restaurant last month,it was so great when i 1st came to this restaurant they serving good red wine and beer for free,and the foods quality no bad for that time.After that i start bring in my friends to this restaurant again,this time we having supper buffet,but i was so disappointed this time cause they dun serve the red wine again,even the black herbal chicken is only the stand hanging there they told us no more for that too..so , i thought is maybe only serve by dinner..So i decided to bring my family to dinner again,and i keep strongly recommend to my family for the foods quality..but,after last night it will be my last step to this restaurant.
    i had making reserved a dinner for my family 8 persons before 4days ago,but they bring us to the outside door open air table with out notice me and some more they squeeze us to a 6persons table,the table is far from the buffet counter is so inconvenient for a pregnant women like me to walk in and walk out for the food,and i almost fall down through the dirty floor..and is no service at all for clearing our table some more is so small for the table, is so disappointed again they totally dun served the red wine /beer anymore with out inform me the price was changed even when i asking the price when i calling for reserved they told me it was 79++ when i went there the price changed to 50++ and again the black herbal chicken is not serving only the stand showing there! It was bad also for the salad bar no refill at all ,i walk to the salad for many times they dun even refill for it.
    And the last to warning for all,the Soho car jockey cant be trusted.We left a handphone in the car after we find out and back to the car after dinner it was gone..and the jockey keep saying he never saw it..my husband just give up and said to me won’t come to this place again.And it was so disappointed to my family too.

  114. Heard so much about this place and decide to take my family out for year-end dinner. Lot of choices of food and drinks. Seated inside but air-conditioning unit was malfunctioning. Then the food was rather tasteless and not fresh. Drinks was so-so. My wife and I give thumbs down for the price we paid that doesn’t live up to it. We felt it like a hawker center except the food is lousy. Never recommend any friends or biz associates to this place at all. I think the mamak at the corner is very good.

  117. I will never go to Tenji again, got food poisoning while dining there, the mangament also do not handle my complains professionaly. Still waiting for their reply since last year Novemeber.

  119. My colleagues ranted and raved about Tenji…but after reading thru all these comments, I’m scratching my head…don’t seem that great after all.

    Maybe Shogun….tried and tested the outlet in One Utama. Food quality good, Ambiance good, food spread good! Somemore can go shopping or movies afterwards :)

  120. i went to Tenji today. it is my first time.. i have never been there before. heard from people that its a good restaurant. first step into the restaurant, i think that its a high class place. many workers and food displayed. but.. half way thru my dinner. i discovered that the service wasn’t very good. evryone was snatching for the coconut. everytime i get up to check whether there’s any coconut, there’s a crowd of people swamping the area =.= i see many people with 2 coconuts in their hands and was wondering where did it come from ? when i ask the worker, they asked me to get it from outside =.= i spotted a table with at least 5 not open coconut on the table for 2. how can they be so greedy ? then the table tht was opposite me had a waiter served them at least 10 coconuts. when i asked the waited to get 1 for me. he told me to get it from outside. i mean, WHAT THE HELL ?!
    and they took at least an hour to refill the soba and the noodles =.= bad service. heard that they drop standard. it was much better before.
    oh, they have chocolate fountain there. why cant they serve simple things like, MARSHMALLOWS? it tastes awesome with chocolate dripping all over it. but yet, they juz serve biscuits =.= (again)

    oh, Shogun in Sunway pyramid is much better than One Utama’s :)

    • Hello I when on the same day as You.

      I Have seen the same situation. I Feel that Tenji has drop from 10 to 3 rating..

      The pricing is RM80++ For this price i will be able to go to JOGOYA in starhill which their Japanese coconut would never run out of stock, neither will the restaurant will be giving excuse such as (Our supplier has RAN out of stock)

      Excuse me I went to the VIP ROOM i saw THOUSANDS OF COCONUTS OVER THERE . I had to beg them for my children’s and family to try the coconut (IT WAS GREAT)

      All i want to say it ”WHAT THE HACK” You’re a freaking high class reataurant and you’re telling me that your supplier ran out of stock ? WTF ??

      Just because your customer scolded your manager and you can serve them 10 coconut .. while my whole freaking dinner i have to get up the chair every 20 min to check on the coconut ? and i could not even get 1 ? i have to freaking go in the VIP room and BEG ?? \

      THANKS TENJI..

      I AM SORRY FOR WHAT I HAVE SAY,
      Your rating is not 10 to 3

      it 10 to 1 okay ?? never going back there till they really improve and i see this blog has many good comment

  122. I really hope that you have to reconsider to go for Tenji before you go for this lousy restaurant. All the food is not fresh, serving plates and cups are dirty…..we did complain to the restaurant manager but she seems like cannot do anything. We were so disapointed after the dinner buffet and everybody still feel hungry after the dinner………can anybody image that.

  124. Omg, i went to Tenji the other day with my girlfriend. I wanted to treat her a fantastic meal. So i thought of Tenji Mont Kiara, as i knew the place was fantastic. I made earlier booking to avoid sitting outdoor. Woah the 1st thing i went in, i felt like i had went into fine dining buffet. Great atmosphere, lighting at night was really something. Before i went in, I even ask if is halal so I can recommend to some Malay friends. They said food is halal but does not have cert because Tenji serve alcohol drinks but I saw few Muslim Chef. The food selection was great, Sushi, Sashimi, Teppanyaki, Soba, Steamboat and many more. Salmon was fat and juicy and oyster was fresh and WOW!!. Im so glad that my girlfriend love it but she did not take much. hahahaha. scare fat. Tenji serves Japanese, Chinese and Western Cuisine. Found out from their website stating more than 400 selection. Outdoor even got grill and dim sum and WOW the grill lamb was tasty. Finally, Tenji serve HAAGEN DAZ, BASKIN ROBBIN and KINDORI. HOLY GOD!!. I keep sapu the ice cream XD. Anyway Tenji is great, they have 2nd outlet in Puchong, i will bring girlfriend over there to try the different. YOU MUST TRY TENJI ^^

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