I was in the area when I was looking for a restaurant to visit for lunch this past Monday. I first went to a different restaurant, but decided I didn't want wings.
Parking can be a challenge since there are many busy small businesses in the same strip mall at the corner of Clairmont and Decatur Rd in Decatur. Parking is free, and I was lucky that I found a space near Tenya. I was just walking in the strip mall, looking for a place to eat when I saw Tenya's sign. I hadn't noticed it before, so I went inside. There were only three other customers in the restaurant; one person was eating, and the other two were waiting for their food.
I walked up to the order counter and looked at the menu. Im the kind of person who easily gets intimidated by multiple items on menus, especially if it's a place that's new to me. The guy behind the counter most likely saw on my face my confusion of deciding what to order, so he greatly assisted by explaining everything on the menu after asking me, "Is this your first time here?" After explaining everything, he told me that the Tenya rice bowl with the 24 hour braised pork was one of the more popular items. That info was enough for me, and that's what I ordered. The employee told me that I could have a seat and he would bring my food to me. I asked him if I could get a glass of water, and he pointed out the two pitchers of water on the counter; one was plain water with ice, and the other one was iced water infused with a stick of cinnamon. I was intrigued, so I got a cup of the cinnamon infused water and sat down at one of the tables. I enjoyed the water, which had just a hint of cinnamon flavor.
The employee at the front counter was also the server, and he personally brought the food out from the kitchen to the appropriate table. He brought out my miso soup first. Although the miso soup was a little salty, just like miso soups normally are, it had a great bold flavor. I loved the presentation of the multiple contrasting colors of the food in my Tenya rice bowl. The food was absolutely wonderful tasting, with fresh and crisp pickled red radishes, crunchy Japanese cole slaw, and half of an egg that was cooked so that the yolk was cooked just enough so that it was still soft but not runny. Clearly the best part of this meal was the braised pork belly, which, even though they were thickly cut pieces, practically melted in my mouth. This part of the meal was like having flavorful bacon, and the sauce on top of the pork only enhanced the flavor. I will definitely have this same meal in the future! The only thing that I would change is that I would request that the sauce not be put on the egg, since I thought it sweetened the egg too much.
Throughout my meal, the employee from the counter came to my table, and also the other tables, and asked how the food was. I told him that everything was delicious. About midway through my meal, we had a great conversation, or, rather, I took the opportunity to ask him a lot of questions. I found out his name is Cenk, which is pronounced Jank (rhymes with Frank), he is the co-owner with his business partner Miguel, who later came by to introduce himself to me, and Tenya opened earlier this month. After talking with some of his friends who dropped by, Miguel came to my table to talk with me. He actually brought a couple of crab cakes and offered them to me, not knowing whether or not I ate crab (which I do), and that's when Miguel introduced himself to me. The crab cakes were so full of flavor and I loved them. Too bad they're not on the menu (yet?)! I loved it when they told me that they haven't had time yet, but they plan on expanding their menu to include vegan offerings, among other things. Cenk told me that it's difficult for them because they are very busy (which is a good thing!) and they currently don't have any help.
Cenk and Miguel, thank you so much for providing such great service, focusing on delicious food and a high level of customer focus. I have no doubt you both will see much success if you are able to hire people who will have the same amount of pride in providing great food and customer service as you do. read more