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Category: Asian Fusion [Edit]
1001 Pennsylvania Ave NWFederal Triangle (Blue, Orange)
Metro Center (Red, Blue, Orange)
Archives-Navy Mem'l (Green, Yellow)
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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My first visit was at lunch this week, even though I have worked nearby for years. I ordered the red curry shrimp. It was very good but a little sweet and not terribly spicy for Thai. The service was fair --- appropriately attentive, but with some problem in communication and some confusion with our request to split the check..
We were seated at a table in the bar area to avoid a wait.
I might give this place four stars, except ...
The price ($16) seemed high for the portion and quality. The room was relatively noisy, and there was no particular ambiance.
In sum, the food was good but not great. The setting and service were fair. It was nothing special for the price.
Downtown lunches are beginning to bore me.
Overpriced Asian fusion but hey - it is goooood.
First - wasabi mashed potatoes to start. I had never heard of such a thing! The waitress insisted our party try them, and we relented - ohhhhh so good. My dad, a wasabi fiend if ever there was one, tried to greedily hoard the entire dish. yum yum yum.
Entrees - my dad and I both thoroughly enjoyed the peanut-shallot crusted Ahi tuna. A symphony for our tastebuds! My mom had the scallops, which were divine - HOWEVER, there was some kind of nuclear hot pepper mixed in with the side of veggies. This was NOT advertised (perhaps because the main dish itself didn't contain the spice) but it made my mom writhe in agony until the waitstaff could locate some bread to neutralize her scorching mouth. The waiter said, "Ohhhh, you must have had one of the hot chillis" - ya think?! That would be a good side note to put in the menu.
Moving on - my fiance had the pho - which was different than any pho he'd ever had before (crazy big chunks of stuff, and a ridiculous amount of broth) but he enjoyed it. His mom had the salmon - five stars all around.
For dessert we all split a few orders of the house-made sorbets. Wow. Incredibly, incredibly delicious. A wonderful light way to end a culinary delight.
People thought this was:
I give the food 3 stars, but the service gets 2. Definitely had better.
We showed up around 10:20 on a Thursday night after seeing "Jersey Boys" at the National Theater. We had checked TenPenh's hours online several days earlier and noted that they were open until 10:30. We figured we were safe, and that TenPenh would be accustomed to catering to the post-theater crowd, seeing as how both the National and the Warner are just a few blocks away. We figured wrong.
When we walked in, we were met with a skeptical once-over from the host. We told him we were there for dinner, and he said he would have to check with the head hostess to make sure that would be alright. She swept in, gave us the TenPenh once-over, and curtly informed us that the kitchen would be closing in 5 minutes so we simply must have our orders in by then as she ushered us to a table.
Our waitress instantly arrived at the table and also immediately informed us that the kitchen would be closing -- this time we were given 3 minutes -- so we would need to hurry up and order. Needless to say, we weren't thrilled about being reminded repeatedly that we were imposing.
We quickly made our selections -- good thing, because our waitress was back at the table within 60 seconds, ready to hear our orders. I chose seared sea scallops, which turned out to be delicious. They were perfectly seared with a nice golden crust, set atop a pool of yuzu balsamic reduction, and accompanied by a really nice field greens salad with a spicy, sweet, and piquant vinaigrette. My boyfriend opted for the lamb-potsticker appetizer which he enjoyed, but didn't think were particularly exciting. Our other companion chose the crispy whole fish, which was lightly battered, crispy, and moist. Our waitress did seem to lighten up a bit as the meal progressed and her prickly attitude softened. At the end of dinner, she brought out a complimentary miniature coconut-rice sticky bun for each of us, which were delicious.
The food at TenPenh is good, and I also liked the chic and modern Asian ambiance. The service we received wasn't as welcoming as we would have liked, however. We knew the restaurant closed at 10:00, so in showing up at 9:50 we certainly would have appreciated a few less reminders about the kitchen closing, and a bit more flexibility.
The waitstaff at Tenpehn is exceptional. They really make you feel special and waited on. The chef kept sending out little complimetary samples, which was also really nice. They have very unique items on the menu. I liked the 5 star spiced pecans on my salad. My only complaint is that the baby bok choy was kind of tough. The bokchoy that I had st Scion two nights ago was much more tender and better. I am giving Tenpehn 5 stars for the experience though: exceptional service and unique dishes. They are very attentive.
People thought this was:
We were a group of 4 who dined on a rainy Saturday night. I'm not sure if it was the rain or the recession or the fact that this is no longer a new restaurant, but they weren't very busy. Since we arrived before 6:30 we ordered from the Pre-Event menu which was $29 and included a choice of appetizer, any entree from the menu, and a choice of dessert.
Tenh Penh is in a very beautiful and elegant space at the corner of Pennsylvania and 10th. The service was efficient and friendly without being intrusive.
If I rating the restaurant on just the appetizers and the dessert, I would give it 6 stars (of 5), but I'm deducting a star for the entrees. The lumpia with 3 dipping sauces was excellent with the chili dipping sauce getting rave reviews. The spicy calamari salad was perfectly cooked and the dressing was spicy and flavorful. The short ribs were also excellent.
We had 4 different entrees and everyone said they were good, but didn't meet the standard set by the appetizers. The lobster was nicely cooked and presented, but the sauce didn't taste anything like the description the waitress gave. The deconstructed bibimbop was very light on the gochujang so it was really a steak and vegetables served with rice and a fried egg. The yuzu in the balsamic sauce with the scallops gave the sauce an aftertaste. The best entree was the red curry shrimp. The entrees all had potential, but then they seemed to shy away from the spice and flavor.
We all had the chocolate torte with soy ice cream and candied nuts. It was fantastic.
When compared to Asia Nine which is within 2 blocks, I would say Asia Nine had bolder, more flavorful entrees, but more ordinary appetizers and desserts. The crowd at Asia Nine was also much younger. I would return to Tenh Penh, but would order appetizers and desserts only.
After a surprisingly good time at Ceiba I was more than happy to try TenPenh when a friend came to town. I left feeling full but just slightly disappointed, which is pretty hard to do. After a meal I am almost always one of three things: content, comatose, or buzzed. The fact that I managed to feel somewhat pessimistic even AFTER that awesome cocktail is not a recommendation.
The Good: Cocktails. The Emperor's Geisha is way more delicious than it has any right to be. The cocktails alone (and ice wine on the dessert menu!) are reason to visit. I got the "roti canai" appetizer and really enjoyed it. My donuts were great too, although I'm going to agree with previous posters that the chocolate sauce didn't help. The chocolate torte was out of this world.
The Bad: Our hand towels at the beginning were ice cold! If the cheapo (and delicious) Burmese place by my parents' house can deliver warm towels, why can't you? Something mealy in the shrimp dumplings was distinctly unappealing. The gazpacho amuse was all right but I have no idea what it's doing in an Asian fusion restaurant.
The Ugly: Service went from middling to slow to glacial. Our water was refilled on a semi-regular basis, but other than that we had to flag down a server EVERY SINGLE TIME we needed something, from the initial order to the check! I know it's busy, but we shouldn't have to be playing flag-the-server in the middle of a meal.
Maybe I was spoiled by a better than expected time at Ceiba, maybe I should've remembered that "Asian fusion" is more often than not chef shorthand for "trying too hard" or "regular dish with a fuckton of soy and ginger", maybe it was just an off night. I just wouldn't be back unless I'm sitting at the bar.
People thought this was:
Its pretty good asian fusion, but you can get thai chili salads, pho, rice noodles that are as flavorful, intense, spicy and decadent for 1/2 the price in any chinatown or hole in the wall...so long as you know what you are looking for.
TenPenh has hands down great food. Came with a group of three other friends for half-price bottle of wine night, and had a wonderful time. We ordered three entrees, four appetizers, and two bottles for the four of us, and had plenty of food (and drink!). It's expensive, but worth the splurge, especially when you're ordering and sharing among a small group. The service was great, everyone was very attentive, but not lingering or pushy.
The four appetizers: Tempura Crisp Spicy Tuna Roll (your typical go-to tuna roll, always a solid choice), Steamed Shrimp-Chive dumplings (couldn't taste the chives in this, but it was good), Peking Duck Rolls (EXCELLENT), and the Filipino Lumpia Spring Rolls (EXCELLENT).
Entrees: Thai Red Shrimp Curry (I could have eaten this all by myself, and next time I would. This was far and away the best dish). Red Pepper Halibut (good- not great, fish was a little bland, but the sides were good. Expected more from this one), and the Beef Tenderloin (very good, but predictable).
Overall it was a great atmosphere, great time, and great food!
Restaurant Week is typically not the best time to review a "fancy" restaurant. The service is so different than usual, the food so off-course, that it's never reflective of the place's typical experience. But I;m reviewing TenPenh anyway, precisely because my RW experience there was so good, where at many it's exactly the opposite.
I like that TenPenh (extra points for a witty name that feels both practical & asian-fusiony!) gives you the option to order ANY of their usual entrees instead of severely limiting their menu like so many places do during RW. I ordered the chicken roti appetizer, which I now see in other reviews was the right choice! The sauce was weird (I still can't figure out what the taste was), but the appetizer (like a quesadilla made with a fried pancake) was great, & surprisingly light for being so fried.
My entree was a real accomplishment. Why the hell did I order halibut? I hate fish. After the great app, I started to freak about the entree, sure I was going to hate it. But in a major entree victory, it was AMAZING, & I ate the whole thing, impressed with myself all the way (& bragging to my mother afterward). I had the halibut with Thai basil chili glaze and... some other stuff. The cold noodle salad it came with wans't my bag, but the fish was so good that I overlooked it - & stole a friend's lo mein instead.
Dessert was a coconut pastry with banana chantilly. Both were sticky - but delicious.
Oh, & bonus - literally! Before out appetizers came out, our waitress brought us an amuse-bouche of Asian gazpacho. It was really good, smooth & spicy. Didn't match any of the other food we ate, but I don't critique free stuff. When our check came, she brought us each a little square of some sort of fudge that tasted like a cross between fruit & a blondie.
And did I mention my drink? The Tomo-Jito was the best drink I've ever had the pleasure of imbibing.
Seriously. $50, total.
Restaurant Week win, TenPenh!
TenPenh had the perfect patio on Pennslyvania Ave for a leisurely Sunday dinner with great people watching. The chef gave us complimentary gazpacho shots which were more like a smoothie that gazpacho but great. I'm a vegetarian so there wasn't much for me on the menu there but the chef made me a delicious sophisticated veggie low mein. Good food, good atmosphere, friendly staff.
Had a great lunch here today with two coworkers, one of whom began her love affair with Ten Penh years ago and even had her wedding reception catered by TP and DC Coast. Because of the gorgeous weather, we were hoping to get an outside table, but no luck.
Our server told us the specials, which included a soup that had "mushrooms and stuff like that". This less than descriptive phrasing was also preceded and followed by some incomprehensible mumbling. Not exactly a great first impression, but I won't hold it against the restaurant.
We started with the spring rolls, which were a bit greasy, but still delicious. The trio of sauces was good, but they could add some more zip to their spiciest sauce. For my entree, I had the Thai Red Curry Shrimp, which the server said was the most popular item. I can understand why. The dish came with enough curry sauce to moisten all of the rice (who likes plain, dry rice?), and I really enjoyed the sweetness of the pineapple. My dining companions both like their dishes, the tuna burger and chow foon noodles.
I've docked one star, not because of the odd mumbling by the server, but because of their coffee. A coworker ordered a latte, which was entirely undrinkable. She stated that if she mixing dirt and water in a cup would taste better. She told our server the latte was off, and since we had already paid, he brought her a new one. Let's just say her second-try coffee cup was not empty when we left...
Overall, this is definitely a place I would recommend to those looking for a good Asian fusion restaurant. I'm looking forward to coming back for their happy hour (3-7 pm and 9:30 to close). Apparently they have some great cocktails for $5 and half-price appetizers.
I visited Tenpenh a few years ago and enjoyed my Salmon dish. I just went again today for lunch and was disappointed. It is a very upscale restaurant with what seems to be some interesting Asian dishes. First, I ordered the Tenpenh salad, which was soggy, limp, and tasteless. Next, I ordered the steamed shrimp dumplings appetizer. The dumplings tasted fine, but when one dumpling fell apart, I noticed that the shrimp inside had not been de-veined. I was shocked that the seafood had not been properly cleaned. The quality of the shrimp and its preparation (or lack thereof) reminded me of the type of food I could expect from a cheap Chinese takeout place. Needless to say, I left the restaurant hungry and I don't think I will go back.
My dad and I came to TenPenh for the $29 3-course pre-event dinner. We started with the Shanghai Filipino Lumpia Springrolls and the Barbecue Glazed Pork Short Ribs. Both dishes were very good. Next, I had the Chinese Style Smoked Lobster (for a $9 surcharge) and my dad had the Crispy Whole Fish (flounder). This was my second time ordering the lobster (my first was at TenPenh's sister restaurant DC Coast). It was served on a delicious bed of vegetables and fried spinach. My dad enjoyed his flounder and the cucumber salad that came with it. For dessert, we had the Saigon Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Donuts and the Trio of House Made Sorbets. The donuts reminded me of churros (in a good way, of course). The sorbets were so tasty!
The food was great, the service friendly and attentive. We will likely return to TenPenh for dinner again in the near future.
I've been in for cocktails a few times with friends, but have never tried any of the food there. Having eaten at the other restaurants in the Passion Food LLC family I expected similar quality and creativity. I was not disappointed.
I decided to go with a sampling of the appetizers so as not to get bogged down with just one dish with which to base my review. This has been a good tactic at many of the restaurants I've been to. If you can't get the apps right, how is the main course going to fare any better?
I started off with Bamboo Basket Steamed Shrimp-Chive Dumplings. However, the bartender suggested I try them fried. Why not? I chose a nice Gewürztraminer to go with. These little dumplings were beautifully presented, very quickly I might add, and were spot on perfect accompanied with the black vinegar dipping sauce. Following the dumplings, I tried the Tempura Crisp
Spicy Tuna Roll which was accompanied by Daikon Sprouts and a Ponzu Dipping Sauce. The roll was crispy, not greasy and the tuna was sushi grade and cool (a sign of keeping the frying oil at the proper temperature. The peppery daikon sprouts were also accompanied by some baby mushrooms in an extremely delicate vinaigrette (I'm suspecting sushi vinegar, but not sure. A tasty combo with the slightly sweet, yet medium body wine.
Unbelievably, I was still hungry. OK, one more thing. I ended with a "not so healthy" order of the Lobster Rangoons. These were a bit larger than bite-sized fried wontons filled with a lobster and cream cheese mixture accompanied by a Sweet Thai Chili Dipping Sauce. I felt a bit guilty and got a side order (warning, big enough for two) of the Szechuan Green Beans. While the lobster rangoons were fantastic, believe it or not the green beans stole the show. They were, again, perfectly stir fried, nicely charred and tossed (probably prior to cooking) in a sesame/soy sauce that needed no other seasoning on my part. In fact, none of the dishes I ordered required any extra salt/pepper to be added.
All in all a GREAT dining experience. Good food, lightning fast service (at the bar). By the time I left (completely satisfied for the 1st time in a long time leaving an Asian restaurant), the place was packed with happy business people and tourists alike. I'm pretty sure I know why..
People thought this was:
The dining room at Ten Penh is large and has great furnishings and décor. The atmosphere was very lively, but not overly noisy. We sat down and our waiter immediately greeted us. He was very knowledgeable on the menu. We asked him questions on a few items, and he had all our answers.
I started the evening off with a cocktail called the Bombay Fissure. This cocktail was voted by GQ the best cocktail in DC for 2009. It was strong, smooth, and rosy red. Our waiter poured the drink right at the table. As the drink was poured it began to bubble and a foggy cloud erupted from the drink, due to dry ice at the bottom of the glass. It was a very beautiful drink.
We ordered appetizers of the spicy calamari salad and the spicy tuna roll. As we waited for our appetizers, our waiter brought out two shots of a spicy gazpacho for us to taste. It was delicious. Our appetizers were amazing. The calamari salad was adequately spicy for us both, and the calamari itself was cooked so well that it was tender. The spicy tuna roll was like none I'd ever tasted before, even at Morimoto's in Philadelphia. The roll was very thick with tuna, and covered in a tempura crust. The spicy sauce in the roll was truly unique from that you would find in the average sushi restaurant. The sushi roll also came with a light salad with watercress and enoki mushrooms topped with a vinaigrette, which was heavenly.
At this point, they had already earned 4 stars and the entrees hadn't even come out yet.
For the entrees, we ordered the Miso Laquered Sea Bass and the Red Pepper Sambal Halibut. Both were outstanding dishes cooked to perfection. With our entrees we ordered a side dish of Fried Spinach. If you ever get a chance to try fried spinach, don't hesitate; it is really that good. When it first hits your mouth it is very much like a potato chip, but then it kinda melts in your mouth into a very well seasoned spinach.
The dinner as a whole was outstanding. If you're in the mood for fine creative Asian cuisine, Ten Penh is the perfect place.
+ innovative menu items
+ the food is just plain good
+ great place for fish
- there isn't one located closer to me
People thought this was:
I always walk past TenPenh and avoided it like swine flu because of my conviction that good Asian food simply does not exist in DC based on word of mouth and my personal experiences.
My friend suggested this restaurant so we took the risk! It is not too far from Gallery Place - located on 10th and Penn and adjacent to the infamous Central Michel Richard restaurant.
Instead of choosing individual entrees for our fine dining experience, which are priced at $20-30, we tried a compilation of $5-10 appetizers 'family style' -
*1. Korean Barbequed Pork Ribs, Sweet & Spicy Cucumber Salad
*2. Szechuan Japanese Eggplant
3. Szechuan Green Beans
*4. Lamb Pot Stickers, Pine Nuts, Watercress Red Onion Salad, Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce
5. Griddled Malaysian "Roti Canai" Curried Chicken, Scallions, Indian Bread, Spiced Apple Sauce
*Recommended
These dishes were an electic combination for anyone who wants to try multiple foods but wants to avoid paying the $30 price tag. The service at TenPenh was excellent and far superior than many of the restaurants in DC. The inside of the restaurant is quite massive in addition to an outdoor seating area that makes you think you've been transported to a resort in Southeast Asia. It's a great place to unwind with friends or a significant other. Highly recommended all around.
Ten Pehn was completely enjoyable last night! Sat outside which I completely forgot was an option. Ordered hot saki which was good - not the best I have had, but sweet and not pure rubbing alcohol - so it was good. We started with the shrimp dumplings which were probably the only thing I ate that I did not love. They were not quite cooked enough and I almost questioned whether the shrimp were actually raw. The dipping sauce was good, but not spectacular.
I ordered the Peanut-Shallot Crusted Ahi Tuna (rare, raw, still swimming) with Scallion Lo Mein, and my boyfriend ordered the lamb chops with Black Bean Garlic Rice Noodles. When the entrees were served I was in the ladies room. Our waiter graciously took them back and put them under the heater until I was back to the table. This was very sweet of him, however it meant that my tuna came back medium as opposed to rare. Upon biting into it- I found that it was absolutely delicious regardless and kept eating. The peanut crust was to die for, the tuna was very fresh and sweet and the lo mein was great as well! Due to the extra warming, the lamb chops were also a little too done, but my boyfriend claimed enjoyed them anyway. We also ordered the side of Szechuan Green Beans and they were a perfect accompaniment ton both of our meals!
Now for dessert (yes at this point we were just gorging and said the hell with the diets! Let's eat donuts!) we ordered Saigon Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Donuts with Dark Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding. One person below asked what the point of the pudding was. Well, why not? It was awesome to dip those fabulous donuts into that pudding. I could have eaten a dozen of them! I think I dreamt about them . . .
Anyway, we had a great meal at Ten Pehn! Can't wait to come back!
People thought this was:
I paid $80 for dinner last night. The food was so overrated, signing the credit card receipt hurt. On the other hand, the Asian Mojito was pretty good, using pear sake in place of rum. It was light and refreshing, and sweet, but not cloying.
We started with the Grilled Malaysian Roti Canai, which had a great crisp and chewy texture. However, the spices were somewhat muted and the dipping sauce didn't quite match with the chicken-stuffed roti. We also had the lamb potstickers, which were much better (though not terribly exciting). The potstickers were big and meaty, and not too gamey. The slightly bitter watercress salad was a refreshing contrast. Now that I think about it, I could have been satisfied eating the lamb potstickers appetizer as my meal.
For the main course, I had the whole crispy fish, which was flounder. It was tough and dry, and the dipping sauce tasted mostly like fish sauce. The cucumber carrot salad was bland. I was quite disappointed. I also tasted my friend's miso-glazed sea bass, which not as sweet as I expected (good), but had a heavy soy reduction sauce on the plate that was too strong for the mild-flavored fish. The bok choy looked overcooked, too.
We chose three desserts: (1) carrot cake with ginger cream; (2) saigon cinnamon sugar dusted donuts with chocolate pudding; and (3) trio of sorbets. The carrot cake was just ok, and I wouldn't order it again. It was moist, but not terribly flavorful. The donuts were great--not greasy, and just sweet enough. I didn't understand why we had the pudding on the side. It didn't make the donuts better. A chocolate ganache sauce would have been more appropriate, although probably too rich. Haha. The sorbets were interesting. The ginger sorbet was a little too sweet, but very gingery. The sesame banana sorbet was a little weird, but I love sesame flavored things, so I didn't mind. I remember thinking that it was almost savory. I forgot what the third flavor was--perhaps a blood orange? It was red, tart, and sweet. Not my favorite.
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A Birthday To Forget:
I'm all for fusion places! Heck, I love Zengo's where most can't even stomach the place! But, this was by-far the most disastrous night. Now, you'd have thought some young twenty-somethings, highly over-dressed to dine would have hinted the server off to a special occassion or event... But not with my birthday luck. We were overlooked, underserved, and quite unimpressed. I started off with the Calamari Salad... And, let's just say you'll get better calamari at Legal Sea Foods (uck!). I don't remember what my date had to start, but that's the point... Quite immemorable. I do remember that for entree's I had a salmon dish and he had the sea bass served with kimchi.. Eww! Just like the kimchi, our dinner soured from there! And, we waited close to two hrs after being seated to receive our entree's. Was the kitchen in the weeds? Did the server forget to put in our food? We'll never know, because I'll never be back to ask. A wait time of an hr and a half between starter and entree is hilarious. I think now they've changed the sea bass accompaniment to bok choy instead of the kimchi.... GOOD CHOICE! Still not enough to make me slave through hunger on my birthday and wait for two hours for food, in a restaurant at 60% capacity.
I don't know why everyone is so cautious with their stars. This place is hands down my favorite place in DC. The service when I was there (granted, this was spring restaurant week 09) was impeccible. The food was phenomenal, and the atmosphere was beautiful, elegant, and yet interesting. Don't miss it if you are in DC!
My Dad an I love Asian food, so we decided to dine here. The inside and outside decor of the restaurant is pretty. We started off with an appetizer of the Shanghai Filipino Lumpia Springrolls. They were rolls stuffed with meat and veggies and came with 3 different dipping sauces. They were very good! For our meals we ordered the Red Thai Curry Shrimp and the Grilled Beef Tenderloin. Both dishes were pretty good and decent portions. The service and the waiter were both nice and helpful. If your in the D.C. area and want some good Asian food, I would suggest coming to TenPenh.
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So a friend and I ended up at TenPenh for dinner! Originally, we were thinking of Yaku and then Red Velvet but then scratched Yaku because we were going into Penn Quarter and TenPenh is located there as well.
We started off with an amuse of butternut squash, lime, &...cardamom? We enjoyed the amuse of butternut squash, lime, and something else that we couldn't figure out/remember what the server told us. It was good - not as thick as we had originally thought.
We shared the "Gridled Malaysian Roi Canai" as an appetizer. Basically, it was Curried Chicken, Scallions, Indian Bread with Spiced Apple Sauce." This was a pretty big appetizer for us. We both ate two each. The chicken was good - it was moist, not too spicy. The spiced apple sauce gave it a tiny kick/finish since without it, it would have definitely been a bit plain.
As an entree, I had the Chilean Sea Bass with Roasted Kabocha, Rapini, Black Bean Garlic Sauce. I got pretty stuffed eating this - I could only finish half of it. The seabass was cooked evenly and it was tasty except I think I like Hong Kong style sea bass a lot better. I never had the kabocha before but I liked it - reminded me of pumpkin/butternut squash.
Nicole had the Pan Seared Sea Scallops. Thai Braised Pork Belly, Sweet Potato, Yellow Curry. The sweet potato puree actually had the pork belly bits IN it so that was interesting. We were both surprised to find that out. She also agreed with me that the portions here were huge - when are scallops that big?! She only managed to eat two and brought the rest home.
We also ordered a side of Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. This was good except it was a bit weird because, I would took a bite and it was very mild and smooth with a hint of wasabi and the next bite would be a lot stronger with more flavor. Maybe they just didn't mix the wasabi flavoring as evenly as they should have?
For dessert, I had the Warm upside-down Banana Cake with Coconut & Rum Panna Cotta, Star Anise Butterscotch. This dessert was delicious. The panna cotta was very interesting but good. Nicole said she had not tasted panna cotta like that ever. I didn't taste any rum in it but I still liked it. Maybe I am naturally just biased towards desserts in general.
Warm Asian Pear Bread Pudding - Ginger Limeade Poached Pears, Cranberry Caramel. The poached pears were dipped in the ginger limeade which gave it this very soft fizzy feeling in your mouth. Similar to pop rocks but not as strong. The pears were extremely yummy. The bread pudding itself was not very impressive but when you ate it with the pine nuts (yea, that was different) with the dried cranberries and caramel, it was good. The piece of caramelized sugar on top was basically like creme brulee. That part was pretty cool except where there was a spot that was burnt (as you can see in the picture.)
The plum wine we had was delicious except we ordered it in the beginning of the meal and it was a dessert wine so they didn't give us very much at all. Nicole looked at the flute and was like...that's one sip for me - literally. We also ordered a drink called "Jade." Made of coconut rum, melon sour/splash?, and pineapple. So good!!! You couldn't taste the alcohol at all which made it easier for us to drink it faster.
The service was great. The server was very attentive, he boxed everything up for us, and even knew we wanted to split the mashed potatoes without us having to say anything. The food was good especially for being pan-asian which I'm kind of impartial too. The atmosphere, decor, and ambience was quite nice but the website needs to be changed to reflect how nice the restaurant is because you can't really tell when you visit the website. The best part of the meal was the appetizer and dessert!
People thought this was:
i was at tenpenh for restaurant week... the meal was mediocre. the menu being a blend of asian fusion items, i understand that it's hard to master multiple dishes from many different cuisines. i had the lumpia which was great. i also ordered the bibimbop which was presented nicely and an interesting twist on the traditional korean dish... it was good but not fantastic.
i think someone who is interested in asian fusion may enjoy ten penh, but someone interested in authentic asian food should skip it.
PS - cocktails were divine.
LUNCH REVIEW ONLY
I eat here about once a month. I love the outdoor tables in warm weather, and I love the ecclectic decor inside on the cold days (and days when I can't get one of the coveted outdoor tables!) Menu is very seafood-based so if you don't do seafood your options are very limited. I believe there is one vegetarian option and maybe one chicken-type dish. Favorites from the menu are the Filipino Lumpia, Lobster, Salmon entree, and definitely try the Red Thai Curry Shrimp - a sweet and spicy sauce spooned over white rice and shrimp.
Love the decor, love the costumed servers, love the elegant and kind lunchtime host.
People thought this was:
Since I had some really good experiences at TenPenh's sister restaurants and because my roomies' TenPenh's RW experience last year was good, I assumed that this would be a guarantee decent meal. Sadly I was beyond wrong and this was a big disappointment.
My boyfriend and I both ordered off of the RW menu. I had the Shanghai Filipino Lumpia Spring rolls and he ordered the soup du jour (Crab bisque). The spring rolls were over-fried, likely because they were very thin, which led them tasting more like an egg roll than a spring roll. The sauces were good though. The soup was much more tomato-y than bisque.
For our main entrees I had the whole crispy fish (flounder) and my bf ordered the Chinese style smoked lobster based on our waitress' recommendation. The fish was ok, light on the inside with a nice crisp on the outside. The sauce was lacking though and I didn't care too much for the cucumber salad. My bf's lobster was ok but again nothing that stood out or what we both would have expected from among one of the most expensive things on the dinner menu.
Dessert was a dark chocolate cake with gingered raspberries. The sweetness of the gingered raspberries were a nice pairing with the bitterness of the dark chocolate.
Overall, I've had better at other cheaper Asian restaurants and definitely better at TenPenh's sister restaurants.
Delicious!
Awesome restaurant week specials! Great gazpacho!
They let you pick anything from the main entree list.. awesome!
Went here for my BFFL's birthday dinner while visiting this past weekend. We had an enjoyable dinner in a nice atmosphere. The restaurant was pretty busy considering it was pouring buckets that night. When we sat down it did take some time for our server to come around with water even and to take our drink orders, but despite that it was ok, since we were waiting out the rain.
Their menu isn't very large, which i like. We had the spicy tuna tempura rolls to start which were very spicy-like incredibly so than regular spicy tuna rolls I have. For my entree, I ordered the red thai curry shrimp which was served with rice- the pineapple in the curry was a nice surprise. We had to have dessert and chose the donuts to split, while our other companion had the creme brulee with the caramelized mango (resembled apple pie topping ) and bibinka (which was pretty good considering I'm very biased to my mom's bibinka). We also had a couple of their cocktails.
All in all it was a good dinner for a special occasion. My BFF was pleased with her choice to where to have her dinner. The bill was also reasonable at 125 for three.
My fiance and took an out of town guest out for dinner who had said she wanted "Asian Fusion", so we decided to give Ten Penh a whirl, and I'm very glad that we did!
We were there on a Wednesday night, so we didn't expect a huge crowd, but the restaurant was close to full which avoided that awkward 'we're the only ones here!' kind of feel. I like that they bring you a nice hot towel to cleanse your hands with prior to eating, though it kind of reminds me of an airline and their towels don't have that nice lemony scent.
We started with the crispy duck rolls (the meat was crisp and sweet, wrapped in a warm and soft pancake, delicious!) the Kona Kampachi "Three Ways" (beautiful presentation! 3 petite white dishes each with an amuse bouche portion - a tartar style selection with sweet and salty ponzu sauce, thinly sliced sashimi style with a spicy citrus sauce - kind of like Asian ceviche, and lastly a cube seared with vanilla sugar on one side - all fabulous) and then the tempura spicy tuna roll (tasty, but nothing too impressive.)
For Dinner, I split the whole crispy fish with our guest. The fish of the day was flounder, and the meat was flaky white heaven, with a delightfully thin crispy exterior. The fish had been marinated in some sort chili sauce which gave a lovely aroma, color, and taste to the exterior. It was accompanied by a spicy and vinegary carrot and cucumber salad as well as some extra chili sauce. It was fabulous, the only caution I would have is be careful when taking a big bite because, as with any whole fish, you can end up with a mouthful of little bones. My fiance had a tuna dish, which he loved and ate so quickly that I didn't even get a bite to try!
We also ordered a few sides for the table to share - stir fry veggies (loaded with baby bok choy, which I love) as well as the wasabi mashed potatoes. The mashers were very good - the amount of wasabi was perfection, and my only complaint is that they didn't seem very creamy, and seemed more healthy (like they had used chicken broth to mash them with instead of traditional butter and milk).
We were too full for dessert so I unfortunately missed out on what other reviewers have been raving about. Good news is that I am sure to return to Ten Penh and will look forward to trying dessert then.
People thought this was:
My experience at TenPenh was one of the best I've had in DC. I went there about a year ago, when my parents came to town, with a bunch of my friends. There were about 8 of us and we all ordered different items from the list of entrees (there are only about 11 entrees total, so we pretty much tried the whole menu). Everything we had was absolutely delish - unique and rich flavors packed into each dish, but not the type of meal that you finish and feel like you can't move for the next 2 hours. It was perfect. The ambiance is also very inviting - it's always quite packed, but there was a zen feeling nonetheless.
As far as my selections from menu, the Bamboo Basket Steamed Chicken Shumai was excellent, as were the Peking Style Duck Rolls. For entrees, we ordered the Red Thai Curry Shrimp, Sweet Soy Tuna, Sea Scallops, Hong Kong Style Whole Crispy Fried Catfish, TenPenh Vegetarian Pho, and Pan Seared Tilapia . Among the entrees, I highly recommend the Sea Scallops and the Hong Kong Style Whole Crispy Fried Catfish. The fish is one of the dishes my parents ordered but we all had bites and my two friends actually ended up finishing it off. Having grown up in Bengali families, my parents know their fish, more so whole fish, and they said it was one of the best fish preparations they have ever tasted.
People thought this was:
Great restaurant! I love Asian food and loved that one of their appetizers was Filipino lumpia - unfortunately you don't see many Filipino offerings at restaurants. Since I'm Filipina, I ordered it and it definitely didn't disappoint. They have a lot of seafood options and unique flavor combos. I had the scallops, my friend had the tuna and another friend had the steak. All yummy.
Definitely give this place a shot if you love Asian food!
People thought this was:
I've had mixed experiences with this place.
The first time I went there was for lunch. I had the salmon with wasabi mashed potatoes. It was good. The green beans were delicious, the salmon was perfectly cooked and glazed, and the mashed potatoes had just enough wasabi to add kick. The food wasn't anything terribly fancy, and more Asian in the P.F. Chang's sense than authentic, but tasty.
The next time I went, I ordered the EXACT SAME DISH. I'm not sure what happened in the course of three weeks, but I could swear it was like the food was cooked by an entirely different chef. The green beans were a soggy, oily, salty mess. The salmon was overcooked, almost "canned tuna" in texture, oversauced, and likewise very salty. And the potatoes! The cook went to town with the wasabi. The potatoes were actually a bright green mush, and my first bite...well, let's just say it felt like I inhaled a tub of vick's vapor rub. After I wiped away my tears of pain, I pushed most of the stuff off to the side of my plate. Completely inedible... Anyway, long story short, I decided not to go back.
But, my friends wanted to try it. So, I ended up dining there for dinner a few days later. I ordered off their 3 course menu set, my friends did likewise. Between three of us, we manage to try a good variety of food including all the appetizers and desserts available on the 3-course-set menu. The food was forgettable. I've had better pre-made frozen lumpia than the stuff they served. The doughnuts are glorified churros served with what is basically chocolate pudding mixed with cool whip. Don't get me wrong, it was all tasty in a very conventional way, but calling it gourmet/ethnic is a little like comparing Red Robin sirloin to a Ruth's Chris steak.
Whoever says this is good Asian food is likely 1) NOT Asian and/or 2) has never had good Asian food. It's fusion. It's decent, on a good day, but nothing spectacular, and overpriced for what it is.
The service though is wonderful.
My team was in DC for the week, so went to TenPenh for OpenTable's 'Appetite Stimulus Plan' week, where $35 got you a three course prix fixe to sample their wares. Generally I shy away from restaurant week-type specials, since the more intriguing dishes are usually excluded for mass-producible fare. At TenPenh, however, we were surprised with a pleasantly diverse menu and some real curveballs to top it off.
The menu covered a lot of ground in three courses. First up was a mushroom-based salad with an unexpectedly spicy dressing, or an Asian take on taquitos with an array of dipping sauces. For the entrees I chose the filet over a shrimp curry with various fruits in it. Now, I've been repeatedly disappointed with Asian Fusion steak - it's easy to go too heavy on the spices, and too light just gets boring. What TenPenh did bucked that trend - the filet was butterflied, yet grilled to a nice medium-rare, and topped with a spicy pepper sauce that didn't overpower. Best of all, it was served on top of a crisped patty of rice noodles that made a very nice texture complement to the meat.
The highlight of the night, though, was the dessert - the Pumpkin Goat-Cheese Crème Bruleé. I actually had to trade my prix fixe-assigned dark chocolate cake for it (although I would have been happy taking that on myself), but it turns out that I'm just a huge sucker for pumpkin, goat cheese, and crème brulee, so there wasn't much of a choice. The dish surpassed my already high expectations - it was served slightly warm, with a brulee that retains a little chewy sugar under the nicely hardened top. And the flavors... oh boy. I would seriously come back here and eat three courses of this dessert if I could.
So the food was great - there wasn't a thing we ordered that we didn't like - and undeniably intriguing. The service was good, and even though our table was 15 minutes late, the maitre'd was very apologetic and took good care of us in the meantime. I thought the ambience was nice enough, and the semi-open kitchen was cool, if you're into that sort of thing.
All else equal, I'd say this was a solid four leaning towards a five. But TenPenh gets extra credit for not skimping on their prix fixe, and taking some interesting and fun angles with their food.
People thought this was:
After all these years, TenPenh sustains making very good food. For apps, the chicken shu mai were classic and wonderfully hot ( so many restaurants get them out soggy and luke cool to the table). The Korean spare ribs were very tender and tasty. For main courses, the lobster special remains their signature dish and is very good. The sea bass was perfectly cooked: tender, moist, and flaky. The special cocktails. Just be aware that this is not an inexpensive restaurant: we got out for $100 per person.
It would be nice to see the chef put some new items on the menu.
Was TenPenh a cool restaurant? Yes. Was the food tasty? Yep. Was the ambiance good? Absolutely. Was it worth the raves? Eh, probably not.
All of the food was flavorful, but none of it was mind-blowing. We had the Malaysian Roti Canai, the Crispy Whole Fish, and the Five Spice Chili Tea Rubbed Beef Tenderloin. I subbed wasabi mashed potatoes for the kimchee noodles which was probably a smart move, because they were yummy. My biggest complaint is unrelated to the menu - its the two-top tables where one person sinks down into the booth-like bench, putting you in an awkward and uncomfortable sitting position and several inches lower than your dining partner in the tall-backed chair.
All in all a nice meal and and overall good dining experience, but with a bill pushing $100 for two entrees, one appetizer, one glass of the least expensive wine, and no dessert, there are plenty of other restaurants in the trendy, pricey, want-to-try category to make TenPenh probably not worthy of a return trip.
People thought this was:
My favorite DC restaurant for date night. Been going here for 7 years with my girlfriend/fiance/wife. Never had a bad meal. Menu changes somewhat often so the only dish we order consistently is the crispy whole fish. Other than that we never ordered the same thing twice (not counting apps of course). Highly recommend. Dessert are always great.
I would rate it 3.5 stars if possible. We started with duck spring rolls and ribs. Duck rolls had nice texture and were OK, but lacking any noticeable duck taste. Ribs were excellent with a great sauce that wasn't too sweet as many sauces can be. My wife had scallops for dinner which she enjoyed and I had shrimp red curry which was fine, although shrimp were probably a bit overcooked. Honestly, this dish didn't taste much different than what I would get at Pilin Thai or an equivalent moderately priced restaurant. Donut rolls for desert were tasty and came with a nice chocolate dipping sauce.
Great Restaurant! I've been here 3 times and always had great service and fabulous food. They also have the best restaurant week menu in the city! I love the ahi tuna and salmon, but i've never had a bad meal.
My favorite restaurant in the DC area by far. Everything I've had here has been excellent and the service is great. If you haven't eaten here, you are missing out.
I feel like such a copycat. But I just want to write "ditto" to everything that Lauren R. and buggy b. wrote. And I only gave the place three stars.
We had the spicy tuna and spring rolls as appetizers. Good but not great. The tuna was your standard pink and spicy with a bland tempura shell. The spring rolls were a little too fried - the sauces they came with were better and I ended up dipping my tuna in those sauces.
The best part was my entree which was the scallops. They were well cooked - juicy and moist - with just the right bacon flavor. There were five or six - just enough for me. But a guy might want a little more.
No dessert which seems to be a tragedy based on other reviews. And, last but not least, stay away from the mojitos. No, it does not get you super drunk and/or stupid. I just thought that it tasted weird.
People thought this was:
A coworker of mine just yesterday realized why this place is called Ten Penh. That's ok, it took me a month to figure out 15ria. Both of them join the ranks of restaurants like 2941 which are necessarily good because their name is their address. It's like they always say with real estate: location, location, location.
Despite having panned it, I can't seem to stay away from Asian fusion (the blend of Asian and Pretense). It's so wonderfully arrogant, and part of me enjoys the horrible service/delicious food combination that accompanies the cuisine. It speaks to the masochist in all of us.
Now in it's 8th year, Ten Penh (and its sister restaurants Ceiba, DC Coast, and Acadiana) are now staples of the DC food world. While none, frankly, rise to the quality/bang-for-the-buck of the Jose Andres fleet, they offer some interesting and creative twists on food genres Jose has never touched. Which is, frankly, the only reason they're still in business.
Ten Penh is unquestionably known for the lobster. A full lobster (shelled but then presented in the shell, so there's no fighting with it) served on a bed of spicy hot crispy spinach. The spinach is amazing, the crunch adds the perfect contrast, the heat gets you in the back of the throat. The lobster is amazing, smooth, silky, tender, other words that could be used to describe a softcore porn. This is what you come to Ten Penh for. But at a market price typically exceeding $40, this is not what you can afford at Ten Penh. My personal suggestion? The lobster is big enough to share. Bring a date, each person should order an appetizer, split the lobster and a dessert, and it'll be plenty of food without creating that "guuuuuu" post-tandoori-feeling.
If that's not your gig, other entrees include the lambchops with chow fun noodles in a mustard-type sauce (3 small chops) or the sea bass on a potato-radish-ginger-cake. Both are good, but the lambchops are a little sauce heavy and the sea bass is missing...something. Maybe just some more seasoning? Not entirely sure on this one. Don't let these criticisms dissuade you - both are fantastic alternatives to the Awe Inspiring Lobster.
For appetizers, the surprise stand out is the Roti stuffed with chicken. Here's where the fusion kicks in - Indian flavors abound in this dish. The duck roll is also fantastic, particularly because they don't leave you feeling greasy, slimy, dirty, and other words that could be used to describe a hardcore porn. Skip the shrimp dumplings - they sound good but they're forgettable. The pork and shrimp spring rolls (as a substitute for the duck) sounds much better, looking back.
And for dessert? Maybe it was because Pupatella hasn't been making them, but I've been craving donuts. Three extremely light donuts covered in cinnamon sugar and served with a chocolate dipping sauce. The perfect bite to end a fantastic meal.
People thought this was:
Neighborhood: Federal Triangle
Category: Italian
Washington, DC
Category: Asian Fusion
Washington, DC
Category: Latin American
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Latin American
Washington, DC
Category: Seafood
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