Ten Ten Tei

My wife and I popped in here before the theatre on the Tuesday after New Year's and, though not heaving, it was far from empty. A pretty good sign so early in the year.

The service was very friendly and efficient. My wife asked about one of the soft drinks on offer and was brought a shot glass to taste it before she ordered which i thought was a nice touch.

The decor has a lived-in appeal perfectly suited to its Soho environs, and also the perfect antidote to some of the soulless sushi chains you see around.

But it wouldn't be anything if the food wasn't up to scratch. Thankfully it lived up to its surroundings. We ordered the sushi set dinner and weren't disappointed. Deep-fied tofu was glutinously addictive. Miso soup was great and authentically flavoursome. Tempura veg and prawns wasn't the best I've ever eaten, but more than serviceable. The star though was the nigiri and maki selection. The tuna was superb; ruby-red, yielding and so fresh-tasting it was practically still swimming. The eel was also a particular highlight and the california futomaki was exquisite.

A wonderful ice cream to finish and we were pleasantly full and ready for the theatre. With drinks and service it was till under £50, which for the quantity and quality of what we ate was a bargain.

Highly recommended.
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beerofthedark - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 08, 2010

After having travelled to Japan; I can definitely say that with Ten ten tei you get a 100% Japanese suburb experience. Same atmosphere and same quality on the food. The day menus are pretty good for the value and the sushi is quite good, although not the best I´ve eaten in Europe.

I recommend to try any ramen or soba as it´s totally guaranteed that you get the same thing as in Japan!! And, a very good sign, you can always see Japanese people eating there :)

However, is not a place for all you Posh people looking for a modern, minimalist thing.
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Daniel
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Thursday, September 10, 2009

I was just disappointed with their attitude. Although they came to clear our table many times, they tried to remove unfinished dishes and beers. Not only once by mistake, 4-5 times!!! Nobody was queuing to have a seat. They were not closing yet and we were not only customers.

Although somebody reviewed they could not understand his English, they were not listening to my Japanese as well. Just they do not know how to service.

Taste was nice as this price. However, I seriously recommend other Japanese restaurants.
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Akio
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 5
Sunday, February 22, 2009

This restaurant was recommended to me by several people and the good reviews I read encouraged me to go there with 6 friends.

We were very disappointed. Some of the Sashimi - particularly the Mackerel could have been fresher. The Tempura was a bit soggy. We had a guessing game with some meat, trying to decide if it was Pork or Chicken. There were not enough actual Sake flasks to go around the whole table. The ones they did have were chipped. I would not return.

In all fairness I should mention that the service was very good.
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Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Thursday, January 29, 2009

We are not Japanese, but since we found Ten Ten Tei while shopping in Soho, we have made it a regular stop on our shopping trips there. The green tea is filled up regularly. The food arrives quickly, is always fresh, there is often a wonderful surprise - perhaps a bit of eel, or terrific seaweed over ice.. and at an astonishing price. The few staff are very friendly and efficient, and are happy to welcome new arrivals and recognise old customers. I guarantee you will feel great after a meal here - it's not just food for the body, the spirit lifts too.

Please, Ten ten tie fans , let's not shout out too loud how wonderful this place is. Its cosy, neighbourhood quality (the boss gave my husband a short back massage!) wouldn't survive an onslaught from London foodies... although the excellence of the food, its price and the warmth of the welcome well deserves it.
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Ruth & Ken
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Saturday, January 10, 2009

Being originally from Japan, i always looking for places that remind me of home. and ten ten is the one!!!

I grew up in outskirts of Tokyo. and this is the type of place you would find in the suburbs.. Normally even smaller than ten ten but food, atmoshphere is very similar.

The value for money compared to other london places is fantastic..

sashimi very fresh and good cuts (quality). I have been comig here now for about 4 years... and will continue to.

If you want thje fancy infused western/japanese food and want to pay top dollar then by all means eat at nobu/zuma/sumosan etc.. they are amazing places to eat, but it is not authentic and nor value for money..

I wouldnt take clients to Ten ten tei, i would take them to the other places mentioned. However, i take my friends and family to ten ten. that should tell you enough in itself.
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Kenji
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, November 29, 2008

I love this place. I eat there all the time and went again last night. Having read some of the reviews i must admit the decor may put some people off but i find it authentic and I'm only really interested in the food. The sushi is great - amazingly fresh and well prepared. Not too pricey either. If you like sushi i'd definitely recommend it.
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Chris
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Friday, August 22, 2008

I have been to this place quite a few times and have never had a bad experience. As most of the other reviews state, this is definitely not a posh restaurant but it is a decent place to go for a quick lunch/dinner if you are in the area.

I have eaten in numerous Japanese restaurants in the UK and Japan (my Mum being Japanese) and this place does the job if I fancy some unpretentious Japanese food.
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J
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Good value for value restaurant, sushi/sashimi tastes great and obviously extremely fresh, but I thought our rice dish was VERY bland indeed. We got rice with prawn tempura. A definite no, no.

As described, the decor is not great, but that's fine as we read the reviews online and knew what to expect.

Very authentic tasting Japanese food, with Japanese customers!
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FoodJunkie - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 6
Friday, July 18, 2008

I used to go to Ten Ten Tei a lot when I lived in the area and the food was consistently good. I was in the area and decided to pop in for dinner there two nights ago with a friend. Maybe they were having an off day, but based on our experience, I would say the standards have most definitely slipped.

The seaweed salad came over ice with clingfilm between the ice and the seaweed - small criticism but the clingfilm was all wrinkled and jagged around the edges - it really felt like something you might do at home, and not for guests!

My oyako don was the worst I've ever had (and I've lived in Japan for 2 years so I've had a fair few). It reminded me of bad school dinners and tasted entirely of chicken stock cube. Again the presentation was terrible - just a white bowl of rice with a too-liquid slop dollopped over it. I couldn't eat half the chicken as it was bone and gristle. It tasted as if it cost about 20p to make. Such a shame, as this dish, done well, is a joy to eat. On the plus side, the miso aubergine was just fantastic.

All in all the place felt a little grotty - for example, there was just a small bar of soap to wash hands in the bathroom - do you really want to share a bar of soap with strangers in a restaurant?

The prices are reasonable, but not low enough to justify such horrible oyako don and shoddy decor. The fabulous Kyoto Sushi is nearby - I would recommend going there instead.
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Douglas Hauser
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, July 02, 2008