Tengda Asian Bistro, Beyond Sushi

Tengda: prosperity, good fortune.

Evidently, prosperity and good fortune have been following restaurateur Jason Chen around since he opened his first Tengda Asian Bistro in Westport in December of 2001. There are now nine restaurants in Chen’s portfolio, and one of them has finally come to Darien.

Tucked away in the Goodwives Shopping Center, Tengda is a 140-seat restaurant, sushi bar and gathering spot.  It tags itself as Asian Fusion and in this case, “fusion” is perhaps the best way to describe the menu that pulls from various Asiatic regions and cuisines. But "fusion" can also be used to describe the décor: an eclectic mélange of textiles, dark wood with metallic accents and vibrantly colored glass panes.

Famished and tired after a long, hot day of meetings, Tengda seemed like a fabulous respite. For 6 p.m. on a Monday, the place was well on its way to a busy night. There were people of all ages and I particularly enjoyed seeing children wielding chopsticks and sushi rolls with pleasure and ease. 

The space is broken up into three dining areas on two levels, adding extra dimension to an otherwise square room. The music is obvious; while it’s not overbearing, it won’t feature in my iPod collection anytime soon.

But on to more pressing matters: food—and lots of it!

The Curry Glazed Rock Shrimp was first to arrive: crispy, fried and bathed in a slightly sweet coconut and spice combination. It had fabulous flavor but we would have loved a little more of a kick to it. No matter. It was gone in sixty seconds, just in time for the Blackened Tuna Tacos to arrive, complete with wasabi aioli, chopped scallions and crunchy cabbage, all stuffed into lightly fried wonton shells. This dish was a real winner with its seared peppery tuna pieces and all sorts of texture and flavor contrasts going on. It came with only two small tacos; a third would have done the price point justice.

We watched plates of shrimp and vegetable tempura, crab cakes, and Thai chicken lettuce wraps go by, all fabulous foods to share and indulge in over a glass of cold sake, of which there are 15 or so to choose from.  The wine list is just as extensive, with some pretty good ones served by the glass. But with Asian Food, my beverage of choice is beer and Tengda sees to it that all varieties are present and accounted for, especially the super-sized Sapporo, a lighter ale with a dry finish.

So many sushi rolls, so little time. Whether you’re a hardcore sushi enthusiast or a bit of a novice, Tenga has a wide selection that’s sure to please. We opted for the Post Roll with spicy crunchy salmon, sweet mango, blackened tuna, barbeque eel, avocado and tobiko. The large eight-piece roll filled up an entire plate and came with swirls of wasabi cream, miso dressing and tempura flakes. We asked for something spicy on the side and our waitress came back with three different sauces for us to mix, match and dip.

On to the entrees. The Pork Tenderloin, marinated in soy and sake, was juicy and—thank heavens—slightly pink inside. The meat was served with perfectly wok-sautéed vegetables and fluffy brown rice on the side.

Pan-roasted Thai Red Snapper is one of Tengda's signature dishes. It takes a watchful eye not to overcook and dry out such a delicate, white, flaky fish, but here it’s done right. I’d also recommend the Asian Spiced Glazed Breast of Duck with tamarind and the Wok Grilled Lemongrass Shrimp.

We ended our own meal with refreshing ice cream and sorbets. Green tea, Tahitian vanilla, coconut, and mango: we loved them all.

There can be heavy traffic at the door, as Tengda does a bang-up take-out business. The take-out menu features a good selection of Chinese and Szechuan cuisine, running the gamut from dumplings and eggrolls, to noodle and rice dishes and everything in between.

But it’s the more exotic fare served only on the sit-down menu, the variety and quality of the sushi and the overall dining experience that bring good fortune and good people to Tengda in such abundance.