Tengda Delivers Asian Delights

I'm not an expert on asian fusion food, but fortunately I have a close friend who is. Grace Lam is from Hong Kong and has many years of culinary experience with the style now known as asian fusion.

And though Tengda has been in Katonah for three years, a visit from my friend seemed like the perfect occasion to give the restaurant a fresh look with an expert eye.

Many would gree that the term "asian fusion" joined the vernacular in the late 90's, starting in California. It added new mystique to the old humdrum "one from column A, two from column B" form of ordering in a Chinese restaurant. An influx of immigrants from Viet Nam, Thailand, and other points east, brought new flavors to invigorate the traditional Chinese cooking. Even Japanese sushi was getting to be old hat.

Tengda roughly translates to "A great future, and prosperity." And with a mini-empire of ten restaurants going strong in prime locations like Westport, Greenwich, Darien, and Milford, the name is proving to be prophetic.

Manager Andreas Mak, originally from Indonesia but also of Chinese descent, runs his restaurant at maximum efficiency, which includes employing waiters who are knowledgeable and friendly. Special requests are treated with respect.

"It's fine to order a soy instead of a seaweed wrap," said Mak. "Soy is healthy, and that's a good way to put it in your diet."

Mak served up a sampling of the restaurant's signature dishes for our lunch. We started with Tengda's specialty, the "2010 Roll." This is a mixture of Lobster salad, butternut squash, asparagus, in a seaweed wrap. It has a bit of a crunch, and is presented with two dipping sauces, one balsamic, the other a secret special sauce.

Not only was the roll delicious, but the plating was artful, a nice touch I noticed throughout the meal.

Next, we tried the "Post Roll," which contains salmon, shrimp, mango, tempura flakes, and is topped with seared tuna, eel, avocado, and flying fish roe. These rolls fall into the category of "sushi rolls," which should properly always be eaten in one bite. However, Tengda serves large portions, so it's probably best to disregard this rule.

The "Homemade Pork and Vegetable Dumpling" is made with balsamic vinegar and shiitake mushroom. Well worth going off the diet for this one, we decided.

We were definitely full to capacity, but when we received "Curried Glazed Rock Shrimp," we couldn't resist. Grace and I noticed how tender the shrimp were, which was because they live protected under rocks, Mak explained. Who knew?

This dish was crunchy with just the right amount of sweetness, and left little doubt about Mak's claim of having fresh seafood delivered every day.

My take on service and the overall experience: At Tengda, freshness, cleanliness, and making sure the customer is satisfied is what sets this restaurant above the crowd.

And how did the food rate with Grace Lam?  She gave it an A+ rating, having photographed as well as tasted all the food.

"It's very rare to actually have a Chinese chef in the kitchen," she informed me. In fact, Tengda has three, including  Executive Chef George Li, which undoubtedly adds to the authenticity of the food.

So don't just take my word for it, take it from the expert. Tengda is asian fusion at its best.

Editor's note: This is Patch's second visit to Tengda. We decided to take another look through the eyes of a veteran of cooking Asian cuisine, Grace Lam.