Tento

It was late in the evening when Cupcake, Big Fudge, and I were seeking out a place to grab dinner. Though we originally came to Sangmu to get our curry on, we were saddened to find that our original choice had shut down and moved out, forcing us to look for an alternative. As we walked around feeling hungry, lost, and a little frustrated, we noticed some familiar mascots that drew is into a place where we’d be having our next meal.

Having opened recently with no fanfare or any sort of presence on the internet, Tento was a place I didn’t realize was a restaurant until I stopped being distracted by the fantastic decor that I am not at all biased about. Even the main sign was completely in Japanese, making it tricky for me to actually learn its name. Wherever there was space in this small establishment, there were figures, posters, and trinkets that heavily featured characters from Studio Ghibli, known for making beautiful films like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo. To further emphasize the general theme, the music was playing instrumental versions of songs featured in these movies while playing also playing clips from them through a projector that sat way above the dining area.

Of course, no matter how nicely a place is decorated, the main aspect of any restaurant should be the food. Though the entire menu, which was only available in Korean and Koreanized Japanese, was able to fit onto a single page, there was a fair amount of variety present. The main features were the 부챗살 스테이끼 (Buchaetsal Steak; Flat Iron Steak) and the 등심 스테이끼 (Deungshim Steak; Tenderloin Steak), both of which were resting away in a fridge nearby where one could see the quality of the cuts. There were also sections for salad, which had options like 크리무치즈사라다 (Cream Cheese Salad) and 새우구이사라다 (Saewoo Gu-i Salad; Grilled Shrimp Salad), curry, which had options like 규 카레 (Gyu Kare; Beef Curry) and 버터구이 새우 카레 (Butter Gu-i Saewoo Kare; Butter Grilled Shrimp Curry), udon, which had options like 나베우동 정식 (Nabe Udong Jeonsik; Hot Pot Udon Meal) and 카레우동 정식(Kare Udong Jeonsik; Curry Udon Meal), rice dishes, which included options like 야끼메시 (Yakimeshi; Japanese Fried Rice) and 가르비동 (Garubidong; Marinated Beef Rice), and various other choices like 소고기 꼬치구이 (Sogogi Kkochi Gu-i; Grilled Beef, Fruit, and Vegetable Skewers) and 타마고야끼 (Tamagoyaki; Japanese Style Rolled Egg). We were a little sad to hear that the egg dish we wanted was sold out for the day, but we still ended up getting the 야끼소바 (Yakisoba; Stir-Fried Noodles), 스테이끼 카레 (Steak Curry), and 야끼니꾸 벤또 (Yakiniku Bento; Grilled Beef Bento). We also ordered the 부챗살 스테이끼 to see what made it worth being a featured item.

After we placed our order, we could hear the kitchen get to grilling. The waiting time passed quickly as we stayed distracted by all the animated goodness in the restaurant. The staff did a great job of ensuring that all of our dishes arrived close to the same time, making it so that we didn’t have to pick off of each other’s dishes due to being overcome by hunger (though that ended up happening anyway).

I first got a taste of the 스테이끼 카레, which came with rice, a pile of medium-well done pieces of steak, and some other extra vegetables. The curry sauce itself was quite nice, having a decent amount of heat without going overboard. Big Fudge, who’s a fan of Japanese curry, was definitely pleased. I next got into the 야끼소바 , which tasted almost identical to the stir-fried noodles I had in Japan. Considering how this is one of my favorite dishes in the world, I honestly wished the restaurant would offer it as more of a main dish than a side with larger portions, though I guess I could have just gotten two orders if I really wanted to. Either way, each bite was filled with savory, noodley goodness, and it unfortunately disappeared a little too quickly.

By the time I got to trying the 야끼니꾸 벤또, everyone at our table realized that most of what we ordered came with steak in some form. This wasn’t a bad thing at all, especially when considering how much the restaurant focused on their steak dishes. The bento box came with a bit of everything, giving Cupcake (and those of us she chose to share with) a wide range of flavors and textures. Along with rice came a skewer comprised of beef, tofu, vegetables, and fruit, a small portion of curry, salad, grilled beef on a bed of bean sprouts and topped with green onions, more fruit and vegetables, and some pickled vegetables that none of us were really liked.

As we ordered it later on in our meal, the 부챗살 스테이끼 was the last to arrive. The steak cooked to medium came cut into pieces while still sizzling with a pile of bean sprouts, grilled mushrooms, a cherry tomato, and grilled pineapple, all of which seemed to make appearances in most of our other dishes. As we hoped, each bite was juicy and flavorful, even though it seemed a touch lacking on usual seasonings like salt and pepper. We weren’t thrilled at the large amount of bean sprouts, which proved to be a little difficult to eat after a while, but the majority of the dish was tasty. I could see why it was their specialty.

All in all, our surprise trip to Tento was filled with beef, animated fun, and good times. The prices were reasonable, and though the space was small, it certainly didn’t feel like it. I would recommend this place for those wanting to go on an affordable date, especially if the person to be impressed is a fan of steak and Studio Ghibli.

Address: 광주광역시 서구 치평동 1223-1
Phone: N/A
Hours: 11:30 – 22:00
Average Price: 9,000 to 13,000