I’ll be honest, it’s still a bit weird for me to be sitting down and dining in. There’s a lot of new changes and procedures being implemented which is great. Last week, I had dinner with a family friend and wanted them to try something new, hoping they liked it. This is my second time at Tenon, and most are not aware of this spot just outside of Toronto, so if you are interested to see pictures and read more about this Japanese vegetarian restaurant then continue to read below!
Location
8362 Kennedy Rd, Unionville, ON L3R 9W5
It is located within a small plaza (new Kennedy Square) with parking in front of the restaurant and nearby. I believe there is a patio option as well but inside is lovely with the different Japanese artwork and settings to give it a nice dining atmosphere.
Taste
What I love about this place is that there are so many different food options to try from sushi to udon, rice to noodles, and so many more different dishes.
In this sitting, I tried different types of items, some for the first time. One of my favourite items I tried was the Sweet Yam tempura roll. My mouth devoured with the great crunch on the rolls which really set it apart. The Kani Tempura Roll (Deep Fried Imitation Crab) was decent, but it didn’t really set itself apart and more so complemented with the other food.
Speaking of complementary items, I felt that the best entree to describe that would be the pad thai. It tasted great, and I liked that it wasn’t oily and went well when eating with the main dishes. On the contrary, something I did find overpowering in terms of taste would be the House Special Duck. The duck itself was heavily seasoned with salt and it didn’t allow me to really enjoy the vegan duck. Vegan duck on its own can be quite the mouthful so when it is salty, it is not something I prefer. I honestly enjoyed the bed of spinach more.
However, two items I definitely recommend when you visit that I found tasted the great in addition to the Sweet Yam tempura roll would be the Spring Rolls and the Soy-Chicken Teriyaki. The spring rolls are flaky/crispy but not messy, and the soy-chicken teriyaki has a great texture and perfect amount of sauce as well. I would recommend paying the $2 for rice as it goes well with that. Unfortunately, even though I was splitting these items I did not try any dessert because as you can imagine I was pretty full.
Price
From my experiences, most vegan and vegetarian places or even options for that matter is pricey. Tenon might arguably be the most affordable dine in vegetarian options I have been too. It definitely adds up, but the sushi and spring rolls were pretty cheap and the portions to price for the main dishes were pretty reasonable, you can explore the rest of their menu here.
Service
Service during this time is tricky so I do commend the waiters that still provide great service during this time. I made a reservation to dine in, I followed the protocols (eg. writing your name, number, and order), and when you sit in you will have different glasses and complementary tea. It does take a little bit to get the server since we were sitting in a secluded section but once we got their assistance the food came promptly.
Note: You do need to ask for plates, cutlery, and water.
Overall and Recommendation
All in all, I really enjoyed the food and it’s definitely a spot I will be going to again. I am also going to try new things as well. I know last time I went they also had the option of buying some of their frozen mock meat, I am not too sure if that is an option but would also check that out.
In terms of recommendation, I think it would be better if they did have plates and cutlery placed already and maybe mention which items would be more salty, saucy, etc.. It was still really good food nonetheless.
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