Run, don’t walk to Tendon Kohaku in Vancouver. You will find yourself swept away to Japan, while treating your taste buds to something truly divine. Okay, maybe I’m laying it on a bit thick but we were SO thrilled with our meal here. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough! Especially if you’re a foodie with an appreciation for Japanese culture and cuisine.
Tendon Kohaku is located at: 6063 Silver Dr, Burnaby, BC
Opening hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm (10:30pm on Friday & Saturdays)
My partner and I were fortunate enough to visit Japan for an entire month this past Autumn, and I’m not gonna lie; Tendon Kohaku made me feel like we’d never left! Everything from the menu items, ordering system, unique features and of course the food itself was enough to make us feel giddy with nostalgia for familiar go-to spots like, “Matsuya” that live on in our memories. Even though it didn’t seem to be in use during our time there, we noticed they had a robot that could serve meals just like in so many restaurants in Japan. It was a sight for sore eyes ^_^.
Tendon Kohaku has multiple locations in Vancouver, the one we visited was just outside of Metrotown Mall in Burnaby. It’s an affordable choice while still allowing for high quality meals with a variety of nutritious options. The interior is modern and chic, with warm lighting and friendly servers. If you don’t have time to stay and enjoy your meal in-house, you can order it to-go. We were half tempted to get our meal to go due to the unique box you get to carry your food in.
At Tendon Kohaku, you place your meal order a little differently than at your typical North American restaurant. Instead of telling your waiter what you’d like to have, you’ll find a small kiosk at your table with a touch screen ordering panel. You order your meal here and it immediately gets sent to the kitchen. Then, when you’re finished you pay on your way out. This style of ordering is common in Japan, and is appealing especially to introverts. Objectively it’s a fun way to flip through the menu options complete with photos for reference.
Finding your way here without a car is very simple: if you’re coming from down town Vancouver you can hop on the Expo line train heading toward either Production Way – University or King Edward (same direction), and get off at Metrotown Station. If you’d like a visual guide, this may help.
After your delectable dinner out at Tendon Kohaku, consider catching a movie at Cineplex Metrotown. This mall also houses several other Japanese and Asian storefronts such as: Oomomo Japan Living, Piggy Bank Place, Kawawa Japanese Restaurant, Koya Japan, Sakura Media, T&T Supermarket, Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake, and more.
Additionally, if you’re not only a Japanese cuisine foodie but you’re also into the manga scene, then you’ll love visiting C&L Multimedia (C&L Internet Club) just a short drive away from Metrotown at 3731 N Fraser Way, Unit 100, Burnaby, BC. Their collection of manga and anime blurays/DVDs is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in Canada. Basically, what I’m saying is you can easily curate your own Japan themed day in Burnaby within a very small radius. Greater-Vancouver in general is a full of fantastic Asian businesses and restaurants just waiting for you to discover them; Richmond and Burnaby in particular.
Having a day to spend going to places like Tendon Kohaku is the next best thing to actually traveling to Japan itself ^_^. I hope you get to enjoy a meal here sometime, and that it inspires you to visit Japan someday or acts to remind you of your adventures gone by.
Thoughts to Writings 