TEN Sushi and Cocktail Bar opened in the River Oaks area in the Park Place building off of Westheimer Rd. They invited me to an influencer tasting in November where I tried a pre-selected assortment of items from the menu.
From a quick search about the restaurant, I learned that the original location was in California. Their logo features the 天 kanji usually meaning “heaven” or “sky.”
When I arrived at the address, I was a bit confused as to where it was. I went into the building and the security guard let me know that the entrance was located on the backside of the building alongside Mid Ln. (facing Bosscat Kitchen). Walking in, you enter a dark and moody interior with purple and pink accents featuring some typical Asian motifs such as the hanging lanterns and cherry blossom tree. The dark vibe could contribute to a romantic atmosphere.
Savory Food
Most of the spread. All of the appetizers were made well.
Starters:
- Japanese nachos
- chicken gyoza: house recipe, spicy soy dipping sauce
- crispy rice sushi: spicy tuna, sriracha mayonnaise, sweet soy, jalapeño
- yellowtail jalapeño sashimi: spicy yuzu vinaigrette, jalapeño
- smoked pepper salmon: citrus wasabi vinaigrette, carrot, and cilantro salad
Onto the drinks, I ordered a Gringo Ringo and my sister ordered the Rose Lychee cocktails. Neither of us are heavy drinkers, so we thought they were strong.
Some of their sushi rolls are made with black rice which is interesting because it’s not done very often. The rolls are pretty dependent on sauce, so they all had a similar flavor profile. My favorite roll out of the four was the eggplant emoji roll which is a vegetarian roll.
- forbidden roll: black rice, seared ahi, albacore, crab, spicy tuna, avocado, sweet soy, jalapeño sauce
- el niño roll: tuna, yellowtail, albacore, sriracha mayonnaise, salmon, eel sauce, tempura flakes, avocado
- eggplant emoji roll: black rice, soy paper, avocado, yellow zucchini, portobello mushroom, eggplant, vegan chipotle sauce, sautéed sweet chili
- ten-tation roll: spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, pickled daikon, salmon, spicy aioli, green onion
At first glance of the selection, I was apprehensive at seeing the kung pao shrimp and Mongolian beef entrees. When I see non-Japanese hot menu items together on a menu with sushi rolls, then my instinct tells me that it isn’t authentic. To my surprise, these were actually pretty good. My personal goal when going to a sushi restaurant is to eat sushi though.
Dessert
For dessert, we tried 3.
- miso cheesecake: caramelized shiro miso, salted caramel
- chocolate ganache cake
- coffee panna cotta: Vietnamese coffee panna cotta, oreo cookie crumble, whipped cream
All of them were good choices. My favorite was the Viet coffee panna cotta. The cookie crumble really helps contrast the bold flavor and smoothness of the panna cotta. I’m not a huge cheesecake person, so I would personally pass on the cheesecake if I was going by myself; this one isn’t overly cheesy and the miso caramel cuts down some of the sweetness. The chocolate ganache cake is pretty much a chocolate lava cake. Normally, it comes with vanilla ice cream, but they omitted it for the tasting.
Overall, I had a fine experience at Ten Sushi. The cost goes up into mid-range ($$) pricing which is expected of the River Oaks area. Look at Ten Sushi as a pan-Asian restaurant rather than an authentic Japanese sushi spot. It’s not authentic nor the best sushi in the world, but it does the job if you’re in the area. They have a happy hour menu, so if you want to load up on a bunch of different appetizers, that’s the time to do it.
Follow Ten Sushi
Ten Sushi and Cocktail Bar
4200 Westheimer Rd. #110 Houston, TX 77027 [open in Google Maps]
About Eating with Stephano
Eating with Stephano is a food photographer in Houston, TX. With a large appetite and passion for good food, she aims to showcase Houston’s diverse and unique food scene to the world through her lens.
