509094 Sun Apr 13 19:29:13 -0700 2008 36 45 Japan 0 3591079 One of my food mantras is "anything fried is good", so it only follows that I should love tempura. I'm curious about people's experiences with the following high-end tempura places: In Tokyo: Tempura Mikawa Tempura Kondo Asagi In Kyoto: Ten-you Tempura Yoshikawa Tempura Ozawa Tempura Endo (which I think is more mid-range than high-end, but I'll include it, anyway) In Osaka: Ippoh Does anyone have comments or experiences to share about any of the above, or any other high-end places that I could add to my list? I don't go to Tokyo very often, but I'm close enough to Kyoto and Osaka to be able to make the rounds. I've been to Ten-you in Kyoto, but none of the others. I am looking primarly at high-end places, but very good mid-range restaurants are fine, too (I've been to Tsunahachi in Tokyo, for example, I would place it in the good mid-range category). Sun Apr 13 19:29:13 -0700 2008 55178 prasantrin 1 3591151 I had lunch in Asagi at Ginza. It is a very small tempura place,just 7-9 seats facing the tempura counter. Operated by a very courteous senior couple; they obviously have been in the business for a long time. It is considered high end; paid about 7-8k per person, I think the dinner set would be much more expensive. It is the best tempura meal I had,but quite frankly, I am not such a big fan of tempura and with so many restaurants on my list that I aim to try on short trips (5-7 days) in future, I am not sure if I will be back here again. But I will highly recommend this place if your focus is on high end tempura. I have heard great things about Mikawa too but never had the chance to try the place. Sun Apr 13 19:58:10 -0700 2008 3591079 130720 FourSeasons 1 3591313 Have you been to the "upper class" branches of Tsunahachi - Sui in Shiodome and Tsunohazu-an in Shinjuku? The former is priced at around Y6,000-8,000 for dinner, the latter Y5,000-10,000. Sun Apr 13 21:00:18 -0700 2008 3591079 12676 Robb S 2 3591371 Not yet. The night I went to Tsunahachi, I had intended to go to Tsunahachi Rin (which I think leans toward "higher-end"), but was too hungry to walk the extra few blocks and the main branch was closer to me. I didn't realize Tsunohazu-an was part of the group, or I'd have considered that, as well (I think I passed it by, too!). How do the high-end Tsunahachi branches differ from the "regular" ones? Is it mostly setting and quality of ingredients, or is there more to it than that? Sun Apr 13 21:20:54 -0700 2008 3591313 55178 prasantrin 3 3591384 I guess the main difference is the quality of ingredients. Tsunohazu-an has great seafood, but the atmosphere is a little too old-fashioned and stodgy for my taste. Rin (which is more mid-level in terms of price) is more lively and fun, and they have a few nice touches like flavored salts, and warm sake served at several different temperatures. Sun Apr 13 21:28:15 -0700 2008 3591371 12676 Robb S 4 3591401 Hey Robb, Thanks for the info. :) So of the 3 types of Tsunohachi branches, you like Rin the most? (over Sui as well?) Do you have the addresses for your favs? Thanks. Sun Apr 13 21:40:15 -0700 2008 3591384 113442 exilekiss 5 3591635 I haven't been to Sui yet, but it looks pretty nice. Here's the Tsunahachi website with complete info for all their branches: http://www.tsunahachi.com/ Mon Apr 14 01:34:30 -0700 2008 3591401 12676 Robb S 4 3591442 I kind of like old-fashioned and stodgy (I'm old before my time!). :-) I'll add it to my list, but it may go to the bottom of the Tokyo bunch, only because I'd really like to find the perfect tempura batter and I assume Tsunohazu-an's batter is the same or very similar to Tsunahachi's. My ideal batter would be kind of like O-men's tempura in Kyoto--crispy and light. Sun Apr 13 21:56:13 -0700 2008 3591384 55178 prasantrin 5 3591540 Hey prasantrin, Definitely keep us updated with whatever you find in this category. I'd love to know also. :) BTW, you mention this O-men place in Kyoto but it wasn't on your Original List above. Is that because O-men isn't "high end" and you only liked their batter? Sun Apr 13 22:59:42 -0700 2008 3591442 113442 exilekiss 6 3591561 O-men isn't a tempura restaurant, so I didn't include it. They offer tempura on their menu, but they're more well-known for udon than anything else (I actually think the other dishes they offer are better than their udon, but I don't really care for udon, so I'm not a fair judge). Sun Apr 13 23:20:33 -0700 2008 3591540 55178 prasantrin 5 3591555 If I may just add a few more words on Asagi, the tempura has a light crispy touch without oily after taste. The amazing thing is it still retain the flavor of the fresh ingredients, unlike most fried stuff that lost that touch. You still can taste the sweetness inside and the firm texture of the prawns and other ingredients he used. Sun Apr 13 23:09:54 -0700 2008 3591442 130720 FourSeasons 1 3591573 I wonder what people think of the top tempura places in Tokyo according to tabelog? In order of ranking (April 2008): Iwai Rakutei Yokota Oosaka Fujiyoshi Fukamachi Yamanaka Tenmo Kondo ... Here's the ranking for tempura on tabelog: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/rstlst/0-0/RC-RC01-RC0103-RC010301/ Sun Apr 13 23:32:24 -0700 2008 3591079 10509 E Eto 2 3700525 I tried Rakutei in Akasaka yesterday and I must say the food was excellent. The ika was very tender and the baby green beans were crisp and beautiful. Good-size portions towards the end of the meal. The atmosphere is rather somber and reverential - I guess so you can better concentrate on the food. There are only twelve seats, and there's very little interaction with the chef, although the waitress is friendly enough (and speaks some English). I get a little suspicious when I see an all-French wine list at a place like this though. As if the only wines in the world that go with tempura are French. It just comes across as out-of-date rather than "high-class." Luckily there were some decent sake, including Kubota Manju and Shinkame. Prix-fixe menus are Y10,000 and Y12,000, with an optional sashimi starter for an extra Y4,000. Kubota Manju is Y2,000 for ichigo. Mon May 19 07:01:42 -0700 2008 3591573 12676 Robb S 3 3700545 Thanks Robb S. Great review and info about Rakutei. :) How would you rate Rakutei amongst your favorites in Tokyo? :) Mon May 19 07:07:36 -0700 2008 3700525 113442 exilekiss 4 3700593 Well the food was certainly top-notch. It's a nice choice if you're looking for excellent traditional tempura in a very traditional setting - it's tiny and hidden-away and exclusive-looking, and that all makes it feels like a special discovery. Mon May 19 07:25:42 -0700 2008 3700545 12676 Robb S 1 3613899 Hi - just got back from two weeks in Japan, and ate an excellent meal at the counter in Yoshikawa. I'd say the counter was mid-range (bit of banter, quite informal atmosphere after a few beers) and the dining room was high-end from the look of it. More expensive too. It was my first real tempura diner, so I might be suffering from slight culinary drunkenness, but I thought it was absolutely fantastic. Small counter (eight or ten max) with one chef, immaculately clean, and excellent viewing of a highly skilled man operating a giant pot of very hot oil, cooking eight or ten course set dinners for a full restaurant without spilling a drop, burning anything or even getting any stains on his whites - scarily good. The hors d'ouvre was excellent - finely diced chopped broccoli in a lightly-vinegared mayonnaise dressing, with steamed scallop, then bite after bite of perfect tempura that went on for at least 90 minutes - prawn, an incredibly tender slice of squid wrapped in ponzu leaf, baby mackerel, okra, aspragus, scallop- all gently crisped, totally dry and extremely fresh. Most expensive set dinner was about 10,000 yen, we had a slightly cheaper option. It is in Lonely Planet, so expect some nervous tourists like me, but I really loved it. Mon Apr 21 04:37:38 -0700 2008 3591079 185424 timwild 1 3628348 Tempura Yoshikawa in Kyoto is the first up (sort of...I've been to Ten-you a couple of times, but I haven't been there since beginning my quest for the perfect tempura). It's quite easy to find, especially if you walk up Tominokoji from Shijo, and it has quite a beautiful entrance; you feel like you're walking into a traditional old home (and I suppose you are, in a way, since the restaurant is attached to Yoshikawa Ryokan). The actual restaurant, or at least the counter area where I was seated, is quite small. I think there were only 11 or 12 seats at the counter (at least 11 that I counted, and there may have been a 12th). It, too, resembles a traditional old home where even the ceiling has a thatched look to it. Quaint, but like a traditional old home, it's quite dark inside, making picture-taking difficult and so I have none to show. I had done a search on the restaurant before going, so I had a basic idea of what to order. I had decided on the middle set, which the website (not their own) had listed at Y9660. Upon arriving, however, I learned that those sets are only for those seated in the private rooms or at least the non-counter seats. If you're seated at the counter, you're limited to one of two sets--the Y3000 or the Y4000 one. I went with the more expensive one. The courses from what I can remember (not necessarily in this order--I think I've mixed up some of the middle courses): two shrimp, eggplant, half a mushroom (shiitake, I think), tai, yomogi namafu, bamboo shoot, baby corn, fiddleheads, hamo (I'm not sure this was hamo, but it sounded like "hamo" when the chef told me what it was. It was more likely anago, since I don't think we're quite at hamo season, yet), kabocha, and one last shrimp to end the meal. All except the tai and hamo were eaten dipped in the typical tempura dipping sauce of warm dashi with daikon oroshi. The tai and hamo were eaten with a squeeze of lemon and some salt. Also served were chirimen jako, pickles, (red) miso soup, and rice. The batter was crisp without being greasy, and dare I say it? I prefered Yoshikawa's batter to Ten-you's. That being said, I think the ingredients were somewhat inferior--they were not necessarily inferior ingredients, but they weren't as good as I would have expected. With the exception of the namafu, which was wonderful, none of the ingredients were as flavourful as I would have expected them to be. The kabocha, in particular, was a disappointment; it was dry, grainy, and lacked the sweetness I expect from kabocha. But I'd still go back. For Y4000, it was certainly a good value (I'd probably put it somewhere in the mid-range class than high-end, though), and crunchiness makes everything better, at least for me! Fri Apr 25 05:51:53 -0700 2008 3591079 55178 prasantrin 1 3630910 I have been to Kondo and Mikawa in Tokyo. For Mikawa, I have only been to the Roppongi Hills branch but for many times. Always find their food to be excellent. Small setting and sometimes difficult to get in given size. I do wonder if their main branch might be better especially since the cost is lower. I would put this above Ten-ichi which I find to be better than average. For Kondo, this the best tempura in Tokyo for me right now. Great ingredients and very lightly fried tempuras. Have only been there for lunch once and noticed that many people order various vegetable tempuras on the side. They all look wonderful and will have to give those a try next time. Fri Apr 25 19:36:48 -0700 2008 3591079 15662 HKTraveler 2 3630979 I heard Kondo's satsumaimo tempura is amazing--they take a chunk of satsumaimo, coat it in batter, fry it, then wrap it in a towel to steam it a bit more. All the coating falls off to reveal a perfectly cooked satsumaimo. I heard they do a similar thing with kabocha, and that's what is drawing me to the place! Fri Apr 25 20:20:25 -0700 2008 3630910 55178 prasantrin 2 3642226 You mean the Mikawa outlet in Kayabacho? I was there in 2002, and had a memorable feast: Mikawa uses high-grade sesame oil, which results in a darker, crispier koromo (cloak). It was also cleaner on the fingers & the palate. The tempura chef stressed to us that he only uses wild eels/anago (as opposed to farmed eels) hence the flesh is softer & more flavorsome. All seafood we had that day (sweetfish, whiting, shrimps) were swimming in the Bay of Tokyo mere hours earlier. I particularly liked a large shrimp fritter, light & crisp on the outside, and deliciously moist inside - studded with at least a dozen shrimps which were probably alive a few minutes earlier. Such was Mikawa's attention to detail & emphasis on freshness. Other delicacies we ejnjoyed there include an ethereally light miso soup, containing sweet baby clams; tiny chopped pickles that looked too pretty to eat; rare local matsutaka mushrooms; a crisp lettuce salad bathed in a sesame-soy dressing which was accentuated by a stab of wasabi; and slender wands of asparagus which snapped at the slightest bend. The feast was brought to an end with a simple bowl of (unadorned) white rice - a humble gesture, yet so apt. To have anything after such a wonderful culinary symphony of flavors & textures would have been a travesty. A slice of musk melon was served for dessert. I remembered that it was so sweet & absolutely dripping with juice, as if it was injected with the juices from a thousand melons. Wed Apr 30 00:27:06 -0700 2008 3630910 143097 klyeoh 3 3642910 Great review klyeoh! :) Do you have an address / URL for Mikawa? Wed Apr 30 08:34:52 -0700 2008 3642226 113442 exilekiss 4 3645021 Mikawa Tel: 03.3664.9843 3-4-7 Nihonbashi Kayabacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo It's very near Kayabacho station. No credit cards tho :-( Wed Apr 30 17:54:26 -0700 2008 3642910 143097 klyeoh 2 3642892 Hey HKTraveler, Thanks for your insight. Do you have any Addresses / Websites for these Restaurants? :) Thanks! Wed Apr 30 08:28:38 -0700 2008 3630910 113442 exilekiss 3 3645809 Kondo is 03-5568-0923, Ginza 5-5-13 Mikawa is 03-3664-9843 Thu May 01 01:55:15 -0700 2008 3642892 15662 HKTraveler 1 3639464 My favorite Tempura place in Tokyo is Tentei. http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/rstdtl/13002621/ I've been there only for lunch and their kakiage is superb. 2000-7000yen for lunch. I've been to a more expensive tempura place (with zashiki) in Kagurazaka, but Tentei was much better. Tue Apr 29 08:13:01 -0700 2008 3591079 51639 kuidaore 2 3642298 does iwai require lunch booking in advance?? Wed Apr 30 03:36:51 -0700 2008 3639464 149699 Lucil 1 3699880 Not a lot of experience with high end tempura but my one great meal came last year at Hayashi in Nihonbashi. It's a tiny hole-in-the-wall but I thought the food was amazing, even for lunch! I guess at JPY 17k it had better be...I still remember the amazing cuttlefish! http://chi-he-wan-le.blogspot.com/2007/08/tokyo-trip-best-tempura-ive-ever-had.html Sun May 18 21:50:28 -0700 2008 3591079 132103 Peech 2 3700150 Did you have to make reservations at Hayashi? I might have a Saturday night dinner free while I'm in Tokyo this weekend, but I won't know for certain until that day. It makes planning difficult, so I'm trying to find a high-end tempura place that mostly takes walk-ins (so I don't have to worry about not having a reservation, or about showing up and not being able to get in). I do prefer crispy tempura, though, so maybe Hayashi isn't the place for me. What good is fried food if there's no crunch? Mon May 19 03:13:25 -0700 2008 3699880 55178 prasantrin 3 3700153 If it is crispy crunch, it will lose the natural flavor. Which is why any cheap tempura shop can do that perfectly well. The key is just to get light crispy touch but yet retain the flavor of the ingredient. That is what you want from high end tempura. Mon May 19 03:21:06 -0700 2008 3700150 130720 FourSeasons 3 3700160 I had someone make the reservation for me, but the place is so small it only seats maybe 7-8 people at the counter. Definitely not crispy/crunchy as this is done with at low temperature to produce a light batter and keep the flavors in. Mon May 19 03:43:36 -0700 2008 3700150 132103 Peech 1 4627268 Re: Tempura Mikawa, Tempura Kondo, Asagi, Tentei, and Hayashi Do all of these places require reservations or is there a chance one can just walk in? I'll be in Tokyo next week and am thinking of trying tempura again. I know there's a chance some of these places might be closed since it's Golden Week, but aside from a couple of places, I'm planning on just dining wherever I feel at the moment. But I suppose if I really have to, I'll make reservations. Sat Apr 25 04:47:11 -0700 2009 3591079 55178 prasantrin 2 4629083 You need reservation for Kondo, not sure about others. Sat Apr 25 22:38:39 -0700 2009 4627268 130720 FourSeasons 3 4630767 Thanks. I guess I'll be calling around! It's good practice for my Japanese, even though I"m terrified of speaking on the phone. Sun Apr 26 17:37:17 -0700 2009 4629083 55178 prasantrin 2 4644714 You definitely need reservations at Mikawa's head store in kayabacho. I think it seats 8 at the counter, plus two small private rooms. I called a couple days ahead and still had to wait for the 8 PM 'seating' (but I think they encourage people to come at normal times so they can get two sets of customers. One thing to watch out for - the course says FROM Y12,000, but based on my total bill was over Y14,000. We were reconciled to this, so it was OK and we didn't feel too bad. It's very homey and downtown, and the master loves to talk if you get past his stern "I'm frying here..." exterior and ask him about fish or something. And they allow BYO wine for Y2000; there's a great wine shop called Maru nearby. The honten MUST be better than the Hillz location though! Full review with tons of pictures: http://iitokorone.blogspot.com/2009/03/mikawa-kayabacho.html Fri May 01 04:11:52 -0700 2009 4627268 248799 jem589 3 4647600 Why do you think the honten "MUST" be better than Roppongi Hills? Not challenging, just curious. I never got around to making reservations at any of the tempura places, so I was thinking of just popping by the Hills location tomorrow or the day after to see if I could get in. Sat May 02 00:46:56 -0700 2009 4644714 55178 prasantrin 1 4641528 I found Yokota to be excellent Thu Apr 30 04:31:15 -0700 2009 3591079 269579 davew666 2 5121991 The Tempura MIKAWA, at the Monzen-Nakacho, was really really great. An art ! The master Saotome does love art and the place entrance reflates it. The same artist I think who did the "kaze no otto" in Echigo-Tsumari triennale in Niigata 4 years ago. Here below a comment made by Japan Times years ago : http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fg20030606rs.html I will recommend the counter, the master explained me everything and I had some much interest in hearing it that I stayed 2 hours. The list of each one. and the description won't be right here on the chowhound if you want to enjoy the passionnate speech. Thu Oct 22 02:47:25 -0700 2009 4641528 1082452 Ninisix