Minato City, Tokyo, Japan｜Tempura Tenshow

One of my best dining experiences in Tokyo. Had lunch on a weekday, and I was glad that I had gotten a reservation because they were completely booked. (I am a solo traveler, and they do not take reservations for one person online, but I had my hotel call and make a reservation.) Tempura was excellent, the menu had English translations. Total cost for lunch including beer was less than ¥4000. The master chef could speak English, and he was friendly and greeted me. The atmosphere was quiet, and the space’s design was elegant. Wonderful way to spend the lunch hour, and also enjoyable to see the other clientele. I was the only foreigner. Appreciated getting a spot at the counter so that I could watch the chef work.

I was a little skeptical of dining at a high-end tempura restaurant. I mean, it’s food covered in fried batter. How luxurious can you get? The experience was actually much more enjoyable than expected. We started off with small bites and then had basically had a tempura omakase. Chef showed us what was on the menu beforehand (and kindly accommodated any dietary restrictions). I have never had tempura uni before, but that uni-filled mushroom was an absolute treat. You round off your meal (depending on what menu you select) with a palate cleanser and a carb dish of your choice. You also get dessert, which for us were bits of fruit and a sweet potato ice cream. I booked in advance via tablecheck. Staff and the chef were able to speak English well, so it’s definitely tourist-friendly. I would have enjoyed my experience more (and this is definitely not on the restaurant), but other diners came in shortly after and smelled like they drowned themselves in their cologne/perfume. Please, please don’t overdo it with fragrances because it honestly takes away from the experience/impacts others and I felt pretty nauseated for the majority of the meal as a result.

Overall: 5 COVID-19 prevention: 4, hand sanitizer at entrance, private room available Location: 5, a minute walk from Gaienmae Foods: 5 Drinks: 4 Atmosphere: 5 Service: 5 Cost Performance: 5 Smoking: no Tourist Friendly: it depends Credit Card: yes Comments: Great tempura restaurant and hidden gem in Gaien-Mae. Hope they have more variety of valuable sake.