Hyperlocal Tokyo

I made a reservation for 12:00 PM on a weekday and visited. There are two frying stations, and luckily, I was seated at the one manned by the owner, Mr. Kondo. The tempura included the head of a shrimp, two kuruma prawns, thick Australian asparagus, crunchy lotus root from Ibaraki Prefecture, bell peppers from a contracted farm that can be eaten whole, including the seeds, thick squid, kisu (Japanese whiting), sweet baby onions, conger eel, a small tempura donburi with shiba shrimp and small clams, red miso soup with clams, pickles, orange, and Shine Muscat grapes. Two draft beers and one cup of warmed sake came to about 20,000 yen. I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious tempura. The sake was reasonably priced for a high-end restaurant. The only disappointment was that the famous sweet potato tempura wasn't available until November.

This is a truly remarkable tempura restaurant that represents the best of Japan. I was truly astonished by how delicious the vegetable tempura was. Personally, I loved the pekoros (small onions). The sweet potato tempura takes a considerable amount of time to cook, so it's customary to order it as soon as you sit down. The tempura, packed with the flavors and sweetness of seafood and vegetables, is a must-try delicacy. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

For my birthday, I was taken to a real tempura restaurant for the first time in my life. I think all the tempura I've eaten before was just about the batter. This was the first time I had tempura where the batter was used to enhance the ingredients. The shrimp heads were incredibly delicious, and I was so impressed. Then, seasonal vegetables kept coming out, and each one was delicious, allowing me to savor the flavor of the vegetables. The portions were very large, so I recommend the tempura-only course without appetizers, as you'll be full. The service was very attentive. I was so full that I couldn't eat the rice at the end, but they kindly wrapped it up for me as a tempura donburi. I warmed it up at home later and it was truly delicious, I was so touched. I was also happy to see Mr. Kondo frying the tempura right in front of me. The restaurant was incredibly clean, considering they use oil. There wasn't a single spot where oil had splattered on the walls or the floor. I'm sure they clean the floors and walls every day. The restroom was so clean that I even took a picture of it. I'm not sure if I can get a reservation, but I want to visit again every season. I recommend using the GINZA SIX parking lot. It's a short walk to the restaurant (less than 5 minutes), so it's very convenient.

I've only ever had tempura fried by General Kondo here, but I love the seasonal corn and broad bean tempura. The scallops served with wasabi and salt are also delicious. I usually go for lunch, and I appreciate that there are no appetizers or palate cleansers, just tempura. I like to add my favorite ingredients as I please. I've been here many times, but the difference in service between regulars and new customers is always striking. I know this is common in many restaurants, but it's quite blatant here. The people sitting next to me were offered reservations for their next visit, but I was told to call when reservations open. They said, "We take reservations for Saturdays fairly for everyone over the phone," but both reservations were for Saturdays, which is funny. Many restaurants are happy to take reservations for first-time customers, but seeing them take reservations for others right in front of me and then refusing mine was quite shocking. It was a shame because the food was delicious, but it really soured the experience.

This was my third visit. I was a little disappointed this time. The overall taste was good, but there were issues with the service and cleanliness. The explanations for the tempura were generally lacking, and sometimes they would tell me whether salt or tempura sauce was better, while other times they wouldn't. The explanations were given in a quiet voice and without a smile, which made it hard to enjoy the tempura. Also, a bell pepper was dropped on the counter, but they picked it up and served it without washing it. I think that's unacceptable. Since they work at the counter, they need to be aware that they are being watched. They can serve tempura to eight people at once, so the timing of frying will vary between the first and last tempura. This time, I was served last, and the tempura seemed a bit overcooked.