Needless to say, it's Tenya. Tenya is great, right? You can enjoy freshly fried tempura at a reasonable price and quickly in and out. You can choose between set meals or rice bowls, but on this day, I was in the mood for a bowl of noodles, so I chose udon instead of soba. I also ordered sweet potato and squid as side dishes. The operation is self-service, where you pick up your order when your number is called. When I got my sweet potato and squid, I couldn't help but think they were quite small for the price. They seemed even smaller when I took a photo. The taste was spot on, catering to everyone's preferences. Delicious! But still, they were small. Especially the sweet potato tempura. In places like Marugame, you get bigger portions for a similar price. I wouldn't mind paying a bit more if they could guarantee a decent portion size for individual tempura orders.

Before the pandemic, this was one of the restaurants I always wanted to visit whenever I went to Japan. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the Osaka Namba branch has closed. I love the sauce that goes with the tempura rice at this restaurant. So, when I traveled to Tokyo in April before school started, I planned to have dinner at this restaurant first. However, the quality of the tempura has declined and it's not as delicious as it used to be.

This was my first time trying the chikuwa tempura at Tenya, using a 10% discount coupon for the 1140th Mirairo ID in Tokyo. I ordered the chikuwa tempura donburi with extra rice, which was priced at 480 yen. With the 80 yen discount from the coupon, I paid 400 yen at the ticket machine and then self-served my meal. It was my first time dining in at a restaurant in a while, and I had forgotten that miso soup is included when dining in. I also learned that the sauce is served separately. In the end, I ended up eating the tempura with the sauce as it was when it arrived. The freshly fried tempura was delicious, reaffirming its taste.

Looking back... On April 11, just before the nationwide state of emergency was expanded, I visited "Tenya" in East Side Square, right behind my company, alone. I didn't know that Tenya is part of the Royal Host group. Restaurants have suffered a lot due to the coronavirus situation, but as regular people, during this time, chain restaurants like Tenya give us a sense of security and are easy to use. Thank you for your hospitality. Currently, Japan miraculously seems to have successfully contained the coronavirus, receiving praise from overseas. What was effective in containing the infection? While in Tokyo, I finally received masks the day before yesterday, and there is still no information about the relief funds... It seems like no measures have been taken, yet the impression remains that miraculously, the number of infected people has decreased. Is it because of the habit of taking off shoes? (There is a theory that viruses may adhere to the soles of shoes and be brought back home) Is it because of the high prevalence of washlets? Or maybe because of BCG? Or the honest nature of the people? Is it because people are used to hay fever and the flu, so they have a habit of wearing masks? Is it because of the cultural norm of not openly hugging or kissing? No, it might be because there are many food lovers who enjoy a variety of lunches and want to eat a hearty, nutritious lunch... The All-Star Tempura Bowl... I truly felt a high level of satisfaction with this lunch.

I went to Tenya near the Shinjuku Cultural Center to eat matsutake mushroom tempura. It's located in the underground dining area of a high-rise building. You buy your ticket from a vending machine and then choose your seat. When your order is ready, your number is called. I ordered matsutake mushroom tempura, oyster tempura, spinach with mentaiko, and burdock root side dish set with cold sake. They also had pickled vegetables in a pot, which was a nice snack to have. The matsutake mushroom tempura was moist and had a unique flavor when chewed. The oyster tempura was also quite good. The spinach came with soy sauce at the counter. The burdock root with mentaiko was thinly sliced and had a creamy sauce.

This shop is Tenya located in the underground of East Side Square, the station building of Higashi-Shinjuku Station on the Oedo Line and Fukutoshin Line. I wanted to eat tempura bowl after a long time, so I stopped by. I bought a meal ticket from the ticket machine and picked up my order myself. It had been a while since I last visited, but the cost performance was good and it was delicious as always.

Recently, I've been so busy that I haven't had time to go out for lunch like I used to. I've been ordering delivery, getting bento boxes, or grabbing a quick meal at a standing soba noodle shop... It's been quite dull. But then, I suddenly had a craving for tempura rice bowl, so I decided to visit "Tenya East Side Square" located near my office. I originally planned to just get a regular tempura rice bowl, but when I was looking at the menu at the ticket machine, I was drawn to the "Shrimp Tempura Set Meal" with a nice ring to it. I thought, well, it's Tenya, so it must be good, right? I ordered the regular size for 920 yen. Tenya in East Side Square is located in a busy commercial building, and it was packed with customers waiting for their takeout orders or waiting in line inside the restaurant. I waited for over 20 minutes until my order was ready. The tempura rice bowl from Tenya was good value for money, but the operation was inefficient, causing long wait times and poor management of orders. Despite that, the shrimp tempura set meal exceeded my expectations and I was satisfied. As I was about to leave, I heard someone call out "Mocha-chan!" and was surprised to see my senior from high school brass band. He was a professional trumpet player and had come to eat during a break from rehearsals at Shinjuku Cultural Center. It's funny how you can have such unexpected encounters. Well, I guess it's a sign of a good restaurant that you want to go back to even when you're busy.

I used this restaurant for dinner. I entered a little after 5 pm on a Sunday, and it was about 20% full. This restaurant is unique in that it is self-service. First, you purchase a meal ticket at the entrance and then sit at your table. (Your order is sent to the kitchen when you purchase the ticket, so you just wait at your table.) Water and tea are self-service. After about 5 minutes, your number is called and you go to the counter to pick up your order. You exchange your ticket for your meal at that time. After eating, you return your dishes and your meal is complete. There are two meal ticket vending machines, but only one accepts IC cards like SUICA, so be careful.

I went to Tenya for the first time in a while. The food was quite delicious. The interior of the restaurant was clean and the staff were efficient. It made the food taste even better.

I was able to eat a tempura bowl at Tenya for the first time in a while. This time, I chose the regular size tempura bowl. It felt a little greasy, but the sauce covered the tempura beautifully. The deliciousness of Tenya's tempura bowl must be due to the rainy season.

The tempura bowl was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

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