It's been about 2 years since I last had freshly fried tempura at the counter. The tempura was just right, not greasy and crispy delicious. The sweetness of the seasonal corn really stood out. For the finale, you can choose between ochazuke and tendon, and I went with tendon. The seating arrangement allows you to see the frying area from behind, but it's a shame that the backside is fully visible. It would be better if the trash cans were out of sight.

Since the mountain top restaurant underwent a renewal and significantly raised its prices, the tempura dinner has become extremely high-end. However, this place offers dinner starting from 12,000 yen, which is quite reasonable. The quality is superb, making it a great choice for special occasions for the common folk. I had the pleasure of trying out spring ingredients such as butterbur sprouts, white fish, megochi, and young sweetfish. The tempura pieces were a bit on the smaller side, but that's to be expected for the price. The taste was, of course, impeccable! The tempura was served with salt, as I prefer, and the grated daikon radish with dashi broth was a delightful palate cleanser. The final dish of kakiage-don was unbelievably delicious, making me drool even though I had just finished eating. I'll work hard and save up to visit again. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

I ordered the End of Hiro. - Eggplant in sweet vinegar - Thai sashimi with truffle scent - Two shrimp rolls - Four seasonal vegetables (shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, onions, eggplant) - Two types of fish: conger eel and young ayu - Conger eel - Tempura rice bowl or tempura tea (served in a clay pot): I chose the tempura rice bowl - Dessert: ice cream with black bean tempura The vegetable tempura was really delicious! I also had tea-soaked rice and tempura on the side.

"I wanted to eat tempura in Ginza, so I came here on a day when I had some extra time for lunch. It's great to have a tempura restaurant nearby that is affordable for lunch, especially for those who work in Ginza. The tempura set meal costs 2500 yen and it was delicious. The tempura had a thin and crispy batter, and the seasonal ingredients were fried perfectly. There were onions, shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, smelt fish, lotus root, conger eel, and finally a mixed vegetable tempura. Each ingredient was of high quality. The mixed vegetable tempura was served in a bowl on top of a tea cup, which was a nice touch. The miso soup had a strong bonito flavor. Although the tempura restaurant seemed a bit upscale, dressing up a bit and having a nice tempura lunch is good for mental health as well. Thank you for the delicious meal."

Ginza Station, Shimbashi Station, and Hibiya Station are within walking distance. It's a shame that it's not eligible for the GO TO campaign. I ordered the "Suehiro" from the menu thinking it was 8000 yen, but when I made a phone reservation, the price casually increased. They should update their menu on websites like Tabelog. The tempura is delicious as expected, but I wish there were some more unique options. I think it's relatively affordable for tempura in Ginza.

Today, I was invited to a tempura restaurant called "Ginza Tempura Yoshitake" at the last minute. It is located in Ginza 8-chome, along Hanatsubaki Street, on the basement floor of Plaza G8 Building. The chef trained at the Hotel Okura's kaiseki restaurant "Yamazato" before becoming independent in 2013. It's a holiday today, so the restaurant is reserved for a large group! They offer a dinner menu with options like "Suehiro" for 9,000 yen, "Atago" for 11,500 yen, and an omakase course for 14,000 yen. I believe we went for the omakase course! We sat at the counter with 9 seats surrounded by the kitchen. The tempura was mainly seasoned with salt, and there was grated daikon in the tentsuyu sauce for dipping. The ingredients looked delicious on the counter. They use two types of oil for frying. We enjoyed various tempura dishes like shrimp rolls, corn, seasonal sashimi, young ayu fish, red snapper, conger eel, and matsutake mushrooms. The meal was accompanied by white wine and red wine. We ended the meal with either tempura tea or tempura rice bowl. The tempura tea was made with rice cooked in a donabe pot and topped with small fish and shrimp tempura. It was delicious! Overall, it was a satisfying dining experience.

They serve freshly fried tempura! Each piece of tempura is carefully fried one by one, creating a luxurious way of eating! It seems that they adjust the oil temperature each time when frying different ingredients! The optimal oil temperature varies depending on the ingredient... What a skillful technique by the chef! Although I didn't get full, I had a very enjoyable and delicious meal!

In Ginza, there are many sushi and tempura restaurants. Today, I visited Tempura Yoshitake for the first time. It is located on the same street as Tempura Abe, in the basement of a building where YAMAGATA Western cuisine is also located. The chef used to work at Hotel Okura's Japanese restaurant, Yamazato. For lunch, they offer a tempura bowl for 1400 yen, tempura set meals for 1600 yen or 2500 yen, and a chef's special lunch set for 4200 yen. I chose the tempura bowl, which arrived in 7-8 minutes. It included two prawns, small onions, eggplant, conger eel, lotus root, and more. The tempura was crispy and the sauce was a clear sweet and savory type. The conger eel was thick and delicious. The overall tempura was well-drained and had a clear structure. The counter has 8 seats, and most customers seem to have reserved set meals. The chef seemed a bit reserved at first, but he ended up smiling as he saw us off. It seems like he was just focused on his work. I heard that even if you order a set meal, you can switch to a tempura bowl at the end, so I'll try that next time!

I brought a wealthy overseas business owner to a restaurant. They enjoyed eating various delicious dishes, but they were particularly excited about the live cooking in front of them, which they rarely experience with French, Chinese, or Italian cuisine. They found it very enjoyable to be able to ask the chef directly about the ingredients and cooking methods, which made the food even more delicious. They appreciated the interaction with the chef, which is a unique aspect of dining at a counter-style restaurant. The history of counter-style restaurants in Tokyo dates back to the early Showa era when two skilled chefs from Osaka, the founders of Hamasaku and Idei, opened their own restaurants side by side. While Hamasaku continues to operate, Idei has closed, but the tradition of counter-style dining is carried on by talented chefs. The tempura at this restaurant is made with sesame oil, giving it a delicious and fragrant flavor without being too heavy on the stomach. The chef's skillful preparation of live Ayu fish and delicate frying technique left a lasting impression. This tempura is not just fried food, but a steamed dish that can be enjoyed without feeling greasy. The chef's background in Japanese cuisine is evident in the variety of dishes served throughout the course.

If you want to eat tempura in Ginza, this is the place to go! They serve freshly fried tempura! They fry each piece of tempura carefully and serve it one by one, making it a luxurious way to enjoy tempura! They adjust the oil temperature each time the ingredients to be fried are different.

It was quite a high-end restaurant to go to on my own dime. Well, that's to be expected, but the way they fried the food was perfect and the ingredients were really delicious. The owner had a pretty intimidating face, making it hard to approach him, which was a shame. I was too scared to take a picture until after the final cleanup.

On a weekend night, I was treated to delicious tempura at a restaurant located in the basement of Ginza 8-chome. It's a small restaurant with a counter, and only about 10 seats, so it's hard to get a reservation! The tempura rice bowl at the end was exquisite!

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bustling atmosphere of the past may be gone, but there are still several tempura restaurants in Ginza Hacchome that are open for business. This particular restaurant is located in the basement of Plaza G8, which used to look quite glamorous in its heyday. A lunch menu is displayed in front of the building. Let's see... Lunch sets start from ¥2500, so I decided to give it a try. Inside the restaurant, there is a well-built chef behind the counter and one floor staff. I was seated at the end of the counter and ordered the ¥2500 lunch set. I remember seeing tempura donburi on the menu board outside before, but currently it seems they do not offer it for lunch. The set was prepared in front of me, with each item being dipped in batter and fried quickly before being served piping hot. The set included shrimp, shallots, tilefish, shiitake mushrooms, lotus root, sweet potato, conger eel, and shrimp. The seafood was fried with a slightly thick batter, resulting in a juicy and crispy texture, while the vegetables were fried with a lighter batter, bringing out their sweetness and crunchiness. The small shrimp were delicious, and the vegetables, especially the meaty shiitake mushrooms and crispy lotus root, were very tasty. I enjoyed them with tempura dipping sauce, grated daikon radish, and lemon salt. The rice was cooked firm and shiny white, which I found delicious. When chewed, the sweetness of the rice was evident. I love firm rice, so this was right up my alley. Before I knew it, I had eaten two bowls, and to my surprise, a small tempura donburi was served as the final dish. The miso soup was served with wakame seaweed, pickles, and a small salad. Lastly, the tempura of shrimp on a bed of rice was served. The freshly fried shrimp was coated in a sweet and savory sauce, which complemented the rice perfectly. It looked delicious, and it tasted even better. The combination of sweet and savory sauce with the firm rice was delightful. After enjoying the full meal, I found it to be priced somewhere between Ten Asa and Ten Tei in the neighborhood, considering the price range and contents. It is recommended to make a reservation for lunch.

I went to a tempura restaurant aiming for a tempura rice bowl lunch. The menu in front of the shop had a special tempura set meal for 2500 yen as the cheapest option, with two more expensive courses. But there was no tempura rice bowl on the menu. I thought they must have it inside, so I entered. However, it turned out they didn't serve tempura rice bowls! Nevertheless, I decided to stay and ordered the 2500 yen lunch on a weekday. I was given a drink menu, but since I had work in the afternoon, I opted for tea. They asked if I wanted rice from the beginning or later. I chose to have it from the beginning. I was served tea, grated radish, salt, and lemon, and then they poured dashi to make miso soup while I waited a bit. I started with salted shrimp. The 2500 yen lunch did not include tempura rolls. But the shrimp was delicious, so I didn't mind. Then came small pieces of onion, shiitake mushroom, and pumpkin, served at my pace. In between, I had a small salad. The second round was shrimp again, this time with salt and lemon. Before the tempura, there was conger eel. They said just the grated radish alone was delicious. Indeed, the fatty conger eel paired well with the generous amount of grated radish. The final tempura was a small tempura rice bowl, as I requested. The crispy tempura with plenty of shrimp and the sweet and savory sauce created a harmonious and blissful experience. It was delicious! I wanted to eat more. Why don't they have tempura rice bowls though? Maybe because if they offer dishes under 1000 yen, it might attract rowdy salarymen. Nevertheless, the 2500 yen meal was quite a deal for the quality and quantity. Next time, I want to try the lunch omakase while enjoying some drinks leisurely. Thank you for the meal.

Yasaien, a delicious tempura restaurant run by Nagatanien. Good value for money!