Tensei

I happened upon Tempura Tensei through a blind Google search, and I didn't expect much. Tiny and at the top of a long staircase, Tempura Tensei surprises you with its simple but elegant design. Greeted with formality and grace, we were led to two seats at the counter overlooking the kitchen and ma...ster chef. After ordering drinks, our set menu began arriving from the raised kitchen. Our first dish, a shrimp tempura, took me to a tempura place I had never been. The breading was so light, just barely there, forcing me to realize that the chef's culinary technique was beyond reproach and in another galaxy. Each subsequent dish was just as good. Eel, eggplant, scallops, and some root vegetable were all sublime. Even the soup was terrific. It felt comforting knowing we were the only non-Japanese people in the place, and the talented chef did all he could to make us comfortable, using a book to translate and point out what we’re eating. Forced to use a fork because my arthritis was acting up, no one minded except myself, embarrassed by my need. When I apologized, the chef and servers smiled and said something kind. The chef even washed my fork for me at the end of the meal. I want to return to Tempura Tensei tomorrow night because it was a fantastic meal. It was a bargain at $25.00 per person including sake and beer.

Visited February 2025

I love tempura so much that I almost always have 1 tempura dinner whenever I’ve holiday in Japan. I originally wanted to try Motoyoshi or Sonoji during my current Tokyo trip. Since my hotel concierge wasn’t successful in booking either one, I did some online research and booked Tensei in the end. ... I didn’t expect much but my dinner turned out to be a wonderful experience and far exceeded my expectations. My friend and I opted for the omakase menu which featured some very fresh ingredients. All the food was very delicious. Highlights included uni, anago, scallop, amadai, chestnut and the seasonal matsutake which was very fragrant. The chef was very skilful. The batter was very thin and he mastered the time of frying different ingredients to perfection. For example, the scallop was very crispy outside but still a bit raw inside. The homemade grape sorbet ended our meal on a perfect note. Tensei is a little off the beaten track. We’re staying in Ginza and took a taxis and a return trip costed more than 4,000 yen. But it’s definitely worth it.

Visited September 2019

This was quite a special evening. Seats 10 people around the counter. This restaurant does have private rooms as well. It is quite an experience being able to watch the chef prepare every element of the food in front of you. It was amazingly fresh and delicious. Recommend going here. An advantag...e here is that they offer 4 different options for the Kaiseki starting at 7200 yen and going to about 13000 yen. We opted for the 7200 menu and were very pleased with the amount of food, the quality and what we paid. Note though that neither of us has a a particularly big appetite and a more comprehensive option is probably the way to go for most people.

Visited April 2019