This tempura restaurant is on Aberdeen Street in Central, having the reputation of high CP values. Making the reservations a few months ago, it is important to note that they only accept booking for even number, meaning two or multiples, of guests. And everyone must be punctual as they would start after 10-15 minutes on the booking time, and may not serve some of the food if customers are late.
The restaurant is pretty small, with a 10-seat counter and everyone is sitting very close to each other. The décor has nothing unique, and apparently the restaurant is more focus on food than ambience for customers. It was good that everyone arrived on time, and after ordering our beverages the dinner started promptly.
There is only one weekend dinner menu, Umi, at $1,000 per person. The first course is Sesame Tofu, with the firmer texture of the tofu allowing one to use chopsticks to pick it up. The rich flavors of the sesame are pleasant, with the touch of wasabi adding to the taste, and even the light soy sauce is highly complementary on the overall experience. A good starter.
The second course is Japanese Tuna. Nicely presented, the staff asks us to remove the shiso flowers and mix with the soy sauce, with an interesting effect to freshen the sauce. The lean and fatty tuna are both very fresh and tasty. Nice sashimi.
Beginning with the tempura, the chef first deep-fries the Prawn Heads. Seeing him in action is a treat, with his experience apparent from how he controls the temperature of the oil and discerns the timing to remove the prawn heads. It is very crunchy, well-cooked but without any hint of burning, and together with a bit of sea salt it is fantastic in taste and perfect to pair with an icy cold beer. Wonderful.
Then the chef continues to deep fry the Prawn. Seeing him prepares the batter is another wonder, without any measuring device but just based on his observation, he then dips the prawn in the batter to cook. The result is amazing, with a super thin coating on the prawn that did not fall apart picking up on chopsticks. The prawn is sweet in taste, and again with a bit of sea salt was wonderful in flavors.
Next is Mongou Squid. It is unbelievable how soft it is on the bite, despite its thickness, apparently a result of the freshness of the ingredient plus the knife skill of the chef in cutting on the surface, like how it is prepared in sushi. Another great piece.
The Tilefish offers another rave review from us. Deep-frying to make the scales crispy, while not drying out the flesh keeping it still moist, is a true test of the prowess of a tempura chef. In this front this piece scores full marks. Even after dipping into the sauce the scales remain crispy, and the milder taste of the flesh is also good match with the tentsuyu.
Then the chef presented us the Mushroom. The shiitake mushroom has good fragrance, the batter coating is very thin to the level that we almost did not feel its presence, and the chef is able to keep the mushroom soft on texture. Another all-time favorite ingredient in tempura.
Coming after is Asparagus, which is tender and without any fibers on the bite. Again, it is pure joy to see the thin batter on the asparagus, and like everything so far there is not any hint of oily feeling when eating them. The paper under the wire mesh continues to be without stain all the while.
Talking about attention to details the next piece is another example. The chef first put the Oba Leaf on the batter, with only one side touching, before deep frying. As a result, the leaf is still showing the green surface, before the chef scoop in some Sea Urchin on top to serve. The creamy and sweet sea urchin, together with the crispy and fragrant oba leaf, provided a nice contrast but at the same time complementary.
Then it is Scallops and Wasabi Salt. The sweet taste of the scallop has been retained, with the batter serving as a coat in the cooking process to avoid the flavors seeping out. I like how the chef is able to maintain the softness on the bite as well. Paired with the wasabi salt it enhanced the flavors even further. Another of my favorite in the evening.
The last piece of tempura is Sea Eel, or Anago. The large, whole piece of sea eel is almost of my forearm in length, with a nice, soft texture. A truly rewarding and luxurious piece, not just because of its generous size, it demonstrated how the chef had to pick the eel of the right and similar size everyday to ensure consistent servings.
Originally, I have a doubt whether I would feel hungry, but when the A4 Wagyu Beef Sukiyaki is served I know I am over-worried. Each person having our own stove and pot, within are a few pieces of beef, together with vegetables and udon, plus the delicious sukiyaki sauce that added sweetness and umami flavors. There are also Rice, Pickles, and Miso Soup to go along at the end so even for big eater like me I feel full finishing them.
The final course is Fruits Jelly, with blueberry and a few pieces of longan together in jelly. A delicate and simple dessert to wrap up our meal.
Service is decent, though the chef did not have any interaction with any of the customer throughout. And once he finished the tempura he quickly begins to clean up and sieve through the cooking oil, preparing for the next seating. The bill of $2,349 is certainly good value for money in terms of food quality, but the pace of the meal is just a bit too rush for me, with there are also opportunities to make the whole experience more intimate.
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