Hot oil heaven

I had been doing my research into tempura restaurants in Tokyo recently, and was fortunate enough to get a lunch reservation for this Tuesday at one of the best tempura restaurants in Tokyo - Mikawa. We had time for a nice long lunch before catching the train to Hakone that day, so a tempura set lunch was the perfect fit.

Since we were staying in Roppongi, I decided to make the reservation at the Roppongi Hills branch of Mikawa. Chef Saotome-san's wife runs this tiny joint with no name and a crew of three. So reservations had to be made almost two weeks in advance to get a table by the counter.

The restaurant can be a bit tricky to locate, but with the help of my iPhone 4's GPS, I was able to pinpoint the exact location very quickly as I walked towards Roppongi Hills. There was no signboard outside the restaurant, save for a very beautiful and distinctive golden mural of swallows in mid flight over a field of irises. In the center of the mural was a tiny Japanese sliding door, and when pulled back slowly, beckons one into the gastronomic realm of top notch tempura cuisine, accompanied by the sounds of greetings from the staff awaiting your arrival.

In this tiny but elegant restaurant, there were only eight counter seats, plus 2 small tables on the side with seating for four person each. The brightly lit yet intimate setting that put us at ease as the scent of freshly prepared tempura wafted through the tiny restaurants and set our stomachs growling.

Mikawa serves Edomae style tempura, classic fresh seafood and vegetables from the local area served during the Edo era, freshly caught and prepared just hours before cooking. The set lunch was 9000yen per person, which was to include various courses of seafood, a vegetable dish, miso soup and dessert. I ordered a beer and sat back to watch the young chef do his magic.

There were about eight courses for lunch, each piece freshly prepared, fried and served piping hot in front of each patron. The shrimps were still twitching when the chef started peeling off their shells and dipping them in flour. These were the sweetest tempura shrimps I had ever eaten.

The conger eel was placed in front of my serving plate, and with a fast crack of his steel chopsticks, the chef broke the eel into two crispy pieces in a flash, while steam wafted slowly from the exposed meat. I wished I had caught that on camera.

Another amazing course was the squid, so fresh that it almost melted in my mouth like soft butter as I sank my teeth into it. Tastewise, there was no mistaking the freshness of ingredients as I bit into each piece of seafood. The food was so delicious I did not use any of the seasonings on my serving plate. It was just pure finger lickin' good.

As I paid up and walked out the door, the images of those fried morsels on my plate kept flashing through my mind, as I tried to recapture those tiny little moments when I discovered each delicious piece of seafood and lingered over every next bite. Mikawa's meticulously executed lunch presentation truly elevated frying to an art form. I could have gone back for dinner that very same night, but we had a train to catch.

Mikawa is at: Roppongi Hills Residence B, 6-12-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Tel: (03) 3423 8100. The original location in Kayabacho is still run by Saotome-san himself. Reservations essential.

Tenshin Tempura, The Regent Hotel, Singapore

I have only eaten at a specialist tempura restaurant once. This was a few years ago in Tokyo on a joint trip with D Guy. That little restaurant only catered for three rooms a night and was located close to Tsukiji where the chef handpicked the freshest seafood daily. It was this fact coupled with their secret flour mix and their special oil that made them so good.

I had heard of a local equivalent some years ago, told myself I had to go but was reminded only recently about it again. The place is Tenshin Tempura located at The Regent Singapore. It is known to be quite pricey but going there for lunch fit in nicely with my continuing quest for good-value set lunches.

Of course, I found a willing accomplice in D Guy.

The set lunches ranged from $30 to $85 with the choice of also ordering ala carte items from the daily vegetable and seafood boards.

There is a certain point at which my stomach hits a limit for oily food. On this day, that point took quite long to reach, meaning, the food was very finely prepared (not too much oil).

The first course of prawn tempura was a little tough, but I reserved my judgement and was rewarded with perfectly cooked pumpkin (not too raw and not too overcooked), wonderfully sweet corn which they take off the cob and formed into a round cake held together only by the batter, seasonal eel (sweet and still moist inside).

Overall, a very nice meal but probably 80% of the Tsukiji tempura place whose name escapes me now. Would I go again? Yes, their Tendon set lunch looked wonderful, served in a hot steaming bowl of rice with generous lashings of their own tempura sauce.