(Caption: Photographed at the Tempura Mikaku, Tokyo, Japan. Source: Ernest.)
About
After moving from Shibuya to our accommodation near Roppongi Crossing, we first left our luggage at the hotel for later check-in, and then planned to find a late lunch. Opening the map, I discovered a tempura restaurant on my must-try list not far away. Usually, tempura lunch sets offer great value to enjoy the chefs’ professional cooking.
This restaurant is called “てんぷら 味覚 (Tempura Mikaku)” and has a score of 3.48 on Tabelog. While dinner costs around 10,000 JPY, lunch is under 2,000 (so we could eat five bowls… wait, that’s not right XDD)
Tempura Mikaku is just a 3-5 minute walk from the subway exit near Roppongi Crossing (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and Toei Oedo Line Roppongi Station Exit 3). After eating, you can easily walk to Roppongi Tsutaya Books for browsing, or head to STREAMER COFFEE COMPANY AZABU-JUBAN for a coffee.
After researching, I found that this Edomae tempura specialty restaurant was established in 1931 in Nihonbashi. The restaurant is currently located in Roppongi. For lunch, besides the recommended “Chef Kase’s Tempura Rice Bowl,” they’re also famous for their “Salt Tempura Rice Bowl” which uses a blend of three salts (from Suruga Bay, Seto Inland Sea, and Christmas Island). For this visit, I tried the basic option first.
Directions
(From Roppongi Station exit, continue walking forward to reach Roppongi Crossing.)
(After reaching Roppongi Crossing, cross the street and turn left, continuing downhill for a walk.)
(You’ll pass by Asahi Shrine along the way.)
(At noon, clearly not Roppongi’s peak time zone :p The scene looks serene XDD During color adjustment, I noticed hidden but regular patterns of blue and yellow in the image.)
(Soon after, I found the sign for てんぷら 味覚 (Tempura Mikaku) in a small alley on the right.)
Environment
()
(There weren’t many customers that day, possibly because I avoided the lunch rush, but I was happy to sit at the counter. Despite the language barrier, I felt grateful to be able to closely observe the chefs skillfully and elegantly preparing and cooking ingredients. Upon entering, you could feel a sense of history, but the restaurant was kept very clean with no greasy smell.)
(They say all the vegetables and ingredients are sourced from their own garden - just imagining it, you can sense the natural sweetness of the vegetables.)
(It’s a warm little shop where both body and mind can relax. Crispy, sweet vegetables paired with a cup of hot tea, while observing the chefs’ craftsmanship.)
(I’ve never tried making tempura at home - it seems like an art form combining ingredients, temperature, moisture, timing, and cooking medium.)
(Observing various life moments and interactions from the counter seat. At this moment, the chef had just prepared a dish for another customer, who received the freshly made meal with both hands.)
(Looking at the weathered wooden cabinets, various tableware and tools, wall switches and tiles, I suddenly had the urge to go home and cook for my family. (Should I also start a vegetable garden?! XDD))
Dishes
Tempura Rice Bowl (Tendon) (JPY 1200, pre-tax)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ 4/5
The tempura batter is very thin, with the shrimp and vegetables retaining their moisture and texture. Compared to the not-too-sweet sauce, the rice has a subtle flavor. Here, the sauce and rice’s role is to step back and let the tempura take center stage, while quietly building up invisible but tasteable details in the background. The rice portion matches perfectly with this combination - taking one bite of ingredients, one bite of rice, occasionally accompanied by some appetizer vegetables, and before you know it, you’ve reached the bottom of the bowl.
(Here comes Maggie Simpson! Let’s taste the miso soup.)
(A warm, delicious miso soup.)
(After a short wait, my tendon arrived! As someone who likes small bites of everything, I love getting a little bit of various ingredients and finding the flow and balance between them. For example, the thin-battered tempura, paired with not-too-sweet sauce, taken with a bite of rice - it’s a perfect example of how #SoftAndCrispyMakesDelicious.)
(When the staff noticed me taking photos with Maggie Simpson from my small camera bag, they enthusiastically refilled my hot tea and chatted a bit. It felt like having a balanced lunch at home.)
(The young server, upon seeing Maggie Simpson, immediately brought out his LEGO figure from the nearby cabinet for a photo together. Haha, we both instantly connected and couldn’t stop laughing XDD He told me to take my time eating and taking photos, no rush about the 2 PM closing time - super heartwarming for a business traveler.)
Bottom line
(After paying and before leaving, I took a photo with the staff at the entrance. He wrote “Thank you” on the restaurant’s coaster, instantly bridging the distance between us. I was so happy and immediately told him I’d come back again ^^)
For less than 2,000 JPY during lunch hours, you can enjoy tempura crafted by professionals using fresh vegetables from their own garden, served as a thin-battered tempura rice bowl. Combined with convenient transportation, it’s highly recommended to give it a try. (Remember to make reservations for dinner time.) My only worry might be which LEGO figure to bring next time, though I think Maggie Simpson would probably want to accompany me a few more times XDD
Information
- Name = てんぷら 味覚 (Tempura Mikaku)
- Address = Japan, 〒106-0032 Tokyo, Minato City, Roppongi, 6 Chome−7−17 小俣ビル 1階
- Google Maps = https://maps.app.goo.gl/GJHLqouzNpLZ4aTy8