Actually I have been wondering about how good tempura, a very satisfying treat, can get. And I get my answer at Tenshima, a restaurant with an unique specialty of Tempura Omakase. Yes, this place is all about tempura, which is freshly and lovingly prepared by Chef Takahiro Shima at the open kitchen. So, can tempura be varied in taste and excites the palates? Yes, at here. Best Tempura here? Absolute Yes!
From the fresh prawn, scallop, clam, shark fin to choice produce such as corn, eggplant, shiso and asparagus, each is coated with an incredibly thin layer of super crispy, light, deep fried, delicate batter. I love that contrast in texture between the batter and ingredients. And instead of just using tempura sauce for pairing, each ingredient is recommended to go with a different type of sauce for the individual flavours to shine through. And it works brilliantly.
The restaurant has this calm and clean Zen vibe with pine wood furnishings, partitions made with reeds and shelves decorated with sake bottles, Japanese floral arrangements and Japanese pottery. I love this extra space between the entrance and dining room that gives this feeling of stepping into a different world from the busy city landscape outside.
Service here is wonderful, being meticulous, friendly and quick to responses. And also very knowledgable, going into details about origin and taste profile of the ingredients. I totally enjoy my time here. This is a must-try for the ultimate tempura experience.
Surprise of the day is uni tempura. Actually, I do wonder how to reinterpret uni in tempura form when Chef Takahiro Shima presents the ingredients for the meal, which includes uni. My question answered when the uni is served on tempura seaweed and sprinkled with sea salt. It works beautifully. The distinctive creamy umami of uni remains pure and pronounced, with the extra texture of crispy seaweed.
First appetiser of the day features super plump juicy prawn whose lovely mild brininess is elevated up by the savoury dashi and tangy yuzu. It is an awesome marriage of the sweetness from the sea, earth and fields.
Second appetiser of Anago Sushi is toasty. briny and creamy. This is so good and make me realize that I miss the taste of well-prepared anago more than I actually know.
Palate cleanser of Bonito with ginger flower and shiso is so refreshing, exciting and simulating in taste. I love it.
Specially curated sauces to pair the tempura dishes with.
Premium ingredients to be used for the Tempura Omakase
First tempura served is curiously a deep fried prawn head. It is unbelievably crispy and light. And the briny sweetness is highlighted by a simple dash of sea salt and lemon juice.
The best tempura prawn I ever have is right here. It is firm and succulent in texture, juxtaposing perfectly with the crispy batter. It tastes so sweet with the addition of sea salt and lemon juice.
When Shark Fin tempura is served, I can’t believe my ears. This is like one of the last few ingredients from the sea that I can imagine being prepared to become tempura. And I have to say this is the perfect way of preparing shark fin. Yes, move aside shark fin soup! Springy, moist strands of shark fin makes for very good texture. Tempura sauce brings excitement to the subtle flavours of the fin.
Another surprise of the day is sweet corn tempura. It is so crunchy, packed with pure milky sweetness, accentuated by the sea salt. A combination of white corn and yellow corn used to achieve that lovely balance of sweetness and aroma.
When dipped with curry powder, the taste is interesting, exotic and exciting. I love it too.
Tempura fish is creamy and has this soft, mild briny sweetness. Taste so good with tempura sauce.
The scallop has firm, springy texture that contrasts so well with the crispy batter. I pair half with sea salt and lemon to enjoy the natural sweetness of the scallop, and then another half with plum sauce for an exciting bite.
Tendon is prepared al dente, which goes very well with the sticky texture of the grated mountain yam. Very refreshing treat.
No fibres in the tempura asparagus here! Unbelievable! The asparagus from Hasegawa Farms, given the tempura treatment, is most probably the best asparagus. It is cooked just right to retain the juiciness and crunchy texture. The clean vegetal taste goes exceptionally well with the curry powder.
The end part of the asparagus is usually sweeter and more fibrous, so Chef Takahiro deep fried this for a longer time to break down the fibres. And yes, the end part is just as crunchy and fibreless, while being sweeter, going better with the milder tempura sauce.
Chewy, milky clam tempura is so good with sea salt and lemon.
Eggplant tempura is so juicy and its spongy texture juxtaposes so well with the crispy batter. I'm not an eggplant person, but I sure love this eggplant tempura.
Donburi of premium fluffy smooth rice topped with tempura mix of chopped prawns and shiso makes me have the blessed yet uniquely uplifting feeling of happiness. The multitude of flavours is so exciting. And the soufflé feel of the tempura wins my heart over totally.
Pickle and dabs of sauces added to the rice for simulating flavours.
Sweet comforting bowl of white miso soup
Actually I do briefly wonder if the dessert will be in tempura form while waiting for the dessert to be served. So when tempura sweet potato with Hokkaido milk ice-cream sprinkled with snowflake salt is presented. I am squeaking in delight in my head. This is so crispy and creamy in texture, earthy and milky in taste. Simple yet well executed.
Beautiful Sake glasses for choosing
Thoughts: Different, Delicate, Dedicated and Delicious. Tempura at its Best.
9 Raffles Boulevard
Millenia Walk #01-09
