Takano

You might miss this restaurant if it wasn’t for the elegant sign out front. Takano is a well-known tempura restaurant in Toyama, located in a basement of an office block not too far away from the nearest train station. This restaurant is headed by Tomoo Takano, who had spent his training years of almost two decades in his hometown Osaka — some even said he spent a year or two in Tokyo as well. Regardless of what it was, chef Takano decided to open his own restaurant in Toyama based on the wonderful recommendation of a friend. He has no regrets though — the people of Toyama love his dishes. Chef Takano uses 100% safflower oil to fry tempura-battered ingredients that are primarily sourced from Toyama.The batter is made Kansai-style, which means it’s light and thin so that the tempura pieces come out crispy and not heavy on the stomach. Everything else is also well thought through — rice is of the highest grade possible, using Toyama-grown grains, and the varieties of sake are mostly of local microbrews. Takano reflects the seamless bind of Osaka techniques with Toyama produce, presented in the craft of tempura.