Tempura Ginya

The craftsmanship that goes into every meal at this two Michelin-starred tempura restaurant in Shirokanedai is clear to see. It all begins with the oil for frying the ingredients. The owner-chef at Tempura Ginya uses a special kind of pressure-extracted sesame oil in his fryers. It’s heated to high temperatures so that the cooking time is reduced, resulting in flavorful parcels of tempura, with very little excess oil absorbing into the ingredients. Before being fried, the ingredients are coated with a light batter, made according to a closely-guarded house recipe. There’s a focus on excellent seafood, including tilefish fried with the scales on, sea urchin, and fresh scallops. In plating the dishes and setting their order in the omakase meal, the chef pays attention to color and texture as much as taste. While one eye is on the food, the other is on the guests (as are those of the hostess, his wife). Together they pace the meal to fit each guest, allowing them to enjoy a leisurely meal without feeling rushed or too full. Each meal is rounded off with a rice bowl topped with seasonal ingredients, made with rice sourced from the owner’s home prefecture of Kagoshima.