Tempura Kakiage Yukimura

Having trained for over 20 years at Tempura Kakiage Mitsumura in Nagoya, there are few more skilled in the art of kakiage — tempura fritters made of diced seafood and vegetables — than Chef Tsuji Hiroyuki, owner of Tempura Kakiage Yukimura in Shinbashi. But the best part is the price, says Chef Tsuji. “The food is first-rate, but the prices are third-rate,” he jokes. He may have meant it as a joke, but the Michelin inspectors certainly concurred, bestowing on him a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2023. The restaurant’s specialty is in the name: when it comes to kakiage, Yukimura is simply second to none (probably rivaled only by the Nagoya restaurant in which he honed his craft). The set meal of kakiage over rice, clam soup and homemade pickles is far and away its most popular choice, but the other tempura varieties are not to be missed either, like the squid. But what’s most surprising about this tempura shop is that it has made lifelong fans of, of all things, its sauce. Chef Tsuji adopts the practice of tsugi-tashi, or “perpetual sauce”: rather than start a new batch, as the sauce runs low, he simply adds to it, deepening the flavors. This has been the practice at Tempura Kakiage Mitsumura for over 50 years, and when Chef Tsuji arrived in Tokyo, he brought two large bottles of the sauce with him to get him started. More than five decades of flavor are in every drop, so guests are advised not to waste a bit. Michelin Guide: 2023 - Bib Gourmand