Ginza Tenharu offers incomparable Omakase Tempura experience

‘Tempura’ is a word that diminishes my appetite. On one hand, the health-conscious me stay away from deep-fried food. On the other hand, there are too many pseudo tempuras in town. One simply cannot see what he is going to eat despite the thick, golden-brown batter.

Ginza Tenharu has completely changed my perception of tempura!

I have never thought that tempura can make an outstanding fine-dining experience. I have never thought that tempura can also make a fantastic omakase experience. Out of my surprise, Ginza Tenharu has conquered my fear of tempura. And you know what? I will definitely return to Ginza Tenharu for more omakase experience.

Ginza Tenharu

Ginza Tenharu is under the same ownership of the famous One-Michelin-Starred Ginza Sushi Ichi. Undoubtedly, both the quality and services are of an unquestionable high standard. Following the original Tenharu restaurant in central Tokyo, Ginza, this Bangkok branch also has a cedarwood counter table which can accommodate 12 guests at one time. In addition, The décor and mood of the restaurant resemble a traditional Japanese tea house. Guests can see how the chefs prepare their omakase in front of them. To my surprise, we did not smell any oil even with two huge tempura woks full of hot single-use sunflower oil were in front of us.

Ginza Tenharu Chef

It’s omakase, so I eat what the chef serves me. When we dined at Ginza Tenharu Bangkok, Executive Chef Kawaguchi Daiki served us. Chef Kawaguchi has over 20 years of experience in Japanese fine dining, including serving as a tempura expert in renowned establishments.

Before the tempura omakase starts, Chef Kawaguchi prepared all the ingredients for our dinner and presented them beautifully in front of us. He presented the best seasonal ingredients; while a server dressed in Japanese kimono explained all the seasonings and sauces at my counter.

It’s so enjoyable to watch the chef preparing each bit for us. There is a special skill to fry the ingredients and how to put the batter on the ingredients. Surely, it’s an art and also a kind of skill that not an ordinary person can do.

Ginza Tenharu Omakase Tempura Experience

Chef Kawaguchi fried each kind of the ingredients and carefully placed it on the serving plate with an oil absorption paper. He told us which sauce or seasoning we should eat with it. Under the brilliant advice of Chef Kawaguchi, we experienced a beautiful combination of layers of flavours and textures.  The batter was slim but crispy. We could still see the ingredient very clearly. The sauces and seasonings enhanced the original flavours of the ingredients. Every bite was unforgettable.

I especially like the Maarui Salt and the plum sauce. The salt brought umami taste to my bite; whereas the latter added a layer of enticingly sweet and sour flavour to the tempura.

To me, it’s an outstanding dining experience. From starter to the dessert, the service is pitch-perfect. There was a building up of flavours from the first course. In addition, I was surprised from time to time by the matching of tempura and the sauces/seasoning. The same tempura could taste very differently when eating with different seasonings/sauces. Obviously, I was savouring the culinary skills of Chef Kawaguchi and the beautiful flavours of Japanese seasonal ingredients.

Omakase Tempura Menu – Oborotsuki Course (THB 6,500)

Seasonal Appetizer

Tempura and Special – Chef’s choices

Tendon/Tencha/Udon/Special

Seasonal dessert

Where is Ginza Tenharu?