Best Tempura in Town

Took me a bit of effort to find my way to Tempura Suzuki before I realized they took up the space of the old Sushi Sase up on Ice House Street in Central – but I still ended up being the first to arrive at this new restaurant with only 8 seats in front of the kitchen counter. A few high-end tempura restaurants have opened in recent months, which is always a welcoming news. 

The restaurant setup was simple, a tight cozy space with a L-shaped wooden counter with Chef Yoshikazu Suzuki and his assistants working right behind off a single copper wok and stove. Separate omakase menus are available for lunch and dinner services and we have the option of add-on courses at the end. We kicked off with goma-dofu, an unusual way to start a tempura meal with but I love the soft wobbly texture with the rich sesame flavor and light batter, served with dashi in a shallow bowl. Kuruma ebi was shown to us still alive and kicking before they were turned into our next course, starting with the head and then the body. The head was cooked without batter and it’s golden crisp, while the body was dipped into a thicker batter and also deep-fried. Both were perfectly done and we were told just a gentle touch with the rock salt was all they need. 

Chef Suzuki-san is particular about the vegetable ingredients, sourcing from all over Japan from farms he has personal relationships with, and proudly showed us some of the seasonal produce he’s going to use for our menu. The eggplant from Yamaguchi Prefecture was gigantic so the chunk was plump and juicy – it was served with shaved bonito and a light brush of soy sauce. Hokkaido corn was carefully “sliced” from the husk, put on a thin batter and deep-fried, then served in a small bowl with corn potage underneath. It was sweet and I like the bit of toasted corn and batter working to balance the flavor. I love the size of the shiitake mushroom and it’s served halved with mashed shrimp paste stuffed underneath. White asparagus was in season at the time of our visit and this one is also from Japan, done with thin batter and fried slightly longer for that contrast of flavor, rich on the outside, clean and mild on the inside. Some vegetables were served as salad, including one with tempura egg yolk and kinmedai (flash-grilled on the skin), and one with fruit tomatoes and dashi jelly. 

The seafood courses were also outstanding. Amadai (tilefish) was firm and worked well with the battered crust cooked slightly longer for the deep golden color and richer taste. The kuro-awabi was served in generous portion with liver sauce on the side. We also enjoyed the Sakura ebi mixed with mitsuba into a patty – so delicious that I don’t think it required any additional seasoning. Hamaguri (giant clam) was also served as patty, this time slightly smaller and placed in a bowl with finely chopped Kyoto Kujo Negi and sauce. I don’t think I have seen a bigger uni tempura being served anywhere so it’s extra creamy with the shiso leaf wrapped outside. 

My personal favorites were the Ayu and Anago. Ayu (sweetfish) came into prime season in early/mid summer – this one came in just the right size (around half the palm-length) with that hint of bitter aftertaste working well with the crispy batter. The anago (sea eel) came towards the end of the meal and said to be Chef Suzuki-san’s signature. The whole deboned piece was cooked and then “carved” into serving portions with chopsticks in front of us – one could hear the clean crisp sound just as the eel was portioned. The sauce was another piece of art, starting with the broth prepared with the eel bones, reduced and mixed with pickled fresh sansho peppers for the most complex flavor and syrupy texture that worked perfectly well with the delicate but rich chunk of eel. 

At the end of the meal there were the usual options of rice course, but my friend A and I decided to split our choices of ten-don and ten-cha so we got a taste of both. Ten-don got better flavor, but the ten-cha was more soothing. Then we finished with fruits and ice-cream as dessert, with the sweetest honeydew melon marking the end of our long and impressive meal. 

Thought I would bring something other than the usual sake and this time it’s a bottle of Sancerre. A slightly older vintage (2014) allowed the wine to develop further, concentrated with some vanilla aroma, ripe citrus and minerality on the palate. This is definitely the one I would come back to to satisfy my frequent crave for tempura and I would even say they are a strong contender to be called the best tempura in town. 

(Dinner was by invitation)

When? June 19 2023
Where? Tempura Suzuki, Shop G2, G/F Baskerville House, 22 Ice House Street, Central
Menu Highlights? Anago Tempura with Pickled Sansho sauce
Drinks? 2014 Domaine de Terres Blanches “Chene Marchand” Sancerre AOC
Web: kuuconcepts.com.hk