Tenki ｜ A long-established shop that fuses tempura with Japanese cuisine for the first time

Date of visit: Sunday, May 12, 2019

Main Tempura

Do you like tempura?

I think I am very Japanese because I feel happiness when I eat tempura and sashimi.

I thought that Tempura was one of the major pillars of traditional Japanese cuisine.

However, it’s newer than I thought.

It is said that this restaurant, Tenki, fused tempura kaiseki with traditional Japanese cuisine for the first time.

reference:  Tenki website

As a tempura lover, I just had to eat tempura at Tenki.

I visited Tenki for lunch.

Basic information about Tenki

Tenki’s Homepage 

I recommend Tenki to the following people.

Newbies to long-established restaurants in Kyoto.

I went alone, but I was able to spend the time very comfortably.

There is a conscientious price to enter easily.

Even though there is no service charge if you are seated at the counter table, you receive one dish courteously as in kaiseki.

Also, the hostess greeted me even though I was a customer at the counter. I was surprised.

The hostess saw me off as I was leaving.

This restaurant is for anyone who wants to eat tempura.

There are also private rooms and a large dining room.

State of Tenki

Tenki exterior

Tenki’s counter seat

In front of tenki’s counter seat

You can see the kitchen through the lattice.

Tenki cuisine

Tenki’s Menu

I ordered ”Tsuki” (3,500 yen, tax included).

Small bowl

First, I was served a small bowl of Yomogi Tofu.

Yomogi is mugwort.

Yomogi・・・In Japan it’s called yomogi and the leaves are sometimes blanched and added to soups or rice. Its leaves, along with those of hahakogusa, are a fundamental ingredient in kusa mochi (literally “grass cake”), a Japanese confectionery, to which it imparts its fresh, springlike fragrance and vivid green coloring.　　　Source: Wikipedia

soup

The  boiled soup contains namafu, sandomame, mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and tree buds.

The soup stock is delicious.

Otukuri

Otukuri contains tuna, chu-toro, tororo, murame (like purple spurge leaves), and perilla.

Chu-toro is the ventral meat of tuna.

That I ate Otsukuri with Yamaimo(a kind of potato) is a luxury.

We generally eat sashimi with soy sauce and wasabi.

Tempura

The tempura was shrimp, burdock, snapper, and sweet potato.

I wanted to enjoy the tempura with various seasonings (tempura soup, radish, and salt), so I ate it in small portions.

Takiawase

Next I was served Takiawase.

Takiawase is a Japanese boiled dish.

Rice and pickles

It was sawara（Spanish mackerel） in rice.

dessert

The dessert was grapefruit-flavored kuzu. Kuzu is a kind of Japanese jelly. Kuzu is a species of plant.

The beans at the top of the dessert are sweetly seasoned.

The acidity of grapefruit enhanced the sweetness of the black beans.

Garden

Tenki is famous for its garden, so I gave it a good look on my way out.

The exterior of a building with private rooms

 The first mistake in Reiwa era

I went to the toilet in Tenki after lunch, before seeing the garden.

Tenki’s Toilet

I came from the left side.

There is a sign saying “men’s toilet” in the front.

There is another door on the back side of the pillar.

I thought the back door was the women’s toilet.

I used it.

When I looked at the garden on the way home,
on the right side of the photo, I found that it says it is a private room for lady visitors!

The other door was a private room for men and I used it.

Oh dear！

Be careful.

The stop spot near Tenki is here.

Review of Tenki

It was a happy lunch with delicious tempura.

I noticed later that there was no smell of oil in the store.

That smell of fried food that gets into your clothes, there was none of that.

The restaurant offers private rooms (for dining). Next time, I would like to eat in one of their private rooms

Click here for a list of the establishments of the long-established stores that we have visited so far⇒ List arranged by year of establishment of the store

Sainara（See you）.