After the opening of Taka by Sushi Saito (the only outpost of the three-Michelin-starred sushi establishment outside of Tokyo), here’s more cause for celebration. Sharing the same space as Taka is Ginza Tenkuni, Edo-style tempura specialists hailing from Tokyo. No small fry, Ginza Tenkuni began as a street stall in 1885, famed for its secret recipes of batter, tempura oil and tentsuyu dipping sauce. Helmed by Chef Kenichi Ishikawa, the Ginza Tenkuni in The St Regis Kuala Lumpur will be using all of the aforementioned ingredients imported from Japan.
The tempura veterans have come up with a special Kirin Ichiban-inspired menu, available until June 12. If possible, ask for a seat at the U-shaped tempura counter (made from 300-year-old Japanese cypress) to watch Chef Ishikawa in action. The meal starts off with an intricate appetiser which includes abalone (stewed in Kirin Ichiban beer for two days), lightly-fried edamame and ayu (a seasonal sweetfish), and tamagoyaki, with a single bayberry to cleanse your palate for the next dish. To showcase the versatility of the fine malt beer, the omakase menu also includes sashimi (translucent slices of fugu, chutoro and sweet hiramasa), grilled velvety beer-fed miyazaki wagyu (intensely marbled, specially picked by executive chef Satoshi Uehara, and served with three condiments – broccoli salt, plum salt and mustard seed sauce) and silky inaniwa udon with kakiage.
The highlight of the omakase is undoubtedly the tempura. A vat of oil bubbles merrily away at the counter as Chef Ishikawa expertly cooks the seasonal vegetables and seafood, all battered and fried to perfection. Ask the chef for the best way to enjoy the different tempura, be it with a light sprinkling of salt, a dash of lemon juice, or the in-house tentsuyu sauce with spoonfuls of grated daikon. For dessert, a goblet of ginger-infused Kirin jelly with beer foam, paired with a selection of fresh fruits such as grapes from Okayama, strawberry halves and a wedge of Japanese sweet melon – a fitting end to the feast. Kampai!
The Kirin Ichiban-inspired menu is priced at RM1,200nett per pax, inclusive of two bottles of Kirin Ichiban. Available for lunch and dinner until June 12. Reservations required.