Food
In a special two-part food series, Tien Chew dines at Ginza Tenkuni to give you the inside scoop on what to expect
Head to Ginza Tenkuni to experience the pinnacle of tempura dining
When you are told that the restaurant of which the food you will soon be sampling comes with an illustrious heritage dating back to Japan circa 1885, you can be sure that the food you are about to taste will be nothing short of fantastic. Ginza Tenkuni is a restaurant hailing from the prestigious district of Ginza in Tokyo, mastering in Edo-style tempura cuisine and offering diners a chance to experience the pinnacle of tempura dining. The restaurant’s Malaysian establishment at The St Regis Kuala Lumpur, debuted alongside another revered Japanese restaurant —Taka by Sushi Saito—marking the first time that a specialist tempura restaurant has opened here. Two prestigious names under one roof can only mean one thing: guests will leave gratified and with a smile. Malaysia Tatler is fortunate to have
experienced both lunch and dinner at the restaurant, resulting in this special two-part series as we believe that each deserves its own attention. We will begin with one of the important meals of the day—lunch, where Ginza Tenkuni offers set lunches that incorporate a wide variety of Japanese cooking masteries served on a bed of perfectly cooked fluffy white rice. All sets come with a salad, a side of Japanese pickles, miso soup and a dessert, each playing a supporting role to help enhance the flavours of the main star. Being in the presence of tempura masters, we highly recommend ordering the tenju, essentially tempura on rice. On paper, it sounds rather straightforward, yet in actuality nothing could be further from it. The rice box comes with two prawns, one seafood and three types of vegetables, where each carefully selected ingredient is cooked with such skill that it results in an immensely gratifying lunch package. Take a bite of the tempura and you will notice that the batter is nutty without any lingering oily aftertaste, a mark of expert frying that perfectly cooks the encased ingredients to its desired doneness while ensuring that the batter is crisp, light and airy. Every ingredient complements the spoonfuls of rice drizzled with dontsuyu— a sauce made for eating tempura with rice. Diners who love anago and unagi (salt water and fresh water eel), will be thrilled to hear that both grace the menu. While you can order either seafood on a bed of rice and enjoy each different fish on its own, the nisyokuju set offers the best of both waters, a rice box with both types of eel. The anago is soft and flavourful with a wonderful balance of sweetness, smokiness, and hint of the sea that builds up with each
To dine at Ginza Tenkuni and Taka by Sushi Saito is to dine in a world of Japanese culinary prestige
spoonful, while the unagi on the other hand, is slightly chunkier and meatier with a different feel. Both eels are cooked to perfection and shine on their own, but when eaten together in one rice box the result is an extremely satisfying meal. If in the mood for some raw fish, order the chirashi-sushi that comes from sushi masters Taka by Sushi Saito instead. The lunch box comes with a selection of cuts the likes of tuna, uni, eel, squid, octopus, the restaurant’s signature custard-like egg and more. The squid is slightly crunchy and creamy, the tuna fatty and well bloodied, while the sea urchin is soft and velvety. The egg on the other hand, has an almost cakey texture yet melts like custard once in the mouth. The rice itself is made with red vinegar and has a sharper taste
Two prestigious names under one roof can only mean one thing: guests will leave gratified and with a smile
than the rice found in most other sushi restaurants.ants. Ginza Tenkuni also has two types of gyudon (beef rice) for diners, with either a stewed or grilled option to choose from. Under the guidance of executive chef Satoshi Uehara, a man handpicked by Sushi Saito and Ginza Tenkuni to lead the team of talented chefs in Malaysia and also a master of beef, the meat selected and cooked in either method is incredibly tasteful. Both options come with a poached egg that enhances the flavours of the dish. The stewed beef is marvellously tender and with just the right amount of fat, resulting in natural flavours that get accentuated by the sauce with which it is cooked in, giving it a hint of sweetness. The grilled beef on
the other hand, is also wonderfully tender. Grilling the beef adds a slight char and smokiness to the meat, providing a great feel on the palate especially when taken with the poached egg. The crust of the grilled beef is slightly crispy and well seasoned while on the inside it’s fatty and bloody, allowing the rice to soak up all the natural juices of the beef. Should you prefer seafood as well, there’s the yakizakana-zen, an option that pairs grilled fish and a selection of tempura with rice. The tempura, unlike the ones served in the tenju option, is served on its own with a lighter dipping sauce that produces a different overall texture delivery than when it comes served on a bed of rice. Nevertheless, it is still delicious and this set adds variety by adding grilled fish with a side of grilled vegetables, making for a wholesome and well-rounded meal choice. To dine at Ginza Tenkuni and Taka by Sushi Saito is to dine in a world of Japanese culinary prestige, where every course and each ingredient is cooked with techniques of the highest calibre by individuals who have dedicated their hearts to their craft. These lunch sets give diners the chance to enjoy Japanese fine dining, when time doesn’t allow for the leisurely and refined experience of dining omakase at the restaurants. Stay tuned for the second part of this story next month, where we dine omakase at the table counter of Ginza Tenkuni and delve deeper into the masteries of tempura.