I've always wanted to try the main Tempura Ippoh shop in Osaka ever since I ate at the branch at Dempsey Hill in Singapore. While I enjoyed the tempura served at the Dempsey Hill branch, I knew it wasn't top quality, I couldn't help but wonder how much better it can be at the main shop. Well, looks like God's blessing was upon me as my parents and I managed to secure a lunch reservation there. We took a taxi to the restaurant and as we entered the main hall, there were several women dressed in their traditional yukatas bowing extremely low and welcoming us into the restaurant. We had to take off our shoes and change to their indoor slippers which I have to admit were really comfortable. We were then ushered to a private room which had a lovely view of the garden outside. Shortly after, a very senior but friendly chef entered with his tray of ingredients and began preparing the fantastic tempura meal that was about to come. I'll let the pictures do the talking:
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| The talented senior and very friendly chef |
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| Clear stock with kelp |
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| Gluten tofu with sea urchin |
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| Assorted starters including yam, konjac, Komochikonbu and egg |
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| Assorted sashimi |
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| Japanese tiger shrimp |
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| Maitake mushroom |
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| Garfish |
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| Ginko nuts |
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| Japanese tiger shrimp wrapped in shiso leaf |
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| Sweet potato |
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| Japanese tiger shrimp heads |
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| Gluten |
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| Oyster |
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| Soy cheese |
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| Conger Eel |
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| Kabura (a type of radish) |
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| Manju with red bean |
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| Assorted pickles |
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| Kakiage Tendon with extra tempura flakes |
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| Miso soup |
While some items weren't all that impressive like the Kabura and the Ginko nuts, it was generally a great meal overall. The tempura batter was thin and had a pleasant subtle crunch to it. I never had that oily feeling in my mouth and finished the meal feeling satisfied but not exactly full (but maybe it's because I'm a big eater; to most people you'd be full). Regardless, I enjoyed my experience dining here and would gladly come back in the near future. By the way, this is the 12000 yen matsu lunch course which is only available on Saturdays for that price. The same course costs slightly over 14000 yen on a weekday.
Website:http://www.ippoh.com/en/honten.html
Address: 1 Chome-18-35 Edobori Nishi-ku Ōsaka-shi Ōsaka-fu
Budget (Lunch / Dinner): 8500+ Yen / 20000+ Yen
My rating: 4 /5
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