Tempura Tatsumi 天麩羅 巽 (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

A few weeks before our trip to Tokyo, my little one pulled me aside and secretly shared his expectations for the trip. With the enthusiasm of a young foodie, he made it clear that he wanted tempura and teppanyaki to be part of our itinerary. Looks like I'll have to find a way to fit them into our busy schedule!

Located inside the prestigious Palace Hotel, Tempura Tatsumi (天麩羅 巽) is one of the highest ranked tempura restaurant in Tokyo, albeit without a Michelin star. 

Having the room all to ourselves definitely made the experience even more special.

As usual, we were offered some condiments to go with our tempura, starting with this grated Japanese white radish.

And five types of salt including buckwheat salt, sancho pepper salt and seaweed salt.

But first, a refreshing starter to get our palate ready. This came with Japanese sesame tofu, spinach and dried conpoy nicely topped with a light soy sauce jelly.

Our chef then quickly showed us the ingredients for today's lunch.

Shrimp head – Crispy, flaky and slightly chewy (in a nice way). Solid start.

Shrimp (First) – The shrimp was well done with a light batter. Very delicate.

Shrimp (Second) – Partially cooked, leaving the centre slightly raw. I like this a little more than the fully-cooked one.

Lotus root – We were recommended to eat it with the buckwheat salt. I thought the lotus root delivered some really nice crunch but the salt was a little light to add to the flavors.

Squid – Surprisingly soft and tender.

Green asparagus – Really crispy on the outside and soft/warm inside. Not bad.

Matsutake mushroom – Pretty juicy.

There was a break in action when our chef went back stage and not long after, our server brought out a small salad with some flower petals on top.

Scallop – Definitely one of the more memorable dish this afternoon. We were asked to have it

with the sancho pepper salt, which added some nice smokiness to it.

Eggplant – Always a crowd pleaser in a tempura meal thanks to its juicy texture underneath the crispy coating.

Our typical choice on the last savory course in a tempura meal, tendon. 

This time, the kakiage was made with diced vegetables and sakura shrimps (but no other seafood). And little one wanted more soy sauce! 😪😪

The rice bowl was accompanied by a small cup of miso soup.

Dessert was milk pudding with mango and bits of mochi hidden in the middle. Yeah, I like this better than fresh strawberries or musk melon.

As anticipated, the service was excellent, given its location in a luxury 5-star hotel. But was it a more enjoyable experience than my visit to Tempura Shinsaibashi Ittetsu (天婦羅 心齋橋一哲) last month? Personally, I would choose Tempura Shinsaibashi Ittetsu on any given day.

P.S. Unlike most tempura restaurants in Tokyo, children are welcome here.

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: ￥￥￥￥

Address: 6/F Palace Hotel Tokyo, 1-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Otemachi

Tel: +81 3-3211-5322

Website: https://www.palacehoteltokyo.com/restaurant/tatsumi/

Opening Hours: 11:30am - 2:30pm, 5:30pm - 10:00pm daily