The weather was nice on Tuesday, with temperatures rising and perfect for outdoor lunch. In search of seafood dishes, I went to "Tensho" for lunch. I ordered the "Nokke Don" which came with tempura and miso soup for ¥1,100. It was delicious!

I went to a tempura restaurant called Tensho in Nishi-Nippori and ordered their "Nokke Set Meal." The restaurant is located on a street where you can find famous places like Matsuchan (for Champon noodles) and Yonsen (for ramen). I had been curious about this place because of its eye-catching signboard. Although it was just before lunchtime, the place was already quite crowded, so it took a while for the food to be served. But that was understandable. It was a 40-minute break, so I was a bit anxious, but the wait was worth it. When the food was finally served, it looked delicious. The tempura included shrimp, sandfish, eggplant, green pepper, and lotus root. All of this, along with a tempura rice bowl, for 1100 yen was a good deal. I poured the tempura dipping sauce from the tabletop container, which had grated radish in it, and enjoyed the tempura. The batter was a bit thick, but it soaked up the sauce nicely. It was quite tasty. The tempura rice bowl was a bit small but satisfying. The clam miso soup was a nice touch. Honestly, I ate in a hurry so I couldn't fully appreciate the flavors, but I would like to go back and savor the meal properly next time.

I had lunch at Tenjo, a tempura and sake restaurant in Nishinippori. I ordered the "Nokke Teishoku," which is a set meal with both tempura and tempura rice bowl. It costs 980 yen but it's quite luxurious. The tempura includes shrimp, smelt fish, and vegetables, served with salt, tempura dipping sauce, and grated daikon radish. The tempura rice bowl is topped with a generous amount of tempura in a flavorful dipping sauce. It includes small fish and squid tempura. The sauce is rich, perfect for enjoying with rice. It seems like a reasonably priced place to enjoy tempura and sake in the evening as well.

I visited for lunch on a regular day. The storefront and interior were clean and the staff was friendly. The tempura consisted of pumpkin, eggplant, green pepper, whiting fish, and shrimp. The tempura bowl included fried scallop and clam miso soup, pickles, all for 980 yen. The bowl had a nice balance of sweetness and spiciness with a rich sauce that made it easy to eat. The tempura was not overcooked and just right. I would like to come back for dinner as well.

The lunch menu consists of just one item, "Nokke" (880 yen), which includes a small bowl of mixed tempura and kakiage, pickles, red miso soup, and rice. The portion is quite generous. The restaurant is not located on a main street, so it is never overcrowded, allowing for a peaceful dining experience. The service is also quick.

I visited a tempura restaurant called "Tensho" in Nishi-Nippori around 11 am on a certain day in September 2019. It was early, so there were no other customers in the restaurant. The restaurant was run by a male owner and a young female staff member. I sat at the counter and ordered the "Nokke Set Meal" for ¥980 from the lunch menu. It arrived after about 7-8 minutes. The set meal included a kakiage-don (mixed tempura rice bowl) and an assortment of tempura. The kakiage, with plenty of scallops and trefoil, was delicious. The sauce was not too strong, making it very easy to eat. It was a dish that showed the high level of this restaurant. I enjoyed it with pickles and miso soup with clams. The tempura consisted of shrimp, kisu fish, eggplant, pumpkin, and green pepper, served in a well-balanced assortment. It was a pleasure to enjoy delicious tempura with tempura dipping sauce and grated daikon radish for lunch. The price of ¥980 made it a satisfying tempura lunch. Personally, I felt that a bit more volume in the kakiage-don would be nice, but it might be a good portion for women. The tempura was well-fried with good oil drainage, allowing me to enjoy high-quality tempura. Although the customer service was a bit inconsistent, I would like to visit again at night.

【Gourmet】Marumo Kitchen | Top Page | 【Gourmet】Siam Celadon Ikebukuro Tobu Store April 3, 2019 (Wednesday) 【Gourmet】Tensho Lunch for 980 yen It's been a while since this day has passed, so I'll keep it brief (currently 4/17). I don't eat out for lunch much lately, but on this day, I decided to go to a tempura restaurant to fuel up before my afternoon workout. I had the mixed tempura bowl lunch for 980 yen. It used to be 880 yen, but due to rising ingredient costs, they recently raised the price by 100 yen. The tempura was simply delicious. The sand borer fish and pumpkin were particularly tasty. The mixed tempura had lots of squid in it, giving it a nice texture. Also, the miso soup here is delicious. The clams were plump and I even ate the meat inside. However... I asked for "half the rice," but the amount... Did they really reduce it?? Since it's a rice bowl, I couldn't bring myself to say "please reduce it" now... The woman who took my order did mention it, I think, so did the owner forget... or is this really considered "half"? Maybe I should have just gone for the tempura set meal. Feeling disappointed.

The lunch and small beer tempura were okay, but the restaurant is noisy and not clean.

I felt like having tempura and tempura rice bowl, so I went for lunch. Here, you can have the kakiage set turned into a tempura rice bowl. You can enjoy unique tempura that you can't find at chain restaurants while keeping the price reasonable. I will definitely visit again.

I had the Nokke set meal for 980 yen, which included a kakiage donburi, tempura, miso soup, and pickles. It was delicious with just the right amount of food.

I enjoyed the set meal very much.

I often visit this place at night. You can enjoy authentic tempura at a reasonable price. The other dishes besides tempura are also delicious, so I recommend it. The "nokke" (mini tempura rice bowl) at the end is the best.

Nokke Don is delicious. And cheap.

The lunch was delicious and had good value for money.

A tempura restaurant located about a 5-minute walk from JR Nishi-Nippori Station. It is situated on a main street, about 1 minute in, on the right-hand side. The exterior of the restaurant looks clean and somewhat upscale for the area of Nishi-Nippori. Inside, the decor is based on wood, with a counter and table seating that feels somewhat private. We visited around 1 pm with two people, and there was only one other customer at the time. You can catch a glimpse of the cooking process from the counter. We ordered the "nokke set meal" (880 yen), which came with a bowl of tempura topped with kakiage, pickles, red miso soup, grated daikon radish, and five pieces of tempura. While the tempura on top of the set meal seemed a bit small, the five pieces included were enough. The red miso soup was delicious, and overall, we felt like we had found a hidden gem in Nishi-Nippori. It was also a nice touch that they refilled our tea without us having to ask. Although we only saw the nokke set meal on the lunch menu, we will definitely be going back.

It is located about a 5-minute walk from Nishi-Nippori Station, but it is a bit hard to find. However, being a little away from the station, the surrounding area is very quiet, allowing you to enjoy a peaceful meal. Today, I ordered the "Ue-Nokke Teishoku" for lunch (¥1,400 including tax). "Nokke" probably refers to tempura placed on top of rice. The Ue-Nokke Teishoku included rice with tempura on top, miso soup (clam soup that day), pickles, and an assortment of tempura. The tempura assortment consisted of 2 shrimp, pumpkin, eggplant, conger eel, and clam, all freshly fried with a crispy coating. However, the shrimp were on the small side, which was disappointing. Considering the location, I think ¥1,400 is a bit expensive.

I wanted to eat tempura but didn't want to go far, wait in line, or bother with making a reservation, so I went to Tenjo-san here. (Last December) I ordered the Special Nokke Set Meal for 2400 yen and the Regular Nokke Set Meal for 1400 yen. The difference between special and regular is the type of shrimp and the pickles. The special one has prawns, while the regular one just says shrimp. Both come with 2 shrimp, 1 fish, 1 squid, 3 vegetables, and 1 tempura. I guess it's called a Nokke Set Meal because the tempura is placed on the rice. The taste of the tempura is average. Neither good nor bad.

During this season when I often have lunch with friends in Nishi-Nippori, I found a sign with the words "Tempura Lunch" as I walked a little from the station. The atmosphere was reasonable, so I decided to go in. Inside the restaurant, there were about 3 or 4 semi-private rooms that seemed suitable for izakaya-style dining even at night, with a counter seating for about 6 people. I didn't check if there was a second floor, but it seemed like a nice tempura izakaya with a good capacity. I ordered the tempura set meal. The master efficiently coated and fried the tempura, and it was served to me. For less than 1000 yen, I think the cost performance is good, considering the taste and the fact that it was freshly fried. They also seem to focus on sashimi, so I would like to visit again if I have the chance.

Around 12 o'clock, there was one customer before me and 6 or 7 customers after me. It seems like there are many regular customers. The lunch menu includes items over 1000 yen, but there are also three options priced at 880 yen each: tempura set meal, tempura rice bowl, and "nokke" set meal, all of which share the same ingredients. The "nokke" set meal consists of only tempura on the rice bowl, while the other ingredients are served as tempura. I ordered the "nokke" set meal and it was served in less than 10 minutes. The tempura had a light and crispy batter. It felt like I was eating tempura at a tempura restaurant rather than at a set meal restaurant. The ingredients were plump and well-prepared. The tempura rice bowl had a perfect balance of sweetness in the sauce, with ingredients like scallops and various seafood. It was delicious. The miso soup with clams was new to me, but it was not bad. The pickles were also good. (2016.1.20)

【Gourmet】Tensho's Nokke-don lunch for 880 yen. It's been a while since I had this meal (as of 2/22), but I just had to record this because it was quite shocking. What was so shocking? The size of the tempura on top of the "Nokke-don" has been reduced. It's only half the size now! The tempura that used to be the same size as the tempura set now just sits on top of the rice. I should have just ordered the tempura set. And to add to the shock, the miso soup this time only had 4 clams in it!!! The clams here are usually plump and delicious, so I always enjoy eating the meat, which leads to accumulating clam shells outside the bowl... Previously, there were almost 10 clams, but today there were only 4... Personally, I can forgive the reduction in tempura size, but come on, put a few more clams in there! So, my rating has significantly dropped because of this (laughs). Maybe it's because of the bad economy, but my clams... (tears).