It's been a while since I've been to Lalaport. I felt like having tempura for lunch, so I decided to visit this place. I ordered the Edo-style tempura set with miso soup (1595 yen). It came with anago, 2 prawns, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, seaweed, shishito peppers, and pumpkin, along with black soybean tea. The tempura was crowded together, with the anago standing out the most. The tempura was a bit soggy because it was already dipped in sauce, so if you prefer it crispy, you may want to ask for the sauce on the side next time.

After finishing fishing on Izuminanoshima, my friend and I stopped by Kinoshita Hanzo at Rinku Premium Outlets Sakai. This famous Tokyo tempura rice bowl restaurant has several branches in Kansai area. Since it was a weekday and just before 1 pm, we were able to order without waiting. We ordered the Edomae Tempura Rice Bowl with extra rice for 1650 yen. We received a buzzer to notify us when the order was ready and waited at our table. After about 10 minutes, the buzzer went off, and we picked up the bowl with tempura toppings. We also added pickles, shichimi pepper, and extra sauce as desired. The tempura bowl was packed with conger eel, 2 shrimp, seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, green pepper, and half-cooked egg. The sauce was lightly drizzled as there was extra sauce available. Everything was delicious as it was freshly fried, although the green pepper seemed a bit small. Adding shichimi pepper halfway through brought a nice change in flavor. Since we ordered extra rice, there was a decent amount of rice. Overall, the flavors were well-balanced, and the quality was good even in a food court setting. I cannot compare it to the main branch since I have never been there, but I found it delicious and satisfying. After finishing our meal, we are thinking of moving on to have some sweets. Thank you for the meal.

After eating a huge bowl of tempura rice bowl, I made eye contact with the sign of this restaurant. I struggled with the decision and eventually ordered a single tempura rice bowl. It arrived in about 10 minutes, priced at 1080 yen. The tempura bowl had an egg tempura hidden in the center, so I was advised to break it and eat it halfway through. The shrimp tempura was decent in size. The sauce was on the thick side, but there wasn't much of it, making the rice taste a bit bland. I would have been happy with some extra sauce on the side.

I was told to wait about 10 minutes because they fry it after ordering, and I had the tempura bowl. I thought it looked a bit strong, but it wasn't that strong, and there was a half-cooked egg tempura inside, so they said to crush it while eating. It was very delicious and could also be changed in taste halfway through. The seven-spice seasoning was also flavorful and delicious.

This is a tempura rice bowl restaurant located in the food court of the mall. The service provided by the female staff member who took our order was top-notch. I ordered the shrimp tempura rice bowl and was called to pick it up after about 15 minutes. I assumed it was freshly fried, but it was at a manageable temperature when I ate it, which was a bit surprising. However, the taste was delicious. The flavor was on the rich side, so in hindsight, I didn't really need the unlimited pickles. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

This is a high-class tempura rice bowl restaurant. It looks very Instagrammable. Lately, it seems like the main focus when choosing food is whether it looks good or not. So, I ordered the tempura rice bowl from Mr. Kaneko Hanosuke. I like enoki mushrooms, so I added them as an extra topping. The tempura batter looked dark, so I thought the oil temperature was high and it would be crispy, but it was unexpectedly fluffy. The shrimp was also juicy and tender. It disappeared in an instant with the rice. I wish the miso soup had more ingredients in it. Thank you for the meal!

At noon on New Year's Day, after visiting a shrine, I went shopping at the newly opened Lalaport. It was visible from Route 309, but quite far to the multi-level parking lot once inside the premises. The inside was spacious, with stores not commonly found in AEON malls, making window shopping enjoyable. But before shopping, we had lunch first. We went to the food court, which was easy to find seats as it was past noon on New Year's Day. There were many new stores in the food court, but prices were generally on the higher side. Surprisingly, there were many ramen options available, such as Menya Fukuich, Dohtonbori, Tsujita, as well as udon options like Miyatake Sanuki Udon and Sanuki Udon Shiruan. Since it was a special occasion, we decided to try Nihonbashi Tendon Kaneko Hanosuke for the first time. The menu included Edo-style Tendon with conger eel and two prawns (1400 yen), a prawn Tendon with four prawns (1180 yen), and a Tendon with two prawns (1080 yen). We opted for the cheapest option, which came with two prawns, eggplant, pumpkin, shiitake mushrooms, green pepper, and boiled egg tempura, making it quite luxurious. Although the tempura of prawns and vegetables was delicious with a rich sauce, the boiled egg tempura was slightly disappointing as I was hoping for a soft yolk. It came with pickles, which was a nice touch. The portion was generous and tasty, but paying over 1000 yen in a food court was a bit questionable. However, considering the prices of other stores in the area, it seemed to be the standard pricing for the new food court.

I visited this restaurant a while ago when it was a standalone store in Tokyo, and now it has a regular outlet in the food court. The taste is not bad, but it seems like it has lost some of its crispiness compared to when it was a standalone store. While the taste is okay, being in a food court does make it feel like it has dropped in rank. The price is around 1500 yen per dish, which is quite expensive for lunch. It's a personal feeling, but it doesn't seem to fit in a food court. Maybe the era has come where you have to spend more money to enjoy a leisurely lunch.

Located in the Kuroyama area of Mihara Ward, the new "Lalaport Sakai" shopping center opened on November 8th, 2022. This Lalaport Sakai is the fourth Lalaport facility in the Kansai region, boasting a massive site area of approximately 74,300 square meters, a total floor area of about 143,600 square meters, 213 stores, and parking for around 3,050 cars. Initially, there was a lot of chaos due to the large number of visitors, but after nearly a month since opening, it has become a bit more calm, especially on weekday mornings for a peaceful shopping experience. One of the highlights of Lalaport Sakai is its focus on food-related stores, with 56 out of the 213 stores dedicated to food. The first floor features a slightly smaller food court called "Sakai Food Stadium," while the second floor houses the restaurant street "Sakai Food Street." The third floor boasts a huge food court called "Sakai Food Kitchen," with over 20 different food outlets. During this visit, we decided to try a tempura bowl restaurant chain from the Tokyo area, which is the second outlet in the Kansai region after Lalaport EXPOCITY. The menu includes options like the "Edomae Tendon" with one thick piece of conger eel (1,440 yen), the "Ebi Tendon" with four shrimp (1,180 yen), and the standard "Tendon" (1,080 yen). Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, we opted for the standard "Tendon" set with miso soup (1,200 yen). After placing our order and making the payment, we received a buzzer commonly used in food courts and were called to collect our meal shortly after. The tempura bowl consisted of two shrimp, along with eggplant, pumpkin, shiitake mushroom, green pepper, and egg. The tempura was noticeably dark in color, possibly due to soaking in the sauce after frying. Despite the dark appearance, each tempura maintained a crispy texture. The shrimp was plump and well-cooked, while the eggplant and shiitake were juicy, and the pumpkin was tender. However, the egg tempura was slightly overcooked, lacking the desired gooey texture of the yolk. The sauce for the tempura bowl was on the salty side, which became a bit overwhelming after a while. The miso soup, with added seaweed, had a rich flavor. However, the combination of the salty tempura bowl and miso soup left us quite thirsty afterwards. Overall, the Edomae-style tempura bowl was a unique and tasty experience, even though the flavors were a bit strong for our liking.

I stopped by at Lalaport Sakai before attending the FM802 live broadcast. Since it was Saturday afternoon, the food court was quite crowded, but we found a spot here. We were lucky because a line had formed after we got our food. When we received our meal, we were told to mix the soft tempura egg with the rice. Personally, I prefer the egg to be a bit firmer so it doesn't mix too easily, but I still enjoyed it. The portion was generous, and it kept me full until dinner. We could also get individual servings of pickles and special seven spice on the side. The special seven spice had a strong Sansho pepper flavor and was delicious. The price was a bit high for a food court, but the shrimp tempura had a good amount of filling, so it was worth it.

I heard that Kaneko Hanzo is now at the food court in the newly opened Lalaport in Sakai, Mihara. I ordered the Ebi Tempura Donburi with four pieces of shrimp, which was very filling. As I continued eating, a tempura egg was served, which added a creamy texture when mixed with the rice. There was also a condiment labeled as "Daiginomai" which seemed to be a type of seven spice blend, with a high amount of sansho pepper, complementing the tempura well. Overall, the meal was delicious, but I felt that the sesame oil fragrance, which is common in Tokyo tempura, was slightly lacking. Thank you for the meal.

Opened on November 8, 2022, this facility is the 18th "Lalaport" in Japan. I visited while in Sakai for some errands. The parking lot was almost full. I went up to the 3rd floor food court from the rooftop. First, there were no available tables. I spent about 15 minutes searching around the court. Finally found a table, but it was dirty. Left as it was by the previous customer. However, this is not the fault of the restaurant. I cleaned it with the provided disinfectant paper. It was more hygienic than just using a duster. The eel on the tempura rice bowl was disappointing. It was very thin. If the eel is this thin, I would prefer it without the batter, just deep-fried. When receiving the tempura bowl and when the tray was taken away, there were pleasant greetings from the kitchen and dishwashing area, regardless of gender, which made me feel refreshed and pleasant.

The last major commercial facility to open this year is "Lalaport Sakai" which opened on November 8th. The food court on the 3rd floor, "Sakai Food Kitchen," features "Nihonbashi Tendon Kaneko Hansuke Lalaport Sakai Store" (Osaka, Sakai City). This is the second store for "Nihonbashi Tendon Kaneko Hansuke," with the first store being at "Lalaport EXPOCITY" in Kansai. It is interesting to note that both "Lalaport Sakai" and the upcoming "Lalaport Kadoma" in the spring will have this restaurant, as the operating company is the same. The founders of "Tsujita" and "Kaneko Hansuke" have been friends since junior high school, and they sold their companies to an investment fund. The plan adopted at that time was to sell both the tendon and tsukemen concepts together, leading to the formation of "Oishii Promotion" with the investment fund. I ordered the Ebi Tendon for 1180 yen.

I ordered Edo-style tempura rice bowl at the food court at 11 o'clock. The anago tempura was large and very filling. The egg tempura was recommended to be mashed and eaten like egg over rice. I was able to enjoy it until the end without any heartburn. However, it was a bit pricey for a food court.

On holidays, it's crowded, but on weekdays, you can enjoy a relatively relaxed lunch here at the food court. I recently had the tempura bowl, which was flavorful and satisfyingly filling. It's recommended for when you want a hearty meal. The self-serve pickled ginger is also a nice touch.