On a sunny Sunday, I took a leisurely stroll in Otaru with Lilias, enjoying the canal area and doing some shopping. Despite feeling a bit of heartburn from the previous night's drinking, we decided to have lunch at a place that had been on our radar for a while. Located in a historic building at a prominent corner of the restaurant colony called "Debukijikoji," the small eatery had only a counter inside where a relatively young owner warmly greeted us. We ordered the Otaru seafood tempura rice bowl for 1,000 yen and the Taniya set meal (with soba instead) for 1,800 yen. The dishes were made from scratch, so it took a bit of time for them to be served, but the wait was reasonable. The tempura was crispy and light, with a variety of ingredients like scallops, mushrooms, cherry salmon, octopus, and more. It was probably made using a lot of offcuts, making it a good value for the price. The sauce was lightly tangy and not too heavy, which was nice. I also enjoyed the red miso soup, which had a refined yet flavorful taste. I tried a bite of the soba from the set meal next to me, and while it wasn't bad, it seemed a bit sticky and starchy, possibly due to the way it was cooked. Overall, it was a satisfying meal. Thank you.

I wanted to visit the tempura restaurant in April 2022. It is located in a tourist area with a charming and lovely exterior. The small interior has only counter seats. I ordered a set of tempura and soba noodles. The soba noodles were hand-made with sesame seeds, thin and slightly lacking in firmness. There was no soba broth. As for the tempura, it included shrimp, seafood, eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, and tea tree mushrooms - all my favorites. The batter was crispy, fried to perfection, and delicious.

In June 2021, the food ambassador of Otaru, who is known for his love of tempura, made his first post. As a fan of tempura, I had always been curious about this restaurant. There aren't many tempura restaurants in Otaru, and I was particularly drawn to the tempura at "Bon." Although I was a bit concerned about the fact that the previous restaurant was also a tempura restaurant and that the alleyways in Otaru are popular with tourists. Otaru is a tourist destination, so it's natural for some shops to cater to tourists, but it's tough if they're not also used by locals. The restaurant is located near the Otaru Canal and has a charming storefront. The small shop has only 7 counter seats. With just one young owner managing everything, it must be quite challenging. I ordered the "Otaru Seafood Tempura Bowl" for 1,000 yen. The young owner's service was pleasant, and he was busy preparing ingredients in the kitchen. He fried the tempura in the fryer at the counter. The miso soup had a nice seaweed flavor. The Nara pickles with the tempura were unusual but not bad. The tempura was not the compact type, but rather a combination of small pieces. It was disappointing that although small shrimp and squid were visible, shiitake mushrooms, eringi mushrooms, and onions were prominent, and there was a lack of seafood flavor. This made it more like a "vegetable tempura." The light sauce was nice, but it didn't quite live up to the claim of being Otaru seafood tempura. With fewer tourists due to the pandemic, running the business must be tough, but I hope the young owner will strive to be known as the place for delicious tempura in Otaru.

In May 2021, a new tempura restaurant called "Tempura Kuraya" opened in a location that used to be the famous "Tempura Wakisaka" in the bustling tourist area of Otaru. The restaurant has about 8 counter seats and the young owner, who previously worked at the closed "Hanagokoro Otaru" tempura restaurant, is quite a nice guy. The menu includes a variety of tempura dishes such as Otaru seafood mixed tempura bowl for 1,000 yen, Mantendon for 1,100 yen, Kuraya Tendon, Kuraya Tentei for 1,800 yen each, and seafood tendon for 2,200 yen. The course meals range from 5,000 to 7,000 yen, and individual tempura pieces are priced at 100 yen each. The "Kuraya Tentei" set I ordered consisted of flatfish, scallop, shrimp (male), eggplant, shiitake mushroom, and tea tree mushroom, all served at once. The tempura batter was crispy and all the items were delicious, especially the plump flatfish and flavorful tea tree mushroom. The tempura dipping sauce was elegant and complemented the rice well, which had a nice firmness. The miso soup and pickles served on the side were also of good quality. Although the restaurant currently focuses on lunch service and may face challenges in the evenings, the reasonably priced alcohol options such as draft beer, sour, and highball for 380 yen each, along with individual tempura pieces, make it a good place for a casual drink and snack. Despite the tough start, I hope they can overcome the challenges and succeed.

This was the most delicious tenmusu I have ever eaten. I ordered it because the tempura bowl looked big, but the seaweed, rice, and shrimp tempura inside were all delicious. I also ordered tempura as a side dish, and everything was so delicious that it moved me.