Every year, my daughter invites us to lunch to celebrate my birthday. This year, we were treated to tempura as a couple. The restaurant my daughter booked for us was Tomisakoji Tempura Matsu'i for a lunch starting at 11:30. We arrived on time, sanitized our hands, and were seated at the counter. The beautiful restaurant had a counter with 10 seats that extended towards the back, and there were Kyoto-style fans displayed by the older sisters who were previously frying tempura in Pontocho. For the lunch set drink, we requested Oolong tea to start. The tray included three kinds of salt (seaweed salt, Andes salt, wasabi salt), along with lemon and grated daikon radish. The first course was three appetizers: boiled broad beans, vinegar miso-marinated firefly squid, and pickled takana and small scallops. We particularly enjoyed the fresh firefly squid, and the gentle flavor of the takana was delicious. The first tempura dish was two pieces of fried prawn legs. We were instructed to eat them with lemon, and they were crispy, fragrant, and not greasy at all. A green salad was served as a palate cleanser, with a hint of acidity and arugula accent. The next tempura dish was eggplant with hidden knives and lotus root. The crispy eggplant dipped in tempura sauce was soft, and the lotus root was crunchy, dipped in Andes rock salt. Next, snow peas and fresh wheat gluten tempura were served. The snow peas tempura was surprisingly delicious, not overly vegetal. The chewy wheat gluten had expanded due to heat, resembling warm mochi. The seventh course was fiddlehead fern, followed by cherry trout tempura. The crispy fiddlehead fern had a faint bitterness and a spring-like aroma. The cherry trout sourced from Hokkaido had no fishy smell, was fatty, and had a satisfying texture. Later, other guests who had made reservations arrived, and they seemed to be regular customers from Kanto who had fallen in love with the light, Kyoto-style tempura without sesame oil. The course consisted of ten tempura dishes, and the last ones were conger eel and sweet potato. The crispy conger eel was fluffy inside, and the sweet potato was soft and sweet, becoming addictive. We were told that they were fried at a low temperature for an hour, a specialty of the restaurant. After switching from cold Oolong tea to warm roasted tea, a small tempura rice bowl was served. The tempura was made with onion, pickles, and red miso, and it was a perfect portion to satisfy our hunger. Just when we thought it was over, they mentioned bringing dessert. Soon, everyone was served with sorbet, while I received a large tray with a roll cake and sorbet, with "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate. It was a thoughtful surprise arranged by the considerate restaurant staff, as my daughter had informed them that it was a birthday lunch. It was a bit embarrassing yet heartwarming surprise! We enjoyed the delicious cake and sorbet for dessert, and our stomachs were already full. The husband mentioned that recently, there has been an increase in Kanto-style tempura restaurants while Kyoto-style ones are decreasing. He explained that the lightly fried, light Kyoto-style tempura without a heavy oiliness was to his liking and didn't cause indigestion. Today, my daughter treated us to a delicious tempura course. It was a delightful tempura restaurant where reservations are essential, especially during the Mambou season. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you for the feast! Looking forward to next year!

Reasonably priced and authentic tempura can be enjoyed here. It's a classic and delicious tempura experience. The balance between the counter and chair height makes it possible to see the back, which is a bit disappointing. They saw us off until the end, showing their hospitality spirit, which made us feel good.

I went for lunch. It was my first time eating a tempura course where they fry it in front of you, and it was delicious with a crispy coating. They told me the best way to eat each piece with salt, sudachi, or dashi, so I could enjoy it without hesitation.

I visited Tempura Matsui for the first time and had their omakase course. The meal included appetizers, sashimi, and various tempura such as prawn, wagyu beef, lotus root, and sweet potato. For the main dish, I had a choice between tempura rice bowl or tempura with tea and pickles.

I visited for lunch on Friday, June 17, 2022, and the restaurant was almost full. They prepared acrylic partitions and I ended up sitting at the counter. I was torn between ordering the shrimp tempura rice bowl and the conger eel, but ultimately went with the shrimp! I appreciated that they asked about the amount of rice. It took about 10 minutes from ordering to being served. It also came with red miso soup. The crispy fried shrimp had a taste that can only be found in a tempura restaurant. The vegetables were also good. Overall, it's a great restaurant. I recommend their lunch menu!

Here is Tomikoji Tempura Matsui! I happened to see some great ambiance and reasonable information, so I decided to visit. The interior of the restaurant has a nice tempura shop feel, but the staff seem a bit gloomy and unsettling. The food started with small fried shrimp legs, which was surprising. The aquarium with small shrimp was a unique color and hard to see. There were more surprises throughout, but I will skip those. The final dish, a kind of tempura bowl, was a small tempura with only a few small shrimp on a small amount of rice - like a micro tempura bowl. Overall, lacking in creativity and portion size. The timing of the dishes was also poor. After finishing the micro tempura bowl in a few bites, the red soup came out (laughs). The homemade sherbet for dessert was almost flavorless - just ice. That's all from this place.

I visited around 11:30 on Saturday. There were no other customers. - Mixed Tempura Bowl 1320 yen - The hot salmon was amazing! - There were two small fish. One of them had a flavor similar to shishamo. - The taro was delicious even though I don't usually like it. It wasn't sticky like when it's stewed, it was hot and delicious! - The seaweed had a nice fragrant taste. - The chrysanthemum greens had a delicious oily taste. - Other ingredients included eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, and shrimp.

I had been curious about this restaurant, so I decided to have lunch there when I had some free time. The interior of the restaurant was clean and had a nice atmosphere. I ordered the shrimp tempura rice bowl. Shrimp tempura is delicious, isn't it? The shrimp tempura rice bowl was good, but not great. The tempura was tasty, but personally, I found the rice to be just okay, and I wished there was more sauce on the tempura bowl. Maybe my expectations were too high. The slightly careless service may have also affected my experience. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the tempura set meal more than the tempura rice bowl. I'll try that next time I go. Thank you for the meal!

I visited during the GOTO Eat campaign and had lunch! The counter seats were properly separated for COVID-19 measures. I ordered the mixed tempura bowl today! Each ingredient was carefully prepared and delicious! I would like to visit for dinner as well. Thank you for the meal!

On October 25, 2019, Matsui opened on the first floor of Fushikojimachi Mansion in the Nakagyo-ku area of Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. You can enjoy traditional Kyoto-style tempura made with fresh, seasonal ingredients fried right in front of you. The restaurant offers a luxurious counter seat experience with reasonably priced lunch menus, making it suitable for solo diners. For dinner, only course menus are available, and from 9 p.m., you can order individual items. I ordered the limited edition lunch set, the "Wakare Tendon Plate" for 1450 yen. It includes natural shrimp, seasonal fish, and vegetable tempura served on a plate with side dishes and a mini dessert, making it a great value. The set also comes with rice and red miso soup. Tempura is served with dipping sauce, grated daikon radish, matcha salt, regular salt, and yukari seasoning. You can squeeze lemon juice over the tempura if desired. The tempura was fried slowly at a low temperature, resulting in a crispy texture with a crunchy coating that locks in the flavors of the shrimp and fish. Both were incredibly delicious. Rice refills are available. I highly recommend this restaurant. Visit Eternal Rose for more photos and details about this review. Thank you for reading.

Located a short walk down Sanjo Tomikoji Street is a tempura specialty shop. I had noticed this shop while passing by before and had been meaning to visit since it seemed to be a recently opened establishment. I decided to drop by for lunch on a Saturday afternoon, as I often have lunch in this area. It was just past 1 pm when I arrived, and the shop was quite busy with foreign tourists occupying most of the seats. However, I was quickly seated at a counter seat that had just become available. The shop had around 10 counter seats and one table for four. The shop seemed to be run by the shop owner and one staff member at that time. Listening to the conversations of regular customers, it seemed that the shop was named after the owner's surname. After being seated, it took a while for my order to be taken, giving a slight impression of the staff being a bit overwhelmed. However, I decided to patiently wait for the food to be prepared at the shop's own pace. Watching the owner prepare the tempura, it was clear that they took pride in serving each piece freshly fried in a course-style manner. There was a tank with live shrimp, ensuring the freshness of the ingredients used. The comfortable chairs allowed for a relaxed dining experience, savoring each tempura piece slowly. As I was dining alone, I opted for the Mixed Tempura Donburi priced at 1,200 yen (excluding tax). The tempura rice bowl included shrimp, smelt fish, cutlassfish, eggplant, rapeseed flowers, sweet potato, and seaweed tempura. The sprinkled sansho pepper added a delightful aroma, stimulating the appetite. The shrimp tempura was firm and flavorful, with a crispy texture that extended to the tail, which was also served fried and crunchy. The smelt fish was fresh and tender, without any fishy taste. The rapeseed flowers were delicately fried, providing a crispy texture that complemented the tempura well. The eggplant was cooked just right, preserving its natural flavor and texture. The dipping sauce for the tempura bowl was exquisite, not too sweet and with a balanced viscosity that paired perfectly with the lightly cooked rice. Overall, I found the tempura rice bowl to be delicious and worth the price. The slight disorganization in the service may be due to the staff still getting used to the workflow. I look forward to trying their course menu on my next visit.

Lunch on 4.8.18. Plate dish, small beer. 4060 yen. Elegant way of frying tempura. Enjoyed with three types of salt. You can taste the delicate flavors of the ingredients with the salt.

I went to lunch with friends. It was very delicious. I would like to visit again.

The tempura was crispy and delicious! I definitely want to come back for dinner next time.

I had a lunch course. Freshly fried tempura is really delicious~ The ingredients are seasonal vegetables, which is typical of Kyoto, and I am satisfied. I enjoyed my meal slowly!

The food was delicious, not just the tempura, and I was very satisfied.