らむたら
Visited alone on a holiday night. Had been there a few times before. Managed to get a reservation on the same day. The restaurant seemed spacious with white lighting that may alter the color of the tempura. There were 13 seats, and about 10 were filled including me. Most customers were in quiet groups, focused on eating. It's a bit far from Ginza, so those who come here must really love food. This place is one of the top tempura restaurants in Japan, yet it's relatively easy to get a reservation even on the same day. The tempura here is surprisingly light, in a good way. The oil is well-drained, and the paper hardly gets dirty. They change the oil frequently. I arrived late and was the last customer, but they still changed the oil even though there were only two more items left to fry. The dishes I had were as follows: - Turnip and red snapper soup (appetizer) - Shrimp, squid, lotus root, scallop, sandfish, cod milt, sea bream sashimi (palate cleanser) - Burdock root, taro, scallop, shiitake mushroom and shrimp, seaweed (palate cleanser) - Conger eel, tempura rice bowl, musk melon sherbet I also ordered sandfish and burdock root as additional items. I had beer, 1.5 servings of sake, and 2 glasses of white wine. Due to the holiday, they didn't have fresh goby fish, which apparently is only available when the market is open. The frying technique is expertly done. The sandfish was plump, the cod milt was perfectly creamy, the squid and scallop appeared rare but were warm inside, and the conger eel was crispy and flavorful. The lotus root, burdock root, and shiitake mushroom had amazing fragrances. The tempura here doesn't make you feel heavy. I was unsure where to use the lemon as a condiment, but it turned out you could use it however you like. The sashimi served as a palate cleanser was a nice touch. They have a good selection of sake and even offer white wine, which I don't usually drink with Japanese food, but it went well with the tempura. There were two types of white wine glasses available. There were a few apprentices who were a bit tense but provided polite service. The head chef worked diligently, but I wish there was a bit more explanation about the dishes. Of course, they would answer any questions if asked, and the farewell was courteous with no rude behavior. The bill came to about 33,000 yen (including tax). While the taste was impeccable, the cost was on the higher side. Perhaps because it's a bit off the beaten path in Tsukiji and the price is relatively high, reservations are easier to get. It's easy to make a reservation, and I think it's worth visiting occasionally.