京夏終空
"Tempura, Sashimi, and Small Dishes," "Private Tatami Seating for Banquets," and "Wakatake" are written on the sign. It's located near Ikebukuro East Exit, close to the station, at the narrowest street near the Rokumambaguchi intersection. It's also the basement of the coffee shop "Flea Market." You go down a dedicated staircase. It has a counter and seats similar to private tatami seating. I felt like I had been to this place before, but I wasn't entirely sure. It was lunchtime, around 1:30 PM, and it was not crowded, so they recommended the tatami seating. As per the sign, they offer tempura and sashimi menus. I ordered the "Ebi Don (Shrimp Rice Bowl) with Extra Rice" (1,100 yen) and "Your Choice of Tempura with Smelt Fish Tempura" (300 yen) – as shown in the photo. Although it was labeled as "Ebi Don," it was essentially a shrimp tempura rice bowl. It came with extra rice, and either due to that or the added smelt fish tempura, the lid wouldn't close. It also came with miso soup and pickles. The Ebi Don had three shrimp and vegetable tempura. On this day, it included pumpkin, bell pepper, and shimeji mushrooms. The tempura batter was not very thick but had a dense, traditional Edo-style tempura feel that didn't overpower the flavors of the ingredients. The sauce had a sweetness with depth, and it felt like malt syrup was the dominant sweetness. However, it wasn't cloyingly sweet; it had a bitterness reminiscent of an aged roasted flavor. The taste of each ingredient in the tempura was within the expected range for the price. The miso soup had clams, and the pickles resembled leafy chili peppers. It was a satisfying meal. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed. It felt like the kind of place where you could enjoy some casual drinking at the counter while munching on freshly fried tempura without being too formal. (Author: Kyonatsu Shuukuu, September 20, 2019) (6 reviews, 3.25 stars)