What I Ate at Tenfusa, A Tempura Restaurant in Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market - New Year's Japan Travel Day 4

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

What I Ate at Tenfusa, A Tempura Restaurant in Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market - New Year's Japan Travel Day 4

My husband and I traveled Japan during this New Year's holidays. As I mentioned in my previous entry, we went to Tenfusa (天房), a tempura restaurant located in Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場). He recommended this restaurant to me because they serve delicious tempura bowl and fresh tuna, which are my favorite Japanese foods. :)

Tenfusa (天房), Tempura Restaurant in Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market

On the narrow street in front of the restaurants in Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market was super crowded. Many people were waiting in lines to enter the restaurants. However, gradually it's getting hard to know which lines were for which restaurants. While we were waiting in a line for Tenfusa, the line became longer and longer. We ended up waiting for one hour and half to enter the restaurant. (By the way, three years ago, my husband went to Sushidai (寿司大), popular sushi restaurant in Tsukiji, and waited in a line for three hours from 5 a.m.)

the narrow street in front of the restaurants in Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market

Tenfusa (天房), Tempura Restaurant in Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market

The restaurant was very old and small. It had a few small tables and a counter table. There were only eight customers including us in the restaurant.

Maguro Butsu (まぐろブツ), Fresh Tuna

Fresh Tuna Sashimi (maguro butsu, まぐろブツ)

We ordered the fresh tuna sashimi (maguro butsu, まぐろブツ) for 500 yen. It was incredibly fresh and so delicious! It was really worth waiting for it. :)))

Honjitsu No Tendon (本日の天丼), Today's Tempura Bowl Combo

Today's Tendon (honjitsu no tendon, 本日の天丼)

We also ordered Today's Tendon (honjitsu no tendon, 本日の天丼) with extra white rice for 1300 yen (1200 yen + extra rice 100 yen). ;)

Today's Tendon (honjitsu no tendon, 本日の天丼)

The tendon, tempura bowl, inluded a large shrimp (ebi, えび), shiba shrimps (shiba ebi, 芝えび), sillaginidae (kisu, きす), squid (yari ika, ヤリイカ), conger eel (anago, 穴子), pickles and miso soup. It was the best tendon I've ever had! Some foreign customers (I guessed they were from Thai or Vietnam.) looked at our tendon and seemed that they were surprised at large amount of white rice (because we ordered extra white rice.). They were telling a restaurant staff, that they would like to have tendon with "LESS" white rice in simple English and gesture. As you might know, most Japanese people don't understand English, but the staff finally understood what they were saying from words "small (スモール)" and "rice (ライス)". Even though my tendon was extra large, I enjoyed the delicious tendon and was able to eat all of them. :)

Shijimi Miso Soup (しじみみそ汁)

The miso soup had a lot of shijimi (しじみ), freshwater clams! In Japan, shijimi is well known for healthy foods, and shijimi miso soup is pretty popular there. Shijimi contains ornithine which improves liver function. In addition, natural succinic acid from shijimi creates umami flavor.