Tempura is one of the most popular dishes in Japanese cuisine. Fried shrimp with vegetables, generally served with rice or udon noodles, are available at most Japanese restaurants. There is, however, another culinary level to be reached. At Tempura Matsui, the only Michelin-starred tempura restaurant in America (One Star), Executive Chef Koichi Endo is perfecting the art of Japanese tempura. The result? A tasting menu of fried ingredients that’s shockingly light and fresh.
The techniques and ingredients of Michelin-starred tempura
Ingredients, especially seasonality, are critical at Tempura Matsui. This results in a menu that changes throughout the seasons. In the summer, Endo might experiment, frying local cherry tomatoes, an unconventional item for traditional tempura. “When firefly squid or tara no me start appearing, I feel that spring has arrived,” explains Endo. “When kobako crab comes into season, it reminds me that the year is coming to an end.”
But perhaps the most important step to executing tempura at the Michelin level is the batter and frying techniques. Endo is detailed about keeping the batter light and the temperature perfectly adjusted. He uses cake flour and stores it at a precise minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit and mixes it quickly just before cooking, minimizing gluten development. For the frying process, Endo is methodical. “I judge the temperature by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil with my chopsticks and listening to the sound it makes and watching how it spreads,” explains Endo. “I look for a pattern similar to the ripples that form when a stone is dropped into water.”
The dining experience
Although there are some tables, the best way to experience Tempura Matsui is at the counter. Here, you can watch Endo as he works, navigating the delicate ingredients, coating them in batter, wielding long, thin, metal chopsticks with calm precision. Priced at $295, the Matsui Omakase course is the best option here.
For my visit, I sat at the counter in full view of Endo throughout the dinner. An amuse-bouche and sashimi start off the meal before the main course of tempura starts. Each tempura course is served singularly, with Endo or the server suggesting what seasoning is best suited (anything from salt to the housemade tentsuyu, a dashi and soy mixture). The tempura is incredibly light and airy, with no aftertaste of grease or heaviness. The ingredients taste almost steamed, barely cooked in their freshness, yet accented with the crisp of fried batter. The expected items of shrimp and fish are flawless here, but Endo also surprises with the unique. During my visit, the fried fish bones tasted of fishy potato chips in the best way, and the wagyu, not standard to tempura, was an indulgence.
Despite this, Endo is continuing to hone his craft. “I have not been frying tempura in Japan for some time, but when I return and taste truly great tempura there, I sometimes feel a sense of jealousy,” says Endo. “In a good way, it reminds me that there is still room to grow, and it pushes me to refine my craft even further in New York.”
