August 10, 2014

Famous tendon (tempura bowl) since 1887 in Asakusa

Just besides the Senso-ji Temple (浅草寺) in Asakusa (浅草), there is a famous tendon (tempura bowl) restaurant named "Daikokuya (大黒家)" which has started since 1887. Daikokuya itself is like a sightseeing spot which gathers many tourists because of the long history and the fame. People always make a long queue. When I went there on weekend, 20 people were still waiting around 3 o'clock (the below photo was taken around 4pm, between lunch and dinner. Few people were waiting.)
Daikokuya
Basic tendon
Most people ordered basic tendon at JPY1,550, rice topped with tempura of a prawn, a white fish and a mixed vegetable. The feature of their tempura is being deep-fried only by rich sesame oil and strong flavor sauce over tempura. This is good and distinctive. On the other hand, their old fashioned  tempura is non-crispy deep fry batter which I found it less tasty. Tempura served by professional should be always crispy! The taste is not bad, but the texture is not good. 126 years ago, it might be very tasty. It is beautiful to maintain their traditions, but at the same time, innovation is also necessary for the next 100 years. My rating is 2.3 out of 5. Gochiso-samadeshita!

Daikokuya (大黒家) http://www.tempura.co.jp/  

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