Katsuji Ginya says the job of a tempura craftsman is merely that of ‘assistant’. The reason being that the tempura chef does no more than nudge the ingredients to show the very best in their flavors, colors, and textures. He addresses each of the ingredients meeting them with his crisp, clean techniques, and the simplicity of each dish is what makes those techniques shine. True to Ginya’s words, not a single step in the process is superfluous, and the smart figure of the chef owner standing at the counter is a truly beautiful sight.

The creed here is simple: fry to perfection. That means drawing out the goodness of each ingredient to the limit. Precisely because the cooking for tempura is simple – taking carefully selected ingredients cloaking them in batter and frying them in oil – the appeal of each item must be enhanced to the fullest. For some items, such as butterbur shoots or fava beans, there is no better method. They yield the best aroma when they are ever so briefly fried to perfection.

The key component is the batter. Ginya uses cake flour called Super Violet, preferred as it is light, locks in the moisture and flavor of each ingredient, and pairs perfectly with the Taihaku sesame oil he fries in. Taihaku is a pure sesame oil that is not made through roasting and is instead pressure-extracted. It has deep condensed flavor which draws out the natural flavors of other ingredients. The batter looks simple but in fact contains four different levels within, each suited to different types of ingredients. Ginya sifts the flour several times before mixing, just prior to dipping. In addition, because each diner’s pace differs, Ginya has a number of batter pots on the go at the same time. The rhythmical sound of the wooden paddle hitting the edge of the pots is deep and comforting.

Ginya’s signature flavors are made possible through rapid frying at very high temperatures, capturing rich flavor without allowing much oil to be absorbed. His years of experience allow him to assess each ingredient’s condition on that day and in that moment to determine the appropriate amount of time in the oil. The result is superb. The textures are sublime. Shrimp are deshelled and shaped to give the flesh contours which make the shrimp positively tender and bouncy in your mouth. The amadai tilefish is a variety whose scales are edible, and the process of slowly elevating the frying temperature from cool to hot crisps the scales to delicious perfection.

The soy sauce-based dipping sauce has extremely refined flavor, prepared daily from freshly shaved bonito from Nishi-Izu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Ginya shaves them to extreme thinness making it possible to create a sauce totally absent of fishy aroma and flavor, which he says customers dip into over and over again. It’s one of those touches that Ginya prides himself on – the joy customers find in the unseen. The course at Ginya includes five to six seafood delicacies: the bouncy shrimp; ice goby fish from Akaho, Hyogo Prefecture, each individually battered and fried; uni sea urchin of the kaneki or ogawa varieties; the condensed rich flavor of scallops from a special fisherman in Iwate; and the delicious contrasting textures of soft flesh and crisp scales of the tilefish. The seafood courses are interwoven with several seasonal vegetable bites of tempura, such as the tasty spring bitterness of butterbur shoots. All of this is complemented by small plates including marinated tuna sashimi and simmered stuffed squid. The finale is a tendon rice bowl topped with a fritter filled with tasty, textured miniature shrimp and the accent of yuzu citrus.

INGREDIENTS
Seasonal ingredients are primarily sourced through Tsukiji market each morning, but specialty ingredients are also sent direct from around Japan. Exquisitely fresh scallops arrive from Yonezaki, a small town in the Rikuzentakata region of Iwate Prefecture. They are sent by a fisherman named Mr. Konno who ships them immediately after collecting them each evening. The special relationship was formed when Ginya volunteered after the earthquake and tsunami disaster in northeast Japan in 2011, and means that Ginya is virtually the only place in Tokyo these precious scallops can be savored.

The chef also invests a lot of effort into sharing the goodness of food and the distilled beverage called shochu from his native Kagoshima. The base for his tendon tempura-topped rice bowls all comes from a childhood friend who farms rice in Satsuma Kawauchi. Every month Ginya takes delivery of freshly polished Hinohikari rice which is steamed in a traditional iron pot called hagama. The salt is sea salt from inland Australia - an extremely rare item that truly enhances the umami of each tempura bite.

The sake of choice comes from Nishikiya Brewery in Miyagi Prefecture, and the whole selection is designed to complement the meal. In fact, the line-up is diverse so as to satisfy guests’ requests and even includes wine to complement tempura.