Ex-Tentsuru chef serves up classy tempura in new restaurant Tenshima

NEW RESTAURANT

Tenshima #01-09 Millenia Walk 9 Raffles Boulevard Singapore 039596 Tel: 6226-6666 Open for lunch and dinner Tues to Sun: 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm; 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm

AT THE new Tenshima, you may look at your prawn tempura and think, “Haven’t I seen you before somewhere?”

You have. Back when chef-owner Takahiro Shima was less owner and more important employee at Tentsuru in St Regis. It’s where we first met this tempura chef who really knows a great way to fry.

With Tenshima, he doesn’t have to hide behind a generic crane (tsuru) anymore. His family name is now front and centre on the door of his hinoki-clad premises in Millenia Walk, and he serves up old-school omotenashi and the same light, crisp tempura that won us over from the start.

But first, directions. The restaurant isn’t in the shopping mall, per se. Save yourself a hair-pulling search and head outside, to the cluster of restaurants facing the Conrad Centennial’s coffee house. Tenshima lies behind an imposing wall of overlapping blond wood panels – just intimidating enough to ward off unwanted office workers scouting for S$10 tendon lunch sets.

Instead, you’ll need S$180 to have lunch here. Or S$400 for dinner, if you’re hankering for shark’s fin and abalone. But if it’s just a good crunch you’re looking for, lunch will fill you up nicely with eight pieces (including one premium item), two cold dishes, tendon and dessert.

Shima’s frying style is to go thin and crisp. In the world of tempura, price is inversely related to the amount of batter used – the less they use, the more you pay. And Shima uses very little.

With just a scant coating and a bath of gently simmering oil, each piece rewards you with a lingering crackle on the outside and subtle flavours of the ingredients within.

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The chef-owner speaks little English, but his charming wife/okami-san Shiho makes up for it. Between the two of them, they exude genuine hospitality and authenticity – even in the face of loud-mouthed finance types and entitled tourists that we’re caught between on the day we visit.

While the oil gently bubbles, we get a cold starter of homemade sesame tofu and ikura in a shoyu dressing – nothing particularly exciting, but a refreshing prelude to the real meal.

As always, Shima lays out individual trays of ingredients, allocated to each set of customers. They’re predictable but fresh and expertly done. He starts off with the ubiquitous prawn head and then the body in succession, best dipped in salt or even the curry salt provided. 

It all looks effortless, but there’s an art behind the way he swirls seafood and vegetables in the clear-as-water oil – dunking, swishing, dribbling batter; and scooping up crisps before laying down each fried morsel before you. The first bite is a delicate crunch that softens slightly, leaving just a faint film of oil on the lips. It’s no dream tempura, but still a notch above the rest in Singapore.

He even goes to the trouble of sandwiching white and yellow corn – for different levels of sweetness – before frying. Okay, it’s not really that sweet; but we appreciate the effort.

Shima does fish very well, though, particularly kisu and tachiuo, each with fluffy moist flesh within a crackling crust. Asparagus is crunchy and nutty at the same time, and fat scallops immediately perk up when they come in contact with a mashed ume paste. Even a basic wedge of eggplant becomes pillowy soft. 

The premium item is a deep-fried sheet of nori topped with clean, sweet and rich uni. It’s a straight reprisal of Shima’s Tentsuru repertoire, although a real test of skill would be to fry the whole thing.

Finally, take your pick of tendon or tencha – both are equally satisfying with a sweet-savoury tare on rice or a comforting hot dashi.

Usually things peter out by this time – but wait for dessert, because it’s the highlight of the meal. Double- or maybe triple-fried sweet potato, creamy soft and candy sweet on the inside with a sturdy crust outside, is topped with a scoop of milk ice cream. Even the travails of painful fellow diners are forgiven after this treat.

With Tenshima, you get no surprises. But everything you would expect of a tempura restaurant worth its salt. Quality of other guests notwithstanding, this goes into your list of reliable standbys whenever the frying crave hits.

Rating: 7

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

10: The ultimate dining experience 9-9.5: Sublime 8-8.5: Excellent 7-7.5: Good to very good 6-6.5: Promising 5-5.5: Average Our review policy: The Business Times pays for all meals at restaurants reviewed on this page. Unless specified, the writer does not accept hosted meals prior to the review’s publication.