My first time tasting sperm sac, I was a little hesitant to take a bite initially, but I'm glad I did. I was baffled at how the chef managed to fry it till it's a crispy golden brown on the outside, yet kept the sperm sac so magically creamy and soft, almost like melted cheese. A word of caution though, when you bite into this because it was piping hot! Mmm, definitely a yes for me.
Paid Ippoh a visit over the festive season for their lunch set and I like the fact that every piece was individually fried, allowing the chef to control the various elements. The tempuras here are done Osaka style, which was what earned this tempura specialist their popularity throughout Japan. The pacing though, felt a little rushed to me as the chef was constantly monitoring me to gauge when to cook the next piece, a necessary measure, i understand, but a little intimidating with the constant gaze. Their lunch sets are pretty pocket friendly given the quality of their ingredients! I got the Ume set, which comprises of:
1. Assorted Appetizer (Trio of Chef's Special)
2. 11 Pieces of Tempura (2 Prawns, 3 Seafood, 4 Vegetables, Shrimp Toast, Sea Urchin Tempura with Caviar)
3. Kakiage (Served with Rice or Cold Somen Noodles)
4. Ice Cream
My condiments consist of a slice of lemon, salt, a bowl of dashi and grated radish, with the chef recommending which to pair with after he is done frying and place it in front of you. Albeit a couple of hit and misses, the meal was overall good.
Another noteworthy mention is the Tempura Shrimp Toast, which was utterly crispy with that golden brown colour and a thin layer of oil glistening away. The bite resembles the texture of fish cake and was definitely umami filled! Add on these dishes in your meal if they are not included in your set!
Some tempuras were spectacular, like the Sea Urchin Tempura with Caviar. Boy, the ingredients alone were enough to sweep me off my feet. Luxury at its best, the uni and scoop of caviar were laid beautifully atop the seaweed tempura. The crispy and savoury tempura paired beautifully with the sweet and oceanic flavours given off by the seafood.
Dinner omakase is priced from $100++ to $200++). Our dinner here is off to a great start with this Japanese tofu infused with the nutty, aromatic taste of sesame. It's served with ichiban dashi and soy sauce, topped with Bafun uni from Hokkaido, and freshly grated wasabi from Shizuoka.
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Then our dinner got even better when we progressed to the tempura courses. How is anything else be better than uni? After all, this is Ippoh, Osaka’s oldest premium tempura restaurant. Ippoh at Osaka has been loved for over 150 years with its heritage Osaka-style tempura, while Ippoh Tempura Bar by Ginza Ippoh at COMO Dempsey is their first Southeast Asian outpost.
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I've many good things to say about their tempura. Till the next ig post :) Meanwhile, can watch the ig stories under my highlights "Ippoh Tempura".
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[Tasting] #foodphotography #fujifilm #burpple #tempurasg #sgfoodies #sgfood #foodsg #instasg #foodstagram #instafood #instafood_sg #f52grams #hungrygowhere #sgjapanesefood #sgfoodblogger #vscofood #sgig #sgjapfood #eeeeeats #burpplesg #晩ごはん #夕ご飯 #夜ごはん #おうちごはん #和食 #finedining #uni #omakase #tempura
H O S T E D
Above are the #SameSameButDifferent pieces of Osaka-style tempura I had.
The first is a triangle of Camembert cheese that’s basically been reduced to molten creaminess after it was coated in batter and dropped into boiling hot safflower oil.
The second is Shirako or sperm sac that’s also gone through the same preparation steps. If you have ever eaten this, you’ll know it is innately creamy. So with the intense heat from being tempura-ed, it got even more liquid-y. But I feel it managed to hold on to its structure just a wee bit stronger, which is more than what I can say about the cheese 😆
The bottom line though is I enjoyed both immensely and would order them again without hesitation.
H O S T E D
I felt blessed to have my tempura meal at Ippoh Tempura Bar prepared and served piece by piece, by none other than Chef Masaru Seki. He is the 5th generation of the founding member of the oldest tempura restaurant company in Japan, and is in Singapore this week.
After my host Celine and I had settled into our seats at the 12-seater counter, we chatted with Chef Seki-San for a bit - he is such a friendly chap.
We sipped on sake as we perused the menu to decide which of the three set meals priced at $70++, $85++ and $100++ to get. A few of you may notice their prices have been adjusted recently so they're more pocket-friendly in comparison to when they first opened last year. Anyway, as this was my first visit, I opted for the $70++.
The tempura here is done in the Osaka style, which has earned Ippoh widespread fame and popularity throughout Japan and beyond. As expected, the food served at this cosy space is a lot more refined than what you get at those bigger casual places specialising in tempura ricebowls. What made me go wow were the "Live Shrimp with Shiso Leaf" and the "Chestnuts". In tempura form, they're new to me and really delicious!
If I were to compare the battered coating of Ippoh's and Mizuki (where I had also dined at recently), I'd say the latter's is paper-thin and crispier. Ippoh's is a little bit thicker, which gives it a slightly gentler crunch. "Less keropok" (Asian cracker snack) would be another way I'd describe it.
For the last course, they offer a choice - you can have the kakiage on rice or ochazuke (green tea porridge). Having not had the crispy fritter with anything but the former, I went for the ochazuke and I liked it. Do note you should select this only if you don't mind the kakiage getting a bit soft from the green tea.
H O S T E D
Given a choice of uni, I would always opt for the Bafun as I am drawn to its sweetness. During today's tasting at @Ippohsg, I was chuffed to learn that it's the one used in their "Special Uni & Caviar Tempura" ($25++).
Unlike another restaurant I visited recently which wraps their uni in seaweed and deepfries the entire thing, over here, the tempura treatment is reserved for the seaweed that forms the base on which the fresh Bafun is laid. Over that goes a scoop of glistening black caviar and some fresh wasabi.
I was told by the chef - there's no need for anything else, just eat this as it is. So I did and it was marvelous. The crunchy base contrasted wonderfully with the ocean's offerings of the sweetly creamy and the savoury. Sealing the deal was the wasabi's whisper of heat.
I recommended adding on this even if you are choosing the set meal.
This is where you head to for an authentic tempura experience, to be seated at the tempura bar and watch Chef Masaru Seki prepare and immediately serve each piece of tempura that uses the freshest seasonal produce flown directly in from Japan. And you will also watch how Chef adjust the batter each time before the ingredients are individually coated and fried in safflower oil.
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The batter is ethereal - both in terms of texture and flavour. It uses Hokkaido water and a simple combination of eggs and special all-natural flour mix from Ginza, without additional seasoning. This coats the pristine ingredients with a light thin crisp, that never felt too hard or crunchy.
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This is premium tempura, and differ from the more oily offerings at tendon shops. There won't be savory sticky sauces. In its place, each tempura is served only with house-made tempura sauce simmered from ichiban dashi, grated radish, lemon, and salt. This is the way Osaka-style tempura has traditionally been enjoyed. Indeed, the lightness in texture and flavours, including the minimal additional seasoning served on the side, allows the flavours of each produce to shine.
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This is how Ippoh Tempura Bar stays true to the purity of heritage. And that purity extends to its taste as well.
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[Tasting] Refer to my IG story highlights - Ippoh Tempura for description of each item pictured here. #foodphotography #fujifilm #burpple #tempurasg #sgfoodies #sgfood #foodsg #instasg #foodstagram #instafood #instafood_sg #f52grams #hungrygowhere #sgjapanesefood #sgfoodblogger #vscofood #sgig #sgjapfood #eeeeeats #burpplesg #晩ごはん #夕ご飯 #夜ごはん #おうちごはん #和食 #finedining #tempurasg #omakase #tempura
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Ippoh Tempura Bar, Dempsey, Singapore
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#foodie #tempura #foodporn #sgfoodie #iphonography #pinoyfoodie #leica #foodbeast #foodstagram #thefoodspotter #yummy #foodgram #feedfeed #goodeats #caviar #buzzfeast #food #uni #delicious #foodcoma #foodgram #forkyeah #foodphotography #seaurchin #delicious #instagram #burpple #japanesefood #foodlover #appetizer
It's doesn't get any better than that. I like how the coating is very thin, texture is crispy and cooked just right then dipped in a nice Tempura sauce with a freshly grated radish accompanying. . .
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Ippoh Tempura Bar, Dempsey, Singapore
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#foodie #mychefstable #foodporn #sgfoodie #iphonography #pinoyfoodie #leica #foodbeast #foodstagram #thefoodspotter #yummy #foodgram #feedfeed #goodeats #tempura #buzzfeast #food #crisp #delicious #foodcoma #foodgram #forkyeah #foodphotography #prawns #delicious #instagram #burpple #japanesefood #foodlover #shrimp
The art of Japanese food presentation is tops. Perfectly cut tofu and nicely shingled Uni. The flavor and texture is as awesome as it's aesthetics. . .
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Ippoh Tempura Bar, Dempsey, Singapore
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#foodie #mychefstable #foodporn #sgfoodie #iphonography #pinoyfoodie #leica #foodbeast #foodstagram #thefoodspotter #yummy #foodgram #feedfeed #goodeats #tofu #buzzfeast #food #uni #delicious #foodcoma #foodgram #forkyeah #foodphotography #seaurchin #delicious #instagram #burpple #japanesefood #foodlover #appetizer
