Tempura Matsu (天ぷら松)

21-26 Umezu Onawabacho

Ukyo Ward

Kyoto

615-0925

Japan

BY NEAL MARTIN | APRIL 09, 2024

The Food:

Boiling black squid with dashi

Sea bream in aubergine and rice vinegar sauce

Squid and sea bream sashimi

Black Throat Sea Perch sushi

Horsehair crab

Fatty tuna with sesame dressing on rice

Grilled eel

Assorted tempura: scallop, lotus root, king prawn, okra, silverfish and finally, onion

Cold soba with egg yolk served in a block of ice

Roast tea ice cream

The Wine:

2018 Domaine Servin Chablis Les Pargues  87

Tempura Matsu is located on the western fringe of Kyoto towards Arashiyama and overlooks the Katsura River, beyond which lies Japan’s deeply forested, mountainous interior. This part of Kyoto is less touristic, although it attracts gourmands visiting nearby Kitcho, one of the country’s triple-starred restaurants. Shunichi Matsuno established Tempura Matsu in 1973 as a tempura bar, and it remains a family concern. The reins have now passed to his son, Toshio, who completed stints with Alain Ducasse and Grant Achatz before working alongside his father. The restaurant gained renown after being featured in travel writer Matt Goulding’s book Rice, Noodle, Fish.

The Tempura Matsu exterior

The restaurant is easy to find using a Smartphone. It occupies a two-story black and white building that is not dissimilar to a residential house. Its purpose is given away by the chefs visible, prepping away through the front window. Like many places in Japan, it is bijou in size, with seven counter seats (where I like to be seated), a couple of booths and a private room. The décor is cozy, homely and simple, with large oak beams and traditional lanterns dangling from the ceiling. It is a place that feels lived-in, timeless in some ways.

The Tempura Matsu chef

Taking my seat, I notice rudimentary equipment in the kitchen. A tempura frier is located by the window. Toshio Matsuno is readying himself for lunch that day, deftly slicing squid into tiny ribbons with a knife that may have been forged by Hattaro Hanzõ himself (Tarantino fans will get the reference). Some of the equipment looks as if it might be decades old. The maître d’, who I find very hospitable and speaks a few words of English, is actually Shunichi’s mother.

I am dining alone without the aid of my Japanese wife-cum-translator. My basic understanding of the language helps, and the dishes recounted in this Vinous Table were translated by myself and scribbled down in my notebook as lunch unfolded, so apologies if anything is lost in translation! I believe you should get along fine if your Japanese goes no further than “Arigato”. One notable aspect of Tempura Matsu is their use of antique ceramics or oribe ware, renowned for its vivid colors. Some of Matsu’s chinaware dates back 300 years.

Boiling black squid with dashi

Before describing the dishes, I must point out that its name is misleading because, despite the restaurant’s name, tempura is just one part of a multi-course kaiseki menu, of which there are three options between 15,000 to 25,000 Yen per person. That is definitely on the expensive side, though no more than elsewhere you would find at this level. The cooking here is deceptively straightforward, quintessentially Japanese. The only frill is the carved block of ice used to cradle the noodles, but otherwise, the menu abides by the idea of fresh, meticulously sourced ingredients expertly prepared in front of customers and presented with minimum fuss. There is nothing conspicuously flamboyant at Tempura Matsu, no fireworks or pretension. This is all about subtle flavors that gently build throughout the dozen or so courses that somehow match the vista of the countryside visible through the window.

Sea bream in aubergine and rice vinegar sauce

The first course is served. Chef deftly slices a small black squid and pops it into an octagonal dish. It’s patently so hot that I don’t even attempt that ritual of wetting my finger to double-check (don’t we all do that?). He pours in a dashi that instantaneously bubbles like a cauldron about to froth over, then adds a sprinkle of powdered ginger and advises me to mix the contents. It’s a delicious, if a low-key starter. I foolishly make the mistake of spooning some rice from the sides that are so hot that it scalds my mouth. Idiot.

Black Throat Sea Perch sushi

The second dish is divine. It is comprised of a small wedge of sea bream topped with crisp bonito flakes that sit in a pool of aubergine and rice wine vinegar sauce seasoned with sweet red Japanese pickles. The sea bream is flanked by a lightly fried slice of aubergine to mop up the remainder of the sauce once I’ve finished with the fish. The sauce is dreamy – perfectly balanced, delicate yet so focused in flavor. The pickles lend piquancy. What’s Japanese for “more please”? Too late! The next course beckons. It is a simple yet extraordinary sashimi dish of squid aged for three days and sliced into wafer-thin ribbons in front of customers’ eyes. Let me state for the record: this is the most mind-blowing squid that I’ve ever eaten. It explodes in slow motion in the mouth and mischievously encourages chewing as slowly as possible without dribbling everywhere. All it requires is a judicious dab of sweet Japanese soy to set it off. The squid is dipped into a ponzu and spring onion dressing, that steals the limelight from the accompanying raw sea bream.  

Horsehair crab

The fourth serving is a sushi roll of black throat sea perch served on warm rice with a dab of wasabi that is ground right in front of my eyes. I am advised to pop it into my mouth. It’s so subtle in flavor, a gentle, almost teasing crescendo before it’s down the gullet. You register the sea perch’s fattiness and sweetness in hindsight. Can I ask for another, just to check? No, the following course is hot on its heels.

Fatty tuna with sesame dressing on rice

The next course consists of a rare and super-expensive horsehair crab encased in its shell and served in a clarified consommé. I follow orders to drink the consommé first and then crack the shell so the crab infuses and alters its texture and consistency. I notice how the crab is intermixed with shards of fluffy potato. It’s delicious, though part of me feels that the nuanced flavor of the crab is diluted away. I use my chopsticks to pick out morsels of crab that have yet to disintegrate.

Grilled eel

Up next is one of my favorites: slices of pale tuna with just the right fattiness, the type that just melts in your mouth, served with a sesame dressing, sesame seeds and Japanese nori over a bed of rice. It’s a perfect combination, layer upon layer of gorgeous flavors. Chef prudently ensures that the sesame does not overpower the delicacy of the tuna. Insert the superlative of your choice.

Scallop tempura

The seventh course comprises two miniature slices of eel, caught in Lake Biwa on the other side of Kyoto, where I had completed a ParkRun that morning, procured at the market three hours earlier and served with a thickened soy sauce. These are cooked over charcoal and charred to lend a subtle acrid note that counterbalances the sauce's sweetness. It works wonderfully, although once slice comes dangerously close to being excessively charred.

King prawn tempura

Given the restaurant's title, one would depart disappointed if there is no tempura. One of the more senior chefs is in charge of the frier. He has a stoic expression and doesn’t engage in light-hearted conversation. He’s on a mission. He serves tempura in the order of scallop, lotus root, king prawn, okra, silverfish and finally, onion tempura. The latter is gently battered for 30 minutes, so it just melts in the mouth. It’s wonderful. The batter is quite thin, but not so gossamer thin that you cannot enjoy its flavor.

Cold soba with egg yolk served in a block of ice

Then, Tempura Matsu’s signature dish, their pièce de résistence: soba served in a cold dashi broth, and an egg yolk ingeniously served in a hollowed block of ice that keeps it cold and refreshing. The soba might well be the best I have eaten; it is just so full of flavor and perfectly marries the dashi. It looks amazing, yet it is deceptively simple.

Roast tea ice cream

We finish with roast tea ice cream. The flavor of the tea comes through quite strongly. Its seduction is heightened by the fact that it’s probably 36 or 37 degrees outside.

The wine list is pretty rudimentary, but prices are not too bad. I am here more for the food than the fermented grape juice, so I order a bottle of 2018 Chablis Les Pargues from Domaine Servin. Like many in this vintage, it cannot disguise its tropical nose with passion fruit and melon but retains satisfying delineation. The palate displays fine weight with some fatness that might displeasure purists seeking more traditional Chablis. Perfect for drinking now. I would not cellar it for a long time. However, I must mention the homemade sparkling plum juice. This was absolutely divine, fresh, pure and packed with flavor. Do try it.

The Michelin guide has not recognized Tempura Matsu. It is rather a Kyoto institution that attracts locals and those piqued by Goulding’s aforementioned book. As I mentioned before, there is something timeless about this restaurant that foments from its half-century of history, its rustic, almost tavern-like interior and its straightforward dishes. Some of the courses, such as the squid sashimi, the aubergine sauce and the soba, are outstanding. The series of tempura is delicious, yet I would say that none strike me as mindboggling. Overall, it is an excellent lunch. In terms of value, some might consider a little on the high side, but there is no doubting the lengths that they go to sourcing ingredients. I should forewarn that Tempura Matsu does not accept cards here, so make sure you bring cash.

© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.