Even on a Monday night, Kondo was brimming with guests

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Speaking of tempura, it is a delicacy which dates back to the Edo period. Making it is almost like engineering – requiring great precision and the right temperature for the batter mix.

Born and raised in Tokyo, Chef Kondo started his culinary journey at the age of 23, and started his own restaurant in glitzy Ginza in 1991. He’s so experienced with the art of frying the tempura he could tell the exact temperature through feeling the heat from the fryer.

Fresh seafood and vegetables are deep fried with Maruhon Sesame oil (マルホン太白胡麻油) right after being dipped with a thin layer of tempura batter. The squid is particularly amazing with its texture soft and chewy. Another of Kondo’s signature are the vegetables – freshly sourced from all over Japan.

The bill came up to 12,600 yen.

Tempura Kondo　（てんぷら 近藤）
Address: Sakaguchi Building 9F 5-5-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (東京都中央区銀座5-5-13 坂口ビル　9Ｆ)
Tel: +81 3-5568-0923

Visited on: 7 August, 2013
Price: Lunch ￥5,000 ~ ￥8,000; Dinner ￥10,500 – ￥17,850
Hours: 12:00- 13:30; 17:00～20:30 (Closed on Sundays)
Executive chef: Kondo Fumio　(近藤 文夫)