Review: Tenmasa Tempura Bar

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At Michelin Guide-selected Tenmasa KL, a cozy 10-seater counter (though it’s usually set for nine, plus an additional two tables seating four each) brings diners face-to-face with the Japanese craft of tempura making, providing a rare glimpse into the artistry and precision of Chef Nori. We recently visited this contemporary restaurant, located in KLCC’s Menara Felda, just ahead of KL Restaurant Week (October 11-27, 2024), in which the upscale dining outlet is participating. At Tenmasa, the omakase experience takes centre stage, offering signature dishes like ebi and anago tempura, while also showcasing innovative creations like wagyu beef with Comté cheese and the iconic shiso leaf tempura topped with creamy Hokkaido uni. The serene ambiance, blending light wood accents with minimalist furnishing, set the mood for a culinary journey that perfectly balanced tradition with a dash of contemporary flair. Seasonal ingredients were sourced both from Japan and local sustainable farms, ensuring freshness in every bite.

 

 

 

We began our omakase dining experience with premium appetizers, which like much of the menu will change based on availability and freshness of ingredients. Ours featured four individual small dishes, plus a skewer of gingko nuts. We thoroughly enjoyed the Shiro edi on nori tempura, the creative Goma tofu, the dashi ikura with yuzu peel, while the final dish, a nori chawanmushi, delivered a smooth steamed egg custard for a delightful contrast of textures with the other appetizer dishes.

 

The selection of premium appetizers got us off to a fine start

 

Goma tofu

 

Nori chawanmushi

 

The tempura dishes that followed were where Tenmasa truly made its mark. Chef Nori began with an ebi tempura, suggesting a sprinkle of sea salt for the ultimate flavour boost. We savoured each succulent bite as the delicate, carefully applied tempura flour enhanced the natural sweetness of the prawn. A tempura corn, sweet and with just the right amount of crunch, followed, complemented by a touch of matcha salt. The kisu fish tempura melted in the mouth, again brushed lightly with flour before being fried to perfection. The shiso leaf topped with creamy uni, however, will be a memorable dish for anyone who appreciates the texture and flavour of sea urchin. The crispness of the leaf against the rich, custard-like uni created a remarkable textural contrast.

 

Ebi tempura

 

Uni on shiso leaf

 

Service throughout was impeccable, with attentive staff ensuring our tea cups never went empty and dishes were cleared efficiently and unobtrusively. The interlude of a fresh Japanese salad with onion dressing offered a crisp, palate-cleansing break before the second round of tempura. A perfectly prepared scallop tempura was another delightful surprise, succulent and tender, while the anago (sea eel) tempura offered a lighter, more delicate version of its unagi counterpart. Eggplant and sweet potato tempura servings rounded off the vegetable selections, with the matcha salt offering a particularly pleasant contrast to the sweetness of the potato.

 

Japanese salad

 

Scallop tempura

 

An A3 Wagyu course is an optional add-on, with a choice from two different preparations of the delectable ‘close-your-eyes-and-savour’ Japanese beef (Wagyu with Comté cheese, featured image, above). Served with a side of fine truffle salt, this was definitely a showstopper course that we could have easily eaten twice over.

 

A3 Wagyu beef, Sukiyaki style, with organic yolk

 

Give us more!

 

Our meal concluded with a comforting Kakiage rice bowl with a creatively realized egg tempura. The combination of crispy prawns, vegetables, and a perfectly tempura-fried egg with runny yolk atop warm sushi rice was satisfying and soothing. We were invited to customize our dish, opting either for a full-bodied green tea soup for a savoury twist or a sweeter teriyaki sauce. (We tried both.) We wrapped up the meal with a simple but refined dessert of yuzu sorbet and ripe seasonal Japanese fruits.

 

Kakiage rice bowl with Green tea soup

 

The dining experience at Tenmasa KL was certainly a memorable one, and it’s easy to see why this tiny, almost hidden little gem is such a critical darling of KL’s culinary cognoscenti. Each element of the omakase procession has clearly been carefully thought out, from the precise techniques used in preparing the tempura to the fabulous service that enhanced the entire meal. Chef Nori’s passion for his craft shone through every dish, offering a truly authentic yet innovative take on Japanese tempura.

We also have to give a special word of appreciation for the thoughtful timing and pacing of the meal. Each course of the omakase was prepared à la minute (more like à la second, really), and served and briefly described by the chef, who then went right back to work, methodically preparing the next dish. We never felt rushed, but also never had occasion to look around and wonder when the next course would be coming. The meal’s pace was, in a word, perfect, and certainly seemed to be taking its cues from how quickly or slowly we ate each dish. (Of course, gauging a diner’s chosen pace for an omakase meal is a pretty easy thing for a chef to do when they’re barely a metre away!) At our meal, we spent just over an hour and a half savouring Tenmasa’s brilliant tempura omakase… and we may or may not have worked our way through a bottle of chilled sake, as well.

 

Peerless sake service throughout the meal

 

On that subject, a carefully curated selection of sakes is available at a range of price points, and we have to say, the sake service at Tenmasa is second to none. The libations here also include one of our very favourite Champagnes, too, the Bollinger Special Cuvée, a bubbly which we feel would work exceptionally well with this menu – if you can swing the RM590 price tag on top of everything else. And if you’re really keen to dig deep and splurge, Krug and Kristal Champagnes also feature.

Whether you visit Tenmasa during KL Restaurant Week (which actually runs for a little over two weeks beginning on October 11), or choose to check it out later, you’re in for a treat. It’s an unorthodox approach to Japanese omakase, placing the focus squarely on tempura preparation. This unique angle, combined with top-quality ingredients, precision preparation, and an ambiance that reflects the best of Japanese minimalism, makes Tenmasa a restaurant worth putting on your list! Check out the website for KL Restaurant Week or Tenmasa’s site directly to learn more!

 

Pull up a chair at Tenmasa’s counter and indulge in KL’s best omakase tempura

 

Location and Details

Tenmasa KL
Unit 3.3 (Annexe), Menara Felda, 2F, Tower 1, Platinum Park
11 Persiaran KLCC, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+6013.2033708
Instagram @tenmasa.kl

Website: https://tenmasa-kl.com/

Reservations advised

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