First Bite: Tendon Kohaku

Most of us probably had tempura as our first Japanese dish when we were younger. The beautifully battered shrimp or prawn dipped in the light sweet sauce mixed with shredded radish brings back so many childhood memories, including when I had to fight with my sister for the last piece. Though I've grown to love other Japanese dishes like sashimi, teppanyaki, sukiyaki and a lot more, tempura always has a special place in my heart, or tummy. And when I found out that there's a new tempura place in town, I just have to try it. 

Hello, Tendon Kohaku. 

Foodies who frequent or have visited Singapore might have noticed Tendon Kohaku and its long queues. 

Known for its mouthwatering selection of tendon dishes (tempura rice bowl meals), I was excited to visit Tendon Kohaku when it opened its first branch in Manila.

I decided to go with Kohaku Tendon (PHP340) which comes with chicken breast, wild tiger prawn, squid, crab stick, green beans, shiitake, young corn and pumpkin. I also decided to upgrade my rice to Kohaku multi-grain rice with just PHP30. I also went with a skillet of Kohaku Special Gyoza (PHP180). 

First served was the pan-fried 8-piece gyoza which I found bang for the buck for its price. 

The gyoza wrapper had the right thickness and the ground meat was flavorful and clean tasting! It is best enjoyed with the gyoza sauce.

The bowl of tendon was served right after and I was surprised with its generous serving. 

Each lightly battered tempura was great! The seafood and vegetables were unquestionably fresh and had nice subtle sweet taste that went beautifully well with rice.

One thing I loved most about this dish is that it is great for sharing.

I shared this meal with a friend and we could barely finish it. In fact, half of our gyoza was left untouched. 

Though a lot consider Tendon Kohaku as pricey, its dishes are actually bang for the buck considering quality and quantity. I'd definitely go back for more.

Trivia: Tendon is a combination of the words tempura and donburi (rice bowl dish) which clearly depicts what this place offers, a great variety of tempura rice bowl dishes. Kohaku on the other hand means amber in Nihonggo and it describes the color of tempura and its sauce.

P.S. Tendon Kohaku is opening soon in Mall of Asia and Ayala Malls Vertis North.

Tendon Kohaku is located at 3rd Floor, Uptown Bonifacio, 9th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.