I stopped eating tempura in Singapore after the chef at Ginza Tenharu retired. Before that, I avoided local tempura entirely. Most places here do not serve real tempura. They serve deep-fried food. You understand the difference immediately once you eat the real thing in Tokyo. Proper tempura is about steaming ingredients inside a delicate, crisp shell.
I broke my rule and booked a seat at Tenshima. I found out Head Chef Takahiro Shima was the man who trained the chef at Ginza Tenharu. That explained a lot. The dipping sauces and the curry salt were deeply familiar. Even some of the dish sequences mirrored my past meals. My first visit left a solid impression. I thought I had finally found a tempura counter in Singapore that could actually make the cut.
So, I went back for a second time.
This time, the meal fell flat. It was mid, perhaps even below average for the tier it claims to occupy. The kitchen was unlucky. Just two months ago, I ate one of the best tempura meals of my life in Tokyo. My baseline was fresh. Tenshima simply did not measure up.
Let’s not waste time. Here is what we ate.
The meal opened with a tofu appetizer. It was just tofu. Clean, standard, and entirely forgettable. It did nothing to prime the palate for the frying oil to come.
Tempura service always begins with the prawn. The ebi arrived with the fried head served separately. It was decent. The exterior was crispy, and the flesh inside was not overcooked. The core remained slightly translucent and sweet. It did the job, but it did not leave a lasting mark.
The rest of the sequence moved through white asparagus, mushrooms, and seasonal fish. They were all just alright. The batter was reasonably light, and the oil was clean. But “alright” does not make the cut when you are paying close to $300 for lunch. At this price point, the vegetables need to sing. The asparagus should snap and release hot, sweet steam. The fish should flake effortlessly. These pieces just existed on the plate.
Then came the uni. It was layered on a piece of deep-fried seaweed. I took one bite and stopped. The sea urchin carried a tiny, metallic note at the back of the throat. Fresh uni should taste like clean ocean butter. This tasted tired. I admit I am heavily spoiled by the uni at Sushi Masa by Ki-setsu. You have to try theirs to know what a flawless grade tastes like. Tenshima’s version did not belong on this menu.
The meal found brief redemption at the end. The tendon bowl was actually decent. Some people expect the battered prawns on a tendon to remain shatteringly crisp. I disagree. A good tendon needs the batter to absorb the sweet soy glaze while maintaining a slight chew. The prawns here were moist, yielding perfectly to the sauce and the hot rice below. The grain separation was good. The sauce ratio was accurate. It was a comforting bowl.
But a good bowl of rice cannot carry an entire omakase.
The pacing dragged slightly, and the portions were small. I walked out after two hours and realized I was not full. You should never leave a $300 lunch feeling like you need a second meal.
Cooking requires consistency. My first visit showed promise. My second visit showed a kitchen resting on its routine. The technique is there, but the execution and ingredient quality on this specific day lacked clear intention.
Good food needs no explanation. This was not one of those meals. At this price, making a reservation for a third visit is going to be a very hard decision. If you have the budget and want a familiar, safe tempura experience in Singapore, you might find it acceptable. But if you want the real thing, save your money and book a flight to Tokyo.
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