Tempura Kondo
Tokyo, Japan; 9F, Sakaguchi Building, 5-5-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
Tempura Kondo invites diners to reconsider what frying can achieve. Chef Fumio Kondo approaches tempura as a way of retaining moisture and drawing out an ingredient’s flavour, with the batter acting as a delicate protective layer. Vegetables receive particular attention, making the meal an exploration of texture and sweetness as well as the more familiar pleasures of seafood. The restaurant’s celebrated sweet potato illustrates that philosophy: a substantial ingredient whose cooking requires patience and control. At the Ginza address, the counter brings guests close to the work, allowing the changing pace of preparation to become part of the experience. Each piece is best appreciated as it arrives, while its contrast between exterior and interior is at its clearest. The restaurant has two stars in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2026, and Kondo received Michelin’s Mentor Chef Award in 2024. Its position here recognises both that authority and the accessibility of its subject. Few restaurant experiences explain the value of specialist technique so directly through something as apparently simple as a piece of fried produce.