Tempura Koizumi (2*, Tabelog Bronze, Kanazawa)

Visited Koizumi in Kanazawa, a tempura omakase restaurant focusing on seafood and farm produce from the Hokuriku region. It was awarded a Tabelog Bronze and 2 stars in Hokuriku Special Michelin Guide 2021.

The batter coating at Koizumi was light and thin to allow natural flavours of the ingredients to spark. Cooked individually in 100% cold-pressed safflower oil and medium-low heat, the tempura were crisp and not heavy on the stomach. Served on a sushi-style geta plate without tempura paper, there was hardly any oil residue.

Standouts from my dinner included: fatty spanish mackerel with still medium-rare interior, sea bream from Fukui studded with shatteringly crispy scales, melt-in-the-mouth cod milt, lotus root from Kaga with caviar to balance the starchy earthiness; butterbur picked from the snow and the highly-prized, abalone-like texture Noto Temari mushroom.

Atmosphere was low key but haspitable. Koizumi-san spoke sufficient English to introduce the morsels and recommend paired condiments for dipping (salt, lemon, tsuyu). The female sommelier spoke good English. Dinner slots are every 15 minutes instead of simultaneous start to allow flexibility for guests to arrive at different times.

The restaurant website guided international customers to book via Tableall but I followed the local path using Toreta platform. There were two courses on offer: tempura only 16.5k yen (available lunch & dinner) and tempura with sashimi/otsumami 25k yen (dinner). I opted for the former and after adding service charge, my food bill came to 18K (before drinks) compares to Tableall price of 31K for the same course.

*Menu:

1. Daikon zushi (local delicacy of koji-fermented daikon & herring)

2. Kaga renkon & caviar

3. Aori Ika (aged 5 days)

4. Fukinoto

5. Zuwai Gani & Miso

6. Rakkyo shallots and cherry tomato salad

7. Hatahata

8. Stick Senior (hybrid of broccoli & kale)

9. Sawara

10. Noto Temari Shiitake

11. Madai

12. Kaga Negi

13. Shirako

14. Ninjin

15. Gibasa Soup (sticky seaweed)

16. Donburi with shrimp & edamame kakiage

17. Soba ice cream with toasted buckwheat kernels