Fujikiya Marunouchi Tempura

Stepping into Fujikiya Marunouchi, you are greeted by a striking counter arrangement: baskets and bowls overflowing with seasonal produce — kabocha (pumpkin), renkon (lotus root), gobō (burdock), nasu (eggplant), fresh ginger, sweet potatoes, and shiitake mushrooms. This vibrant display sets the stage for what follows: a tempura experience that celebrates the beauty of Japanese seasonality.

The chefs, working in full view behind the counter, handle the ingredients with precision and calm focus. Watching them transform these earthy vegetables into delicate, golden tempura is part of the theatre. The batter is light, almost ethereal, designed to enhance rather than mask the flavour of each ingredient.

The ambience is quietly elegant — a polished wooden counter, soft lighting, and shelves lined with carefully chosen sake bottles. This is not a rushed meal, but an immersion into a slower rhythm where each dish is presented with intention. What makes Fujikiya distinct is the balance between authenticity and approachability. While it holds the refinement of a traditional tempura-ya, it doesn’t feel intimidating. Instead, it invites you to relax, sip sake, and enjoy the interplay between seasonal vegetables and seafood, fried at their peak.

To be honest, this wasn’t a local’s recommendation, this was AI. I wanted tempura-ya, and those are few outside Japan. Tempura-ya, meaning a tempura (fried food) only specialist. I’ve heard many reasons why they don’t prosper outside Nippon- market share too small, too specialised etc

Let’s start with the above average ingredients - the conger eel and the prized matsutake mushroom; now that’s one big fungi!

It’s so big that the stem actually tastes chewy - I left that alone. Tastes very woody, which is good. The conger eel was the best at 6.5/10

The mushroom maybe a 6.25/10 for novelty. The rest were about 6/10.

I’ve had better tempura in Japan - way better - but this did the job. The use of flour, batter was a tad heavy handed. But with Japanese ingredients you can really do not much wrong.

Fujikiya Marunouchi (ふじ喜屋) is a warm, seasonal, and quietly elegant tempura house in Marunouchi. Perfect for a long lunch, an intimate dinner, or pairing tempura with sake while appreciating the art of Japanese frying.