【別荘地なのに庶民向けの天ぷら屋さん】 : Tempura Maki

Tempura Maki is a tempura restaurant located just off the Old Karuizawa Ginza.

Despite being in Karuizawa, especially in a touristy area like Old Karuizawa, the prices are surprisingly reasonable. Just that alone is enough to make me happy. The restaurant is run by a father-son duo, with the father in charge of service and the son handling the frying.

Interestingly, I tried to make a lunch reservation the day before, but was told that they don’t take reservations for lunch. However, if you choose a course, they will keep a counter seat available. Hmm? Isn’t that essentially a reservation?
They didn’t even ask for my phone number, so it seems like a relaxed kind of reservation.

I arrived at the restaurant at 11:30, as promised. The place opens at 11:00, and it can accommodate around 50 people. There were about four groups of eight people ahead of me. Once seated at the counter, I was promptly provided with the menu, cold tea, and paper napkins.

The course menu includes three options:
1. Usui Pass Course (JPY 3,500, tax included) - featuring an appetizer, tempura (shrimp, small fish, shiso-wrapped squid, three types of vegetables, shrimp tempura), and a choice from three rice options: tempura rice bowl, tempura tea, or rice set, along with a dessert.

2. Asama Mountain Course (JPY 4,600, tax included) - this includes the Usui Pass Course but replaces the shrimp with sweet shrimp and offers five options for the final rice selection.

3. Karuizawa Course (JPY 5,800, tax included) - adds active rockfish, scallops, Shinshu salmon, and flower beans to the Asama Mountain Course.

I was initially inclined to choose the Asama Mountain Course, but then my gaze caught a lunch-only option limited to five groups: the Lunch Limited Course at JPY 2,900 (JPY 3,190, tax included). This menu includes an appetizer, eight types of tempura with two shrimp, and my favorite haza, along with shiso-wrapped chicken squid, three vegetables, and to finish, a shrimp tempura on a rice bowl or set. Oh, this sounds great! Wait, it's limited to five groups...well, since the previous customers were four, we’ll certainly be able to eat it.

I then noticed the a la carte tempura menu posted in the kitchen. There were several items, and I decided to order a few to take advantage of what was left over from my initial menu choice. I added "Young Sweetfish" (JPY 1,200, tax included), "Corn" (JPY 800, tax included), and "White Shrimp" (JPY 880, tax included).

Guests continued to come in, so I barely made it to the limited menu...It seemed that many others were ordering the "Service Tempura Rice Bowl" (JPY 1,400, tax included) and the "Tempura Set Meal" (JPY 1,700, tax included). Even in Karuizawa, this place seems to attract older locals who have lived in the area for a long time rather than just vacation home users.

By the way, the "Service Tempura Rice Bowl" is referred to as "Sadoon" inside the restaurant, so if you want to sound like a regular, you should order it using that name. (I won’t take responsibility if you get strange looks...)

Now, after about 10 minutes... it’s time to eat. I received salad, pickles, and grated daikon, along with a dish of tempura dipping sauce and salt.

I began with the salad. A chilled "Salad" straight from the refrigerator, including lettuce, cucumber, daikon, carrot, and purple cabbage with sesame dressing. The vegetables were fresh and had a nice crunch. The dressing was delicious, making for a tasty salad.

The tempura began with "two shrimp"...the batter seemed slightly thicker than what I usually find at tempura restaurants. The shrimp were cooked all the way through, and were eaten with salt, tasting just fine.

Next was "Karuizawa Green Beans"...these were Moroccan beans, soft with a natural sweetness.

"Young Sweetfish"...was served in an upright position. I seasoned it from the head with salt. After dipping it in tempura sauce, a delightful bitterness spread in my mouth, transforming it into an exceptional flavor. I was glad I ordered it.

"Haza"...another fish dish. The flesh was fluffy, and although the batter was a bit thick, it was fried to a crisp that created a tasty contrast. I enjoyed the first half with salt and the second half with grated daikon and tempura sauce.

"Corn"...featured a crunchy batter surrounding sweet corn kernels. Eating it with salt was delicious. I got bored midway, so I also tried it with tempura sauce, which changed the flavor nicely.

"Toyama White Shrimp"...was perfectly fried and enjoyed with salt. An absolute delight. I was glad to have ordered this as well.

"Eggplant"...the second vegetable dish was piping hot eggplant, to be enjoyed with tempura sauce. While I'm looking forward to autumn eggplants, eggplant is technically a summer ingredient, and in this heat, it still feels like summer.

"Mongolian Squid and Shiso Wrap"...meaty squid wrapped in shiso and fried. The shiso flavor was prominent, making it aromatic and delicious. I started with salt and then enjoyed it with tempura sauce for double the pleasure.

"Pumpkin"...a sweet pumpkin, serving as a nice pace changer in the course.

For my final course, rather than plain rice and tempura, I requested a "tempura rice bowl" topped with tempura. The bowl was filled with small shrimp, and the slightly sweet sauce was quite appetizing.
The accompanying "Miso Soup (tofu, seaweed, and green onion)" and pickles added a good balance of saltiness, complementing the sweet sauce on the tempura bowl very well.

Finally, I ordered a refill of tea, feeling pleasantly full. I finished without issue.

Now for the check...but just as I stood up, I was informed that dessert had not yet been served...so I sat back down.
I was served "Matcha Kinako Ice Cream"...Wasn’t overly sweet, with kinako generously spread on top, but it lacked distinctive flavor or character.

From entry to exit, it took about an hour. During that time, aside from the tatami room, both the counter and table seating were nearly full. I heard people lined up to eat before 11:00 during the summer. There seemed to be quite a few foreign customers as well. I observed that having one more young chef in the kitchen to help with washing the dishes would ease the load, reflecting the current issues facing Japan right here in Karuizawa.