Tempura-EN : Handcrafted Tempura in Suntec City

Previously known as Tempura Makino, the casual Japanese restautant in Suntec City Mall has reopened as Tempura-EN. New name but its has the same focus – freshly made tempura, battered and fried upon order. The new menu has expanded beyond tempura alone. Diners can find donburi, sashimi, kaisen hitsumabushi and a small sake list too.

Tempura-EN in Suntec

Tempura-EN is located on level 2 of Suntec City Mall. A noren curtain printed with the restaurant’s flower crest logo tells you that it is a Japanese restaurant serving tempura.

The dining area uses warm wood tones throughout, paired with a copper hexagon-tiled wall behind the open kitchen counter. Chefs work in full view, preparing each piece of tempura to order. Seating includes a long counter facing the kitchen and booth tables.

Like many causal dining restaurants, customers at Tempura-EN order by scanning a QR code on the table and pay at the counter after the meal.

The Menu of Tempura-EN

Tempura-EN has a lunch menu and a separate dinner menu. The menus offer tempura sets, donburi, gozen bento boxes and wazen platters that include sashimi alongside tempura.

Prices range from around $15.50 for a simple tendon rice bowl, up to $36.50 for the Executive Tempura and Sashimi Wazen. Each tempura set comes with miso soup, a small appetiser and rice. Diners can pay $3.50 extra to swap rice for soba or udon, served hot or cold. Individual tempura items can also be ordered separately.

Below are pictures of pages from the menu.

What We Tried

We ordered two sets for lunch – Yasai Tendon ($15.50) and Prawn & Vegetable Tempura Set ($21). A service charge and GST would be added to the bill.

The food arrived within a reasonable time, given that each tempura piece was fried to order rather than prepared in advance. Portion sizes were quite generous for the price.

The Yasai Tendon set comprised a rice bowl topped with an assortment of vegetable tempura, a small bowl of miso soup and a side of pickled vegetables.The tempura pieces included eggplant, butternut pumpkin, cha enoki mushroom, french bean, sweet corn and maitake mushroom, all drizzled with a savoury tendon sauce. The batter stayed light and crisp, without feeling greasy. Underneath, the rice had soaked up just enough sauce to add flavour, yet it did not turn soggy.

Prawn & Vegetable Tempura in Suntec Tendon Tempura

Prawn & Vegetable Tempura Set was the more substantial order. It included three prawns, plus eggplant, cha enoki mushroom, butternut pumpkin and french bean, arranged on a long dark platter. A separate cup of dipping sauce came with grated radish on the side, along with a bowl of steamed rice and miso soup. The prawns were plump and had a clean, sweet taste. Each vegetable piece kept its individual texture rather than tasting uniform, which is not always the case with mixed tempura platters.

Overall, we liked the temprua. The batter stayed crisp and all the items were delicious.

A Versatile Option

Tempura-EN is a good option for shoppers and office workers in the Suntec and City Hall area who want a proper Japanese meal without a long wait. There are a number of reasonably priced sets to choose from. Those looking for a more elaborate meal could consider the wazen platters or the Kaisen Hitsumabushi. The food is not of premium gourmet standard, but it is good enough. A distinct advantage is that each piece of tempura is freshly fried to order. When viewed as an overall package of food, location and ambience, it represents good value for money. It is a versatile dining option for solo diners, small families and larger groups alike.