Keisuke ‘Ramen King’ Takeda further expands his presence in the Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood with a new 24-seater outlet specialising in ten don – Japanese tempura on rice.
Unlike his more intrepid gyoza and ramen ventures, though, Takeda's signature creativity is ditched in favour of first acquainting the Singaporean public to the Japanese comfort food dish. Vegetables, chicken and prawns are locked into crisp batter, fried in lighter-textured sesame and soya bean oil, and served atop drier Hokkaido rice with a hearty chew.
There are only two ten dons on the menu: the Special comes with prawns, chicken fillets and vegetables ($13.90), and the vegetable tendon ($12.90) with a heap of capsicum, lotus root, shiitake, and other root vegetables. The final flourish to the generous meal – served in custom-made, heat-retaining bowls crafted by Japanese Arita potters – is a thick, sweet gravy, made in collaboration with Takeda’s childhood pal and Ginza Itsuki Sushi master, Naoki Takaku.
Like Takeda's other open-kitchen restaurants, the ventilation here needs work. Come with a plan to freshen up after, and another to brave the queues for the good-value bowls on offer.