Lunch at Tempura Ichidai

I came here for lunch two days in a row.  Yup, TWO DAYS IN A ROW.  Why? The first day was to try it out.  The second day was to accompany another friend who really wanted to try it out.  How could I say 'no' to one of my BFFs, right?

Tempura Ichidai is like a sushi bar, however instead of slicing fish and rolling makis, the chefs here are coating veggies, protein and seafood with tempura batter and frying them to a crisp - right before your eyes.  

But before I go any further, I must tell you that only the tempura that are ordered as part of a Teishoku meal is prepared by the chefs on the floor.  The donburi sets, which are cheaper in price, are prepared in the kitchen. So if you want your tempura to be prepared in front of you and delivered to your table as soon as they're popped out of the fryer, order a Teishoku set.

The Ichidai Teishoku is like the mixed plate of Teishokus here. You get eight pieces of tempura consisting of shrimp, fish, chicken, and veggies. If you want to try a little of everything, order the Ichidai Teishoku.

Each Teishoku set comes with two small appetizers, pickled veggies, miso soup, and rice:

For the Ichidai Teishoku, the tempura is served in three waves, which allows you to enjoy each piece of tempura while it's still hot and crispy:

Eggplant, Kisu, Shrimp

Snapper, Heart of Palm, Chicken

Hawaiian Kale, Kabocha

At the end of your meal, they give you a complimentary dessert:

But of course, we had to order another dessert to offset the salt and oil of the tempura:

Shiratama Anmitsu

Tempura Ichidai
3rd Floor, Ala Moana Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
(808) 955-8899
Monday-Sunday 11am-10pm (last call 9:30pm)
No reservations accepted
Best place to park: 4th Floor, Ewa wing