Kobikicho Tenkuni is exactly what you would imagine for a tempura joint in an upscale Japanese department store: simple wooden fixtures, a small rock garden—and dynamite tempura. It was quiet when we visited one recent Sunday night, making it a welcome change of pace from the buzzing stressball that is Shinjuku’s Takashimaya Times Square. 

To begin, we picked from the unassuming drink menu: a round of beer (draft or bottle, ¥630) and sake. With summer coming (eventually, we hope), we recommended our Californian guest try the chilled Hakkaisan (¥840), everyone’s favorite brew from Niigata .

With our beverages ordered, we began firing off names of veggies (¥262-¥472) at the chefs: lotus root, pumpkin, asparagus, and every kind of mushroom you can think of. Before long, orders were flying both ways over the counter, and kudos to the chefs for never missing an order.

The tempura menu also includes an assortment of shrimp, anago (eel), kisu (sillago fish) and veggies for ¥3,150, or a deluxe selection (addition of squid, scallop and more shrimp) for ¥5,250. À la carte, the seafood tempura is ¥577-¥1,260, or for meat lovers, top-quality wagyu steak tempura is ¥1,260.

To complement the entrées, Kobikicho Tenkuni provides bottomless rice, miso soup and tsukemono pickles. The tables sport ceramic bowls of flavored salt, including one divinely infused with green tea powder. To create the perfect dipping sauce, lemon wedges, grated daikon and minced ginger are available to add to the tsuyu.