Tenichi JR Kyoto Isetan

Checked this place out as a mid-​afternoon snack. We were promptly seated at the bar area where you face the cooks preparing your tempura. We weren’t too hungry and they let us split the first special on the menu which had 2 shrimp, 2 fish, 3 vegetables and some sides. They kindly divided up all of our portions and swear the probably ended up giving us more — like we each got our own bowl of rice and cup of tea since those are hard to split.
The chef was very helpful showing us the way and telling us how to prepare our sauces and which ones to dip what in.
— in the two-​sectioned little container, squirt the lemon into one side, then pour some of the salt (in one of the little condiment holders either a tiny spoon) into the other side; this is primarily used for the meats
— in the larger bowl on your plate, put in soy sauce and a generous portion of pickled mashed daikon that they bring out to you; I used this mostly for the vegetables
It was a fun experience but tempura is tempura. It was stepped up a notch here but it wasn’t mind blowing. And was a little pricey. Nice staff though.
FYI
— it’s located in the Kyoto station on the 11^th floor of the iSetan area
— pay bill up front

Wow wow wow! Just had a most memorable meal here tonight. To think I chose this place at random makes the experience that more memorable. I am sure there are more traditional tempura places outside of Kyoto train station but this will do me just fine. The place is quite large with 3 separate bar/​cooking stations as well as normal tables. I was seated right in front of the jovial chef who would take me on a tempura journey. I ordered a set menu and let the chef pick the vegetables and fish he would batter and fry up for me. Ingredients were only prepped minutes before being cooked and I was mesmerised by the actions and deftness shown by my chef. It wasn’t just cooking, it was an artform!
The numerous selections were perfectly battered and fried to perfection. The oil was constantly cleaned and changed after every few batches to ensure freshness and lightness. The tempura was perfect as is that you only had to dab a little bit of salt and eat naturally.
NOTE: this indulgence would be deemed $$$$ but it was worth every yen spent in my opinion — it has opened up my tastebuds as to how good tempura should be !