Ten Don San

121 Therry St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
https://operatorsan.com.au/

Operator San does a roaring trade during the day with its Asian-inspired brunch menu, but a little-known secret is that at night, it also moonlights as Ten Don San – one of the first proper tempura specialty restaurants in Melbourne. I have always thought tempura don to be just ‘fried stuff on rice’, until I had the most phenomenal bowl in Japan that changed my entire worldview. Unsurprisingly, this is not nearly as good as the Michelin recommended Tempura Kakiage Yukimura in Tokyo, but it is definitely several steps above most offerings around town. Definitely worth a visit.

Rating: 13.5/20 – not japan but honestly still pretty good.
To-order: yasai (veggie) tempura, surprisingly. and omg their house-made cheesecake.

I’m always astounded by how a good tempura can bring out the best in veggies, and the Yasai Tendon ($18) was no exception. In addition to being an absolute steal, I was highly impressed with the freshness of the vegetables, and how well the unique textures and flavours had been preserved.  But what really made it sing (and what so many places miss) is the tempura sauce. Drizzled over the bowl, the lightly sweetened blend of dashi and soy seeps into the batter, saturating it with flavour whilst leaving the edges crispy. And best of all? Pour the stuff over the plump grains of rice left at the bottom of the bowl, and chow down on carb heaven. My only complaint? The tempura was still a little on the greasy side, and the bed of rice suffered as a result.

Though you can get just a bowl of tempura on rice, there is the option to turn it into a full set meal. That’s what we did with the Kaisen Tempura Set ($36), which comes with a classic mixture of seafood, alongside another large vegetable kakiage. The prawn was a highlight, its sticky, barely-cooked sweetness contrasting with the light crunch of the batter. The fish and the squid were also decent, but more along the lines of what you get from a good fish and chip shop.

The set usually comes with rice and miso soup, but for an extra $4, we upgraded to a hot udon, which was an amazing decision. This was a simple thing done well, the thick al dente noodles swimming in a clean, soulful broth, flavoured deeply with winter mushroom and kombu. The accompanying sides were less noteworthy, but both the garden salad and salmon sashimi got the job done.

The Kuro Goma Cheesecake ($12) was straight up phenomenal. Made in-house, this Japanese styled cheesecake was light and smooth, the sweetness tempered with a nutty, and very so slightly savoury black sesame. It is incredibly moreish, and unfortunately only sold by the slice. You know fam, you could make your fortune just selling whole cheesecakes.