旬彩天 つちや

A two-Michelin-star tempura kaiseki restaurant. Its theme is "tempura you won't find at a traditional restaurant, and dishes you won't find at a tempura shop" — the signature is an aggressive style of frying that chars shellfish until fragrant. From the roughly 12-seat counter you watch the master at work, and there are private rooms suited to business dinners. The oil is a seasonal blend of cottonseed, taihaku sesame and roasted sesame; nothing farmed or frozen is used, with fish from Akashi and vegetables from around Suita. Overseas reviews call it "the best tempura of my life," and the single lunch course can be booked out two months ahead. [Web] Rated 4.11 on Tabelog — among the highest in the city. The official site describes tempura as "the ultimate form of heat cookery," lifted from the oil at the exact moment umami, aroma and moisture come into balance. Featured in tourism media such as Rurubu.