Good Taste is the Worst Vice

Tempura Matsu pop-up, NYC

Last month we traveled 800 miles for a lunch – which was actually 6000 miles closer than the usual distance required!

The restaurant in question, Tempura Matsu, is located in Kyoto but came to New York for a pop-up.  It was in the planning stages when we were there in May, and we (perhaps a bit rashly) promised to come.  Was it a bit far to travel for lunch?  Yes.  But was it worth it?  Definitely.

 The whole restaurant crew flew over: Chef Toshio Matsuno and his sister (who runs the front of house) plus the other cooks, along with a Canadian friend of the family, who works with wine & spirits in Hokkaido, serving as translator.  The pop-up was hosted by David Bouley and his team at Bouley At Home, a demonstration kitchen / events space.

We were seated at a long counter with preparation space in front of us, so that we could watch fish being sliced or cooked on small hibachi grills or hot stones, or dishes being meticulously plated.

Except for the setting, it would have been impossible for me to guess that our meal wasn’t being prepared in Kyoto – the dishes were just as exceptional as at the restaurant itself.  And so were the ingredients – Mariko-san, the chef’s sister, paraded o-toro and an enormous, ridiculously marbled piece of Wagyu beef in front of us all, leaving D’s mouth watering.

My highlights of the 8-course meal:

  • The first course, served in a small bamboo cup, of crab topped with caviar and a bit of yuzu gelée – so many delicate but intense flavors!  This was served on a placemat showing the view from the restaurant’s counter seats, of the kitchen and Arashiyama beyond
  • Kinmedai tempura – fried so that its scales became shatteringly crisp – served atop a rich egg yolk sauce cut with the mouthwatering acidity of vinegar (and a few shaved matsutake mushrooms to gild the lily)
  • Oyster tempura, hot and crunchy outside and creamy inside
  • Grilled rice with Hokkaido uni and a poached egg, with truffles shaved over

Desserts were provided by a different chef, who runs the Amaneya sweets shop in Himeji: tangerine daifuku (whole fruit wrapped in mochi), raspberry red pepper sorbet, and ice cream made with karinto (a crunchy, deep-fried brown sugar confection).

Perhaps this will become a regular event!

We’ll be looking forward to our next meal at Tempura Matsu, whether in Kyoto or New York.


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