This stately four-floor Japanese temple to tempura is owned by a fit man whose family has been selling deep-fried food for 150 years. His even being alive is either a testament to the skill of the family’s chefs, a winning ticket in the genetic lucky draw, or perhaps a secret addiction to eating Element Fresh salads when no one’s looking. But no matter how paper-thin the batter, how fresh the safflower oil, and how cholesterol-free they promise us it is, eating the 16 different kinds of tempura on Karaku’s ¥690 set menu CANNOT be good for you. Even if, as we’re assured from chefs around the city, it’s the best tempura in town.

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