Tempura Man, serving made-to-order tempura and udon bowls, recently opened in Waterfront Plaza. The business can be found at Aloha Mamacita’s takeout window (level 2F, up the stairs near the security office and Building 4 parking elevators).
The concept has been in the works since January, according to Ryne Shimabukuro, who co-owns the business with Marc Kumai.
“Marc’s my oldest brother’s friend,” Shimabukuro explains. “He was working at Sakura Terrace, as well as at other Japanese restaurants, for a long time, specifically making tempura. He called me one day, saying he wants to do that (make tempura) as his job.”
Shimabukuro was working at Totoya at the time, but is no stranger to running a business. He previously operated his udon business, Shima-Ya, as a pop-up at fishcake Honolulu in Kakaʻako.
When Shimabukuro and Kumai were looking for potential spaces for their tempura business, they were connected with Kevin Nguyen, business owner of Aloha Mamacita.
“We’re really happy that Aloha Mamacita let us share their home with them,” Shimabukuro says.
Right now, Tempura Man is open from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Operating hours are subject to change, according to Shimabukuro. The business accepts walk-in orders only.
“‘Tempura man’ is what my niece calls Marc,” Shimabukuro says.
Customers can opt for pre-set tempura boxes or order from the a la carte menu. So far, the chef’s choice box ($18.50) — comprising three shrimp, pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini, sweet potato and mushroom tempura over rice — and seafood box ($22.50) have been customer favorites. The latter includes two shrimp, two ika (squid), kakiage (tempura fritter made from a fried carrot and onion mix) and two chikuwa (Japanese fishcake) tempura over rice. All boxes include a choice of ten-don or tentsuyu sauce.
“The tentsuyu sauce is going to be a more traditional Japanese dipping sauce, with daikon and a little bit of ginger on top,” Shimabukuro explains. “The ten-don sauce is going to be a little sweeter with a hint of ginger inside.
“What normally happens in Japan is you put the rice, then tempura on top, and you pour the sauce on top,” he adds. “Since this is for takeout, right now, the sauces are packed separately.”
The a la carte menu includes options like shrimp ($3.50), nori-dusted chikuwa ($3.50 for two pieces), pumpkin ($2.50), zucchini ($2.50) and sweet potato ($2.50) tempura. A la carte tempura come with complimentary Japanese salt on the side.
“The tempura has a crispy texture,” Shimabukuro says. “He’s (Marc’s) been doing it (making tempura) a long time. The crispiness of it, the freshness, how it comes out hot but not doughy — that’s what I like about it.”
The business also offers tempura udon ($11) — which includes two pieces of shrimp and one piece of pumpkin tempura — beef udon ($13) and gyu-don ($14.50), or Japanese-style beef bowls with rice.
Shimabukuro encourages customers to enjoy the tempura immediately, since it’s served hot and fresh.
“But, if you don’t eat it right away, you can always take it home; air-frying it is probably the best way to re-heat it,” he says. “If you come visit us, eating it right away is probably the best way to have it.”
As for his Shima-Ya udon business — known for its handmade noodles — Shimabukuro says “that dream is still alive.”
“I don’t have the space to do udon, as well as the right equipment to do a large quantity of it,” he says. “But hopefully, while we get this ready and this becomes profitable, I can hopefully get my own brick-and-mortar (in the future).”
The business validates customer parking at Waterfront Plaza.
CONTACT
Tempura Man
Waterfront Plaza
500 Ala Moana Blvd. Ste. 4A, Honolulu
Instagram: @tempuramanhi
Open from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
