Tempura-EN (VivoCity) — Restaurant in Singapore

A popular Tempura place located within Vivocity, Tempura Makino serves up quality Japanese Tempura dishes. This place always seems to draw a crowd so a decision was made with Empress Dowager to visit it for dinner. Upon arrival, there was a wait of about 20mins before a table became available.

Started the meal with a Cold Tomato. Loved the texture and flavours of the tomato. Next came the Seasonal Special, Hokkaido Flounder. The firm texture of the flesh and the savouriness of the meat and batter made it a tasty dish.

It was the followed by the Anago & Seafood Tempura Platter. Consisting of Anago, Squid, Kisu Fish, Prawn, Eggplant, Maitake Mushroom, Butternut Pumpkin and French Bean, this mix platter allowed one to enjoy various texture and flavours especially the Anago which was flavourful.

The main dish of the evening was the Makino Tendon and Soba Set. It had a Set with Prawn, Squid, Maitake Mushroom, Eggplant, Butternut Pumpkin, French Bean and Egg that is served with half portion Rice and half portion Soba. This set was filling, tasty and similar to the Anago & Seafood Platter.

Next was an Asari Soup which had a tasty sake base soup with clams. The soup itself was delicious and one can only wish the clams were meatier.

Craving for the Egg Tempura from the earlier set, another was made for it. Loved the crispy batter of the egg white and the yummy runny yolk.

Still feeling slightly peckish, decided to order a serving of Asparagus and Bacon. This Tempura combination was interesting and tasty. The staff then recommended the Tempura Oysters which were juicy and succulent even in Tempura style.

Ended the night with a Yuzu Sherbet which was refreshing and helped to cleanse the palate after an evening of Tempura Delights.

General Verdict: Quality Tempura Restaurant at affordable prices worth revisiting

Opening Hours: Daily 11am-10pm

Queue Situation: About 15mins to 25mins

Price: SG$30++ upwards per person

Payment Mode: Cash and all Major Credit Cards (Physical and Paywave)

Items Ordered: 1) Item: Cold Tomato Description: Loved the texture and refreshing flavours of the tomato Verdict: Very Good, Must Order Price: SG$4.80++

Item: Hokkaido Flounder Seasonal Special Description: The firm texture of the flesh and the savouriness of the meat and batter made it a tasty dish Verdict: Good, Can Order Price: SG$6.80++

Item: Anago & Seafood Tempura Platter Anago, Squid, Kisu Fish, Prawn, Eggplant, Maitake Mushroom, Butternut Pumpkin and French Bean Description: One gets to enjoy various texture and flavours in this playter especially the Anago which was flavourful Verdict: Good, Can Order Price: SG$23++

Item: Makino Tendon and Soba Set Prawn, Squid, Maitake Mushroom, Eggplant, Butternut Pumpkin, French Bean and Egg that is served with half portion Rice and half portion Soba Description: This set, though similar to the Anago & Seafood Platter, was filling and tasty Verdict: Very Good, Must Order Price: SG$25++

Item: Asari Soup Tasty sake base soup with clams Description: The soup itself was delicious. If only the clams were meatier Verdict: Good, Can Order Price: SG$3.80++

Item: Egg Tempura Description: Loved the crispy batter of the egg white and the yummy runny yolk. Verdict: Very Good, Must Order Price: SG$2.50++

Item: Asparagus and Bacon Description: This Tempura combination was interesting and tasty Verdict: Good, Can Order Price: SG$4.80++

Item: Tempura Oysters Description: Juicy and succulent even in Tempura style Verdict: Good, Can Order Price: SG$3.80++ (Per piece)

Item: Yuzu Sherbet Description: Refreshing and helped to cleanse the palate after an evening of Tempura Delights Verdict: Good, Can...

This restaurant serves great tempura at affordable price, but these days almost everywhere has good food in sg. So I will commend on the immaculate service rendered to us instead, as this is very much lacking in even fine dining restaurants in sg these days. We came for an early dinner at 5+pm, so we were the only patrons initially. The staff were very very friendly & attentive, we thought it is because we were the only patrons at that time. But we then learnt it is not true (as you can see the other reviews raving about their service), even as the restaurant started filling up, the staff remained attentive & friendly. Even the chef was service oriented & friendly! My 15mo son refused to sit in the high chair after awhile so I let him sit on the booth seat while feeding him but he was very active & fell & hit his eye on the table edge. The staff and even the chef all came around us to check on us & gave us as much assistance as they could. Upon hearing that I calmed my son down by asking him if he would like ice cream, the staff gave him a scoop of ice cream on the house. As someone who was an airline crew for 6years (husband was airline crew for 10years), we both agree that the service rendered was excellent & came from marvellous leadership from the managing crew.

I have never taken my time to write such a lengthy commendation for any restaurant's service, this is the first time as this restaurant's staff truly exceeded expectations and made our evening very pleasant despite the fact that it could have been a heartpain experience as parents when my son fell down quite badly. Thank you for...

🟨Tempura Makino (Vivocity mall) 🟦 1 HarbourFront Walk, #02-111 ● Singapore 098585

Decor and ambience 🟠 I had a pleasant dining experience at Tempura Makino (Vivocity) today on 10th June 2025 Tues. ● Located on the second floor, the restaurant has a clean, modern Japanese aesthetic with beautiful latticewood panels, warm wood tones, and soft structured lighting that casts a golden glow across the entire eatery.

🟠 Their open kitchen (ie tempura frying) concept also lets you watch the chefs in action. The atmosphere is calm & soothing— perfect for a relaxing meal by myself.

🟦 Food 🟦 I ordered the Tempura Prawns & Vegetable Set (SGD21) for lunch, and it was absolutely satisfying. The tempura pieces were light, crisp, and not greasy at all—exactly how it should be. ● The prawns were fresh and succulent, while the assortment of root and stem vegetables were well-balanced and perfectly fried.

🟨 Service 🟨 What really stood out was the great service. All the staff were kind, cheerful, and genuinely affable, which made the whole experience even more enjoyable. ● They were attentive without being intrusive, and you could tell they took pride in their work. 🙏🏻 Thank you to Meng, Katrin and Emily for the omotenashi spirit of hospitality earlier on.

🩶🤎 I would recommended this tempura eatery if you're looking for quality tempura and great service in a comfortable setting! 🍤 The tempura pieces ( and the batter) were the closest to what I had eaten many times in Tokyo and Kyoto before.

✳️ 10th June 2025 Tues...