When it comes to Japanese food, you won't find a whole lot that have as much going on in one bowl than a classic tempura-don (天丼, ten-don for short). Battered and deep fried shrimp and vegetables, while crunchy on the outside, are especially prepared to preserve the texture of the meat and vegetables on the inside and served over a steaming bowl of rice. While tempura itself is usually enjoyed with tentsuyuu sauce (dashi, mirin, and soy sauce) or flavored salt, Japanese tempura-don fast food chain Tenya is spicing things up with a new seasonal release: Double Hamburg Steak Tempura-Don with BBQ Sauce!

12487_1

Source: Tenya

It's called the "W Hamburg Tendon ~BBQ Sauce~" (W is an abbreviation for "double" in Japanese), and while you may immediately think of it as a step too far or a needless complication of what has become a staple of Japanese cuisine (although it was the Portuguese who introduced the recipe), the new item isn't simply Ten-don slathered in BBQ sauce. Tenya has opted to use one of Japan's favorite meat dishes, a Hamburg steak as a bridge for the BBQ sauce, which Tenya says has an appetite-arousing fruity aroma and spicy flavoring custom made to complement Japanese food. It is also served with a soft-boiled egg, as per popular demand by customers.

As a take-home order.

12487_2

Source: Tenya

If you've eaten at your share of family restaurants in Japan, then you have likely encountered Hamburg steak, called Hamburg (ハンバーグ). As an affordable way to serve beef, the dish has become popularized on school lunch menus, restaurant kids menus, and of course at steak-houses. At low-cost and high protein-volume, it's basically the perfect fit for a bento.

The Hamburg Tempura as an individual item.

12487_3

Source: Tenya

Priced at 730 yen ($6.71 USD), the W Hamburg Tendon ~BBQ Sauce~ is served with hamburg steak, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and a soft-boiled egg. It also comes with a serving of miso soup, so all in all it's quite a deal. It's slated to be released on Tenya's seasonal menu from April 14th, and run until June 1st.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.