Japanese restaurant in Mipo, Haeundae: shrimp tendon lunch at Taiga

One weekend not long ago, I headed to Haeundae for the first time in a while, to see the cool sea and eat some good Japanese food. They say even Mt. Kumgang is better after a meal, right? Before enjoying the beautiful Busan sea, you have to fill your stomach first!

What is Taiga Tempura & Matsudo like?

Taiga Tempura & Matsudo (타이가텐푸라&마츠도) is a Japanese restaurant on the first floor of Cloud Mipo in Mipo, Haeundae, where you can eat both tendon and ramen in one place. I was searching hard for where to have lunch and heard about a Japanese spot getting hot among locals and travelers lately, so I headed over quickly.

It's the place where you can get a tempura rice bowl, the essence of crispy outside and moist inside, along with ramen in a deep broth! The shop was cleaner than I expected and the food was great, so let me start this happy review.

The restaurant is on the first floor of the Cloud Mipo building, and since it specializes in crispy tempura and neat Japanese-style meals, it's perfect for anyone looking for a good place near Haeundae-gu!

The kitchen is open, so you can watch the cooking while you order and while you eat. That's reassuring, and it's fun to watch, so eating alone didn't feel lonely at all..

Is there parking at Taiga Tempura & Matsudo?

There's a garage in the basement of Cloud Mipo, and they offer parking support, so be sure to tell the restaurant you're using and get registered!

Taiga Tempura & Matsudo menu and prices

A big plus is that you can enjoy the menus of both Matsudo, the ramen specialist, and Taiga Tempura, the tendon specialist, in one place! I looked over the menu before ordering. The Matsudo menu is packed with authentic Japanese dishes, from miso ramen (₩14,000) in a rich white miso broth to cappuccino tantanmen and spicy miso mixed soba, enough to be a holy land for ramen fans!

On the Taiga Tempura side, there's a pork tenderloin cutlet set and omurice, but the signature tendon caught my eye! There's the Taiga conger eel tendon, limited to 30 bowls a day, the classic Taiga tendon, and the shrimp tendon, a light bowl centered on shrimp, so there's a really wide range to pick from.

It's a restaurant with an excellent hygiene grade certified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which was reassuring even before going in. It's at the start of Dalmaji-gil in Haeundae, right in front of Mipo Port, so access is great, and with crispy tempura made from fresh ingredients and a variety of Japanese dishes, it's ideal for a filling Mipo lunch in Busan!

In front of the counter there's crunchy seasoned pickled radish to cut the greasiness of the tempura, plus kimchi and tendon sauce, so you can add a little sauce to suit your own taste. Love that!

Ocean view and seating: good for solo meals and dates?

Step inside Taiga Tempura & Matsudo and the blue Busan sea peeks in beyond the wide glass windows. I understood right away why so many people rave about it on social media as an ocean-view restaurant in Haeundae.

There's a tidy counter bar around the open kitchen, stylish interiors, and tables for 2 and 4, so it looked good for a date or a family meal too!

How was the shrimp tendon (₩17,000)?

What I ordered was the shrimp tendon, ₩17,000. The look was overwhelming.. seeing the plump shrimp tempura piled on the rice made my mouth water before I even ate >_<

It also came with a clear soup to sip when you feel choked up while eating! Thanks to that, everything went down smoothly~

The first thing I picked up was the shrimp tempura: thin and crispy outside, packed with springy shrimp meat inside. 100 points for the chew

With the eggplant tempura, soft juices burst out all over my mouth the moment I bit in, and I couldn't help but marvel. The shishito pepper tempura subtly and sharply cuts the oiliness, making a perfectly balanced tendon. Perfect..

The tendon highlight: mixing in the onsen egg

The highlight you can never miss when eating tendon! It's the moment you break the savory onsen egg (hot-spring-style soft egg). Mixing it with the special sauce so the rich, soft yolk coats every grain of rice was just amazing T_T

Taiga Tempura & Matsudo let me enjoy authentic Japanese food with a craftsman's touch, alongside a seaside view! If you're planning a trip to Haeundae or looking for lunch near Mipo, I highly recommend stopping by to try the crispy tempura and deep ramen.