Ebi-ten, when translated from Japanese to English, literally means batter fried shrimp—and Poblacion’s newest Japanese Tempura Bar, Ebi 10 offers just that and more.
You can find Ebi 10 at Tambai Alley on 5779 Felipe Street in Barangay Poblacion, Makati. This alley is a new addition to what locals would probably remember as Tambai. Within the alley you can also find other new establishments like Kampai (a Japanese bar on the second floor) and Wantusawa (an oyster bar next door).
Ebi 10 is owned and operated by Joey, Marco and Celine Viray, the same family behind other Poblacion establishments Joe’s Brew and Kampai Bar, with this being their third venture in the area.
“I always say to anyone that asks us, why we chose Poblacion is that we’ve always grown up here. Aside from it being one of the up-and-coming neighborhoods for chill nights with your friends, our dad and his family actually lived here way back when and even up until today. With our late lola’s house in Don Pedro, my siblings and I have grown up accustomed to these streets, visiting almost every weekend while we were growing up. Poblacion has really become a home to us and was really a no-brainer to why we decided to open establishments in the area,” says Marco.
When it comes to food and craft beer, all three siblings seem to agree that they are all very fortunate enough to have been raised in a family who love to eat, cook, drink and travel.
The idea of Ebi 10 actually sparked from their last family trip to Japan in 2016, where a local guide showed them a hole-in-the-wall tempura bar where they could go after a late night of drinking, or if they just wanted some good fresh tempura.
“The tempura bar we went to was really simple and only offered three things on their menu—fresh oysters, sashimi and tempura [shrimp, mushroom, egg, etc]. In terms of seating, it was a small restaurant that sat around 20 to 30 pax, with a bar and maybe four other cocktail-type tables with bar stools and that was it. You order your tempura per piece and it’s freshly fried in front of you. We all loved the simplicity of it, and being able to control your own order and customize your own tempura basket. That’s why we thought of opening a similar experience in Manila,” says Celine.
At Ebi 10, each tempura order is done on a per piece basis, with the exception to a few where at most you would get three pieces per order.
“We wanted to make sure we had at least 10 different items to tempura, to not only own the name Ebi 10 but to also be able to be called a tempura bar. Currently our menu has around 15 different tempura items,” says Joey.
Currently the bar offers tempura favorites, such as Shrimp, Agedashi Tofu, Eggplant, Sweet Potato, Ika (squid) and Asohos (fish), but they also offer unique tempura items like Pork Stuffed Mushrooms, Scallop Corn, Scallop Nori, Soft Boiled Egg, Bird’s Nest (their spin on a mixed vegetable tempura, served with a marinated egg) and, on certain nights, an Uni Shiso Nori. Each item ranges from P35 to P150 per piece, allowing each customer to control their own tempura basket. The menu was made in collaboration with Chef Alec Santos, a friend of Marco’s, and their mom Jeangay, who, prior to the tempura bar, has been in the F&B business since the 1980s.
“I used to own and operate a food truck called Food Truck by Chef Broosy. The truck used to sell Japanese fusion food, and over the years, my cooks and I would often experiment to add new items on the menu. Our shrimp tempura was one of best sellers,” recalls Jeangay. With their respective family backgrounds in food, the Virays refined their mom’s tempura batter recipe and opened Ebi 10. However, with an understanding that certain Filipinos might look for something more than just tempura, their menu also boasts of other equally delicious items like their Bacon Yakisoba, Ebi 10 Chahan, Tori Chahan, Pork Tonkatsu, Katsu Curry, Gyoza and their various rolls (Salmon, Tuna and Uni Sashimi, and house roll of Spicy Salmon/Tuna).
Visit Ebi 10 at Tambai Alley in Poblacion Makati. It is open daily from 6 pm to 1 am. You can also book your tables and reservations by calling 956-7816, or keep updated with them at @Ebi10Ph on Instagram or www.facebook.com/Ebi10Ph.