Tendon Tempura Carlos Junior

This blink-and-miss-it Japanese spot in downtown Torrance—semi-hidden behind a pair of big white curtains—is dedicated to bowls of tempura in the same way that The Rock is dedicated to bicep curls. Run by a Peruvian chef who trained in Japan, Carlos Junior specializes in tendon, or sauce-seasoned tempura over rice. Bowls come mounded with hot and crunchy things like fried shrimp, vegetables, seaweed eel, and a mind-melting tempura egg with a runny yolk. The sushi and noodles that make up the rest of the menu are unremarkable, so stick with the namesake tempura, paired with self-serve pickled ginger and celery that come on the table. The fully loaded Special Tempura Bowl is easily one our of favorite lunches in the South Bay.