The last time I wrote about Tokyo tonkatsu, was a back to back post on two of Tokyo’s best – Narikura and Tonta.
As you know I love tonkatsu and this year chose to visit this relative newcomer to the Tonkatsu scene, which is slowly gaining exposure, perhaps notably on Ivan Orkin‘s IG. It is also situated in katsu paradise, Takadanobaba, where my two favourites mentioned above reside.
They open their doors at 11am, and we arrived at half past ten on a Friday, in which we were the first in the short queue that formed shortly thereafter. There’s about 15 seats around the kitchen counter, and everybody got in when the doors opened.
We ordered two lunch sets – the rosu/sirloin (190g 1500yen / £11) and choice hire/fillet katsu (140g 3500yen / £26), and a side order of fried pork neck. The set comes with Hokkaido Yumepiraka rice (one free top up), cabbage, pickles and soup. In addition to the typical katsu sauce, they also serve their pork with olive oil and sea salt – this being one of their USP.
The other is that they buy their carcasses in whole and are then able to offer a sort of tonkatsu tasting menu comprised of various cuts. This isn’t offer for lunch service, rather you need to (and can) book a seat between the hours of 3 and 5pm to have this taster menu, for 3500yen. Something you should definitely consider if you are about, and don’t have early dinner plans as we did when we visited.
The quality of pork itself is tremendous, from Miyagi prefecture, the pigs’ diet include an array of Chinese herbs, which (amazingly) results in inherently tender flesh, a notably sweet, mellow flavour and without apparent need for further brining or ageing.
Fried hot (eyeballing panko colour, looks standard 160/170C) and fast say 5mins, rested 3-4 mins, and it is cooked perfectly to just a blush of pink. Moist and juicy, yet the katsu is surprisingly light on the palate, and on the gut, you leave with a “clean” feeling rather than a queasiness.
As I finished my meal, I saw that they did takeaway orders of katsu sandwich, and also asked for one as well – they go for about a tenner (1500yen).
So glad to be back in Tokyo, I love katsu so much and I think this place is great, doing all the right things. It doesn’t yet have the big queues which Narikura entertains, so it is worth your while if you love katsu as much as I do.
This was delicious – strands of fat interspersed within the muscle, fried until all of the fatty meat is steaming itself until lusciously soft and simply melts away on the palate. Fantastic with rice.
The last time I wrote about Tokyo tonkatsu, was a back to back post on two of Tokyo’s best – Narikura and Tonta.
As you know I love tonkatsu and this year chose to visit this relative newcomer to the Tonkatsu scene, which is slowly gaining exposure, perhaps notably on Ivan Orkin‘s IG. It is also situated in katsu paradise, Takadanobaba, where my two favourites mentioned above reside.
They open their doors at 11am, and we arrived at half past ten on a Friday, in which we were the first in the short queue that formed shortly thereafter. There’s about 15 seats around the kitchen counter, and everybody got in when the doors opened.
We ordered two lunch sets – the rosu/sirloin (190g 1500yen / £11) and choice hire/fillet katsu (140g 3500yen / £26), and a side order of fried pork neck. The set comes with Hokkaido Yumepiraka rice (one free top up), cabbage, pickles and soup. In addition to the typical katsu sauce, they also serve their pork with olive oil and sea salt – this being one of their USP.
The other is that they buy their carcasses in whole and are then able to offer a sort of tonkatsu tasting menu comprised of various cuts. This isn’t offer for lunch service, rather you need to (and can) book a seat between the hours of 3 and 5pm to have this taster menu, for 3500yen. Something you should definitely consider if you are about, and don’t have early dinner plans as we did when we visited.
The quality of pork itself is tremendous, from Miyagi prefecture, the pigs’ diet include an array of Chinese herbs, which (amazingly) results in inherently tender flesh, a notably sweet, mellow flavour and without apparent need for further brining or ageing.
Fried hot (eyeballing panko colour, looks standard 160/170C) and fast say 5mins, rested 3-4 mins, and it is cooked perfectly to just a blush of pink. Moist and juicy, yet the katsu is surprisingly light on the palate, and on the gut, you leave with a “clean” feeling rather than a queasiness.
As I finished my meal, I saw that they did takeaway orders of katsu sandwich, and also asked for one as well – they go for about a tenner (1500yen).
So glad to be back in Tokyo, I love katsu so much and I think this place is great, doing all the right things. It doesn’t yet have the big queues which Narikura entertains, so it is worth your while if you love katsu as much as I do.
Pictures below.
restaurant website
Open counter kitchen
Set lunch
Choice fillet set lunch
Sirloin set lunch
Pork neck katsu
This was delicious – strands of fat interspersed within the muscle, fried until all of the fatty meat is steaming itself until lusciously soft and simply melts away on the palate. Fantastic with rice.
Fillet katsu sando
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