This place is probably ranked second in Tabelog’s tonkatsu rankings, and since it was on the way to Tanakaya in Mejiro, I was able to drop in. Tanakaya is well known for its whisky and liqueur selection. You can find rare bottles and whiskies that have sold out online there, so I go every now and then, and now that I can combine the two, I want to go even more often.

Tonta

Maybe because I arrived a bit late, there was no line. An elderly gentleman was running the kitchen and his wife was doing the serving.

They even have cute characters like these…

It feels less like a famous spot and more like an ordinary neighbourhood tonkatsu shop.

The menu

If I remember right, there was exactly one jo-rosu katsu (premium loin cutlet) left, so I ordered it.

Tonkatsu

Standard style.

Rice

Well… the best, right…

Grinding some sesame too…

This much fat is just right.

Any more fat than this and I can’t really handle it anymore. Age is catching up with me…

To help it all digest, and since I was in the city anyway, I also stopped by Shinanoya in Kabukicho.

They’d recently done some renovation work and the interior looked clean and tidy. However convenient the internet has become, I still find that dropping by a shop now and then to get a feel for things helps when I’m buying whisky.

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