I heard that the No. 1 tonkatsu place on Tabelog had opened in Takadanobaba, so I went to check it out. I thought I’d been to just about every famous tonkatsu restaurant, but I had no idea a place like this had opened…
The building
It’s in a basement, and the line was long even late in the evening.
Hire katsu (fillet cutlet)
Fillet is soft and light, and lately I’ve come to appreciate it. I used to eat nothing but fatty loin, so my tastes have changed quite a bit. A hire katsu done this well actually beats a rosu katsu.
Hire katsu set meal
It comes out nice and simple.
Rosu katsu (loin cutlet)
This one has a serious amount of fat and a nice chew to it. They told me they use Okinawan pork.
Cross-section
It just melts in your mouth.
After that great tonkatsu, I wandered around to walk it off.
A brewery in Takadanobaba
It’s a tiny beer bar with actual brewing equipment. Really cool; I’d like to drop by next time.
On the way to Shinjuku
A chance encounter with Miranda Kerr
People were lined up and I wondered what was going on, then out came Miranda Kerr. Whoa…
From Shinjuku I moved on to Ginza and walked the back streets.
Sokuhai, a liquor store in Ginza
Good prices, and they had a few old bottles. I made a lot of interesting discoveries.
Ginza Shinanoya
The whisky selection is similar to the Shinjuku store, but it’s a bit smaller.
Le Chocolat de H has opened in Ginza.
It was closed, so I couldn’t go in. Had I known it was there, I’d have skipped Shinjuku and come straight to Ginza. A shame.
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