I went to Ponta Honke, one of Ueno’s big three tonkatsu restaurants, which proudly charges over 3,000 yen for what is, after all, just tonkatsu. Unlike the other famous places, this one is well known for everything else on the menu being good too. Honestly, on my own I’d probably never have gone, but this time I had people to go with, so off we went without a second thought.
The sign
It’s not far from Okachimachi Station.
The front entrance
A solid, stately door. Once inside, I was surprised by how stylish the interior is. Futaba and Horaiya look like they could fall down any minute, so it’s quite the contrast ^_^ It was founded in Meiji 38, which is 1905, so it’s over 100 years old. The current chef is apparently the fourth generation. It’s amazing to think of them working at the flavor for more than a century.
The house signature, tonkatsu
In a word, this was the tonkatsu I’d always imagined, perfected. A crisp batter so thin it’s almost see-through, and hot pork that’s clean and mild yet dripping with juices, without a hint of off-flavor. Add the special sauce and the cabbage, and even something as humble as tonkatsu, a simple yoshoku dish, becomes about as good as food gets.
The rice set
They charge 525 yen extra just for this. OTL. Of course, it’s only the price; I have no complaints about the rice or the miso soup.
Anago fry
Until now I’d always thought of fry as an inferior copy of tempura, but eating this changed my mind. The anago was top-notch in freshness, of course, but the soft, delicate flavor went so well with the crisp coating.. The tonkatsu is fantastic, but I’d have regretted it if I hadn’t had the anago too.
The house signature dish, tan stew (beef tongue stew)
A whopping 4,200 yen. Beef tongue is an expensive ingredient, and I wondered how well it must be made to be so popular at that price. Having eaten it, I know some people say it lacks chew, but to me it was simply lovably rich and tender. Calling it the ultimate is no exaggeration. Not just the tongue, either: even that one slightly sweet piece of carrot on top was so good that I still remember it vividly.
A great experience. I should get to Futaba soon to finish off my tour of the big three tonkatsu restaurants ^_^