This post was written in 2008. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
A friend came over from Korea. We met up in Shinjuku and, after thinking about what to eat, decided on proper tonkatsu, the kind that’s hard to find back in Korea. I thought about going to a tonkatsu specialist, but we just went to Takashimaya instead. In Japan, the department store restaurant floors are the easiest place to grab a meal. Prices are a bit high, but the food is consistent and you can eat in peace. When we got there, though, it was Golden Week and the place was packed. We waited quite a while before getting in.
The entrance
Turns out it’s a different chain from Wako, the famous tonkatsu chain. Judging by what comes out, it’s almost the same, though a bit pricier. But unlike steak, tonkatsu is pretty much the same everywhere once it reaches a certain level, so you rarely go badly wrong.
When we went to order, they told us everyone had to order one dish each.. -_-;; Must be playing hard to get because it’s Golden Week. I almost suggested going somewhere else, but given the season, I just put up with it and ate.
The basic table setting
The interior is clean and nice. Not quite a date spot, but it seems good for a family meal.
Dressing for the cabbage
Some places have several kinds of dressing, but here there’s only one.. It’s a bit of a shame there’s no oil-free dressing.
Unusually for Japan, they bring out complimentary side dishes.
Lift the lid and..
You get side dishes like these.. The portions are small, but I’m grateful for them.
You dip things in sauces like these.
We ordered the course, and it came with chawanmushi.
Looks delicious.
I should try making it at home, but it’s not easy.
Menchi-katsu
It’s also called minchi-katsu. It’s a katsu made of ground meat fried together with vegetables. For 1,600 yen we got just these two, and at first I thought they were kidding, but this is the best menchi-katsu I’ve ever had. The crunch of the batter and the juices running out take turns hitting your mouth. It feels just like eating the best gyoza. Honestly, it was even better than the tonkatsu.
A cross-section of the menchi-katsu
It’s not a clean cut, so I’m not sure how well this gets the feeling across.
This is the rosu katsudon (pork loin katsu rice bowl).
It’s tonkatsu topped with rice-bowl sauce and beaten egg. Lean pork, soft egg and sweet sauce all come together in one bowl, so it’s a dish nobody, young or old, could fail to love. The photo doesn’t show the size well, but it’s enough that a normal person could order one and share it between two with no problem at all. So why does this place make everyone order one each, ugh.. There’s really nothing you can do about Golden Week unfriendliness.
Twin katsu set
A mixed tonkatsu set for two. There’s the same amount on the other side too. I think this was around 4,000 yen. The tonkatsu meat is so tender you can chew it without any effort at all. Not only is it tender, it’s full of juices, so it’s not dry either. Tonkatsu at a level that matches the price. The ebi-katsu with its springy shrimp was delicious too. The cheese-filled katsu wasn’t my thing, though..
This place is pretty good, but the taste drops once it gets cold, so you have to eat fast. Then the others said they couldn’t eat any more about halfway through, so I unleashed my powers as a human vacuum cleaner and cleared the table. After a menchi-katsu, half the katsudon stolen from someone else, and a good share of the tonkatsu platter, I was full. Of course I also got a refill of miso soup.
Miso soup
It’s packed with shijimi clams, so it tastes clean and refreshing. It never tastes like this when I make it at home, so I guess I should spend a bit more and buy some shijimi.
A tonkatsu place whose taste is worth the price. It holds its own against the famous places in town. The menchi-katsu in particular was amazing. I don’t think tonkatsu is anything special, but still, it’s hard to get this level of taste in Korea. Do give it a try. There are so-called famous tonkatsu places all over Tokyo, like Maisen in Harajuku.. but when you actually eat there, there’s not much difference. The top-tier famous places, Ueno’s big three tonkatsu shops, would be a different story, but below that they’re all about the same. Don’t agonise over it too much, just find a decent-looking place and walk in.