Katsukura Shinjuku Takashimaya Times Square: best katsu ever?

I have eaten at Katsukura's branch at Shiodome for many years, in fact almost every trip to Tokyo is not complete without a meal there.

This last trip, in November 2014 was no different. As I arrived in Tokyo, I heard from the grapevine that the quality of the food in Katsukura Shiodome has fallen, but that the outlet at Times Square is still very good. So we trodded over to Shinjuku to eat our fill.

And without further ado, we ordered. Almost immediately the side dishes arrived, together with the sesame seeds in a mortar and pestel and the requisite sauces.

And also some light appetizers of tofu and simmered vegetables.

The order of rosu katsu: from the loin of the pig

As in my earlier experiences in visits to Shiodome, it was marvellous. The breaded crust was very light, crispy, and no hint of oil at all. The pork within was juicy, tasty and very tender, with a small sliver of fat which provided some oomph to the taste.

As mentioned in my earlier review, the cabbage is hand cut, and unlimited servings are offered.

We also tried the smaller cut of katsu with a prawn

Indeed, superb as well. The smaller cut of pork cutlet was a little dryer...perhaps the smaller portion tend to cook faster. And the prawn was superb. Beautifully fresh, with a hint of the sea, very sweet and very tasty.

We also added a croquette

Deep fried with the same batter, the crust was as light, crispy and ungreasy as the pork and prawn. The insides were delightfully moist. The mashed potatoes were remarkably tasty, with chunks of crab within. Excellent.

Overall, still a very enjoyable meal. And again, very highly recommended. 

Katsukura

Takashimaya Times Square 14F, 5-24-2, Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 151-0051
(〒151-0051 東京都渋谷区千駄ヶ谷5-24-2 タカシマヤ タイムズスクエア14F)

In pursuit of the Katsu: Tonkichi

with Eddie and Ken

Katsu, or breaded pork cutlet is one dish I am quite fond of...and I find myself eating katsu fairly often, though it has not really turned into a quest in the same manner like the series on steaks, or the series on ramen, I find myself with enough material to do one.

My gold standard is set by Katsukura in Tokyo. And personal bests in Singapore are found at Tampopo or at Tom Ton. (both owned by the same Japanese gentleman). And another favourite, since their first store in Isetan Scotts, and more recently in Suntec City and Ngee Ann City. I noted they opened up a new store at Orchard Central, and since it is literally a stone's throw away from my office, we decided to have lunch.



The decor was pleasing...the interior of the restaurant was bright. The menu looked different from the other outlets' and feature kurobuta. The Japanese black pig is one of my favourites when it comes to pork...usually very tender, bursting with flavour, and typically includes a generous marbling of fat...this is superior pork.

I spied that the menu had something I have never tried before...kurobuta layed pork katsu.



What is that, I enquired to the Japanese waitress...who struggled to explain...um...layered, she muttered...ah so des neh, I go...what means, layered...err...layered...she repeated...hmm. So that was that...the menu said this was their best katsu...and having liked their regular katsu before, I put myself at the chef's hands and ordered the layered kurobuta katsu.



It turned out to be exactly as the waitress said...kurobuta pork was sliced thinly, then rolled up to look like a piece of pork chop. The roll is battered, and deep fried. As can be seen in the picture above, the layers of sliced pork is evident. Tastewise, it was rather more tender...offering less resistance to the bite than a regular rosukatsu. I imagine the cut of pork used had some fairly generous measure of marbling...judging from the flavour and texture, but it is difficult to detect the fat from a visual inspection. The batter was very crisp, slightly hard even, and as is typical of good and great katsu, there was no hint of grease on it...somehow the Japanese has mastered the art of deep frying to achieve crispiness, and sealing in flavours, while keeping the crisp batter dry and grease free.

Ken had the mixed curry...comprising of a breaded deep fried prawn, a slice of rosukatsu, and a slice of deep fried breaded minced pork.




The curry was thick, rich type...complete with chunks of potatos, and sinews of pork. I didn't try the dish, but had a small piece of the minced pork to taste...it was very good. Brings back memories when Tampopo used to serve kurobuta minced pork in a katsu-style batter. Excellent.

So final conclusions...satisfying...yes! unseat my personal bests? not quite. The quality and taste of the pork at the Tampopo/Tom Ton are still better...of course the gold standard set by Katsukura remains golden. But Tonkichi's katsus are way better than Ginza Bairin I recently reviewed, and many, many others. Stay tuned for more katsu tastings.


Tonkichi - Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road, #07-06
Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Tel: 62387976
Fax: 62387312
11.00 am to 11.00 pm

Ginza Bairin: tonkatsu...is it good?

with office colleagues

One of my friends excitedly pulled me aside in one recent wedding dinner to tell me that he found a place which serves katsu of the same quality and taste as the one I had once taken him to in Tokyo. The eatery in question in Tokyo was located at the basement of the ANA building...and is a chain store known as Katsukura. Can it be, I wondered...so we went to try.



Cash only, the sign says. Order, pay, and go inside and wait for your food...a bit like Mosburger, methinks...not very promising. But the order counter looked like it could have been in Japan...though the English signs are a dead giveaway.



Inside, it was decorated like a canteen...but a tastefully done up one, I must say...and two huge, and I mean huge pictures of the owner.

Each katsu is cooked on order...so that's promising...we waited about 5 mins for our lunch.

First up, my Katsu loin:



Looks quite nice. The pork was deep fried, crispy breaded outer layer...looked quite dry, which is a good sign...the Japanese pride themselves in non-greasy katsu.



Looks scrumptious. But the inside told a different story...the meat look sinewy and tough. And indeed on the palate it was. The muscle fibres were a bit dry and tough. I would have preferred a cut of meat which is a bit less lean, perhaps featuring a sliver of fat to imbue flavour. The breaded batter was very crispy, but a bit thick. The shredded cabbage with the Japanese walnut dressing was ok.

Kennard had the katsu curry:



The same cut of pork was used...same dry, slightly tough meat...but this time, with the sweetish Japanese curry sauce made all the difference. I tasted the sauce...I still prefer sauce with bits of meat in it like those you find at Curry Favour, but this one is smooth, homogenous, a bit starchy, but quite tasty. Goes well with the dryish pork.

Ken had the katsu don...



Also a clever option...as the sauce and egg topping added to the moisture content, and made the pork katsu quite nice.

Overall, not a bad katsu, especially in Singapore...an no way in competition with Katsukura. And no way dethrones my favourite katsu in Singapore...found in Tampopo or at Tom Ton.

Tampopo: kurobuta at its best?

with Kin, Prof. Massi, Prof. Francescca and Kin, Edward on two weekends

I wrote about Tom Ton and its superb kurobutas earlier. Click here for earlier review.

Takagi-san, the owner has to be credited for his bravery as probably the first restaurant in Singapore to introduce kurobuta pork to the public.



The signature spicy kurobuta shabu shabu ramen is still in top form. The Kyushu pork bone soup which enriches this dish is as rich and tasty as ever.

We also had the Kyushu pork bone kurobuta ramen. The cloudy, rich looking broth is typical of Kyushu pork bone ramen. Boiled in constant high heat for two days, it extracts the minerals, collagen, and calcium, into a rich thick broth. The bowl is spiced up, both by colour and taste as it is generously topped with a spoonful of spicy flying fish roe. Within the soup, a chilled flavoured egg resides...outside firm and cooked, insides runny and nearly so.



Typicalof Kyushu ramen, the noodles were thin but not wiry. And complemented the broth very well. It allowed the broth, which is the real star, to shine.



Extra servings or chasu was also available, and this was excellent. The right amount of fat vs lean meat balance and flavourful.




But the main dishes were also as outstanding.

Premium cut of kurobuta pork chop:



This was served on a hot plate. We found the marinate a bit on the salty side, but the cut of pork was gorgeous. Tender yet had some bite, and magnificently flavourful...due to the generous marbling.

But even more spectacular was the katsu.



I had waxed lyrical over Katsukura's katsu, proclaiming it to be the my personal best. But being able to indulge in it frequently is not possible, as Katsukura is in Tokyo. I will gladly settle for Tampopo (and Tom Ton) version any day. The pork served to us that evening was even better than the norm in Katsukura...um, fatter and hence more flavourful. But also very tender. The batter was less light and oily than the Katsukura, but it was nonetheless very light and crispy and provided the perfect counterpoint to the rich pork within. Katsukura still has the edge with its superior dipping sauce, barley rice, and batter...but the quality of the meat is at the same level.



Various levels of pork were available...according to marbling. The cut we had pictured, is of the highest grade cut...with most marbling, and beautiful, beautiful flavour.

We also had the occassion to sample the cream puffs from Tampopo deli at the basement of Liang Court. Made fresh every hour on the hour, this cream puff draws the queues like no other. Only 40 pieces are available at the top of the hour, and the queue starts to form at least 20minutes before. When it comes out, it is immediately zapped by the eager queue.



The puff was super light...this was the first indication that it was something special. The crust was crisp, and as you break it open, the smooth, soft, cold custard just oozes out.



The custard was a perfect balance of sweet, savoury and creamy. Just marvellous. The style is like Beard Papa, but this was seventh heaven while BP remained on the ground.

Worth the queue...btw, the other pastry stuff in the Deli is also very good...characteristically light and fluffy.


Tampopo Restaurant
177 River Valley Road #01-23/24
Liang Court Shopping Center
Singapore 179030
Contact no: 6338 3186
Fax no: 6336 2625

Tampopo Deli
177 River Valley Road
#B1-16 Liang Court Shopping Centre
Tel: 6338 7386

Eating in Tokyo: My favourite Pork Katsu: Katsukura

with SYT in Tokyo



I love katsu...especially pork loin from a good cut of kurobuta, breaded, deep fried to perfection...leaving a crisp, crunchy exterior with sharp bits which disintegrate on each bite, and provides the mind with endless entertainment trying to distinguish the crispiness...and soft, tender pork with a layer of fat within...flavourful, joyful, beautiful.

So when in Tokyo, I always make a trip to Katsukura...a chain store...no doubt, but serves exemplary katsu. From the original store in Kyoto, Katsukura has grown into a chain of more than 30 stores nationwide, and I think is probably related to the one store in Singapore at Ngee Ann City. I have eaten at the Ngee Ann City store, but the taste, textures and experience is nowhere similar to the Shiodome one I frequent.

They serve the katsu with a huge, refillable serving of hand cut cabbage, and barley rice.



The bread crumbs are specially selected...to provide crisp, light taste. When placed on a piece of rice paper, the katsu left little oil stains.

The pork is offered in two grades, one regular and and the special grade is a kurobuta from Yonezawa prefecture. Two different cuts are offered...a leaner fillet and a fatter, more flavourful loin. And each tonkatsu was offered in 3 sizes - 70g, 120g, 180g.

Of course I had to have the special grade...tonkatsu at its best, IMHO:



Eaten with a special sauce made from soy sauce, red wine, apples and date palm...mixed in-situ with a mortar and pestle, completes the taste...provides tang and tartness to the rich flavour of the pork.



We also shared a serving of fried prawns...five large prawns, cut Japanese style so they don't curl on themselves, breaded in the same superior batter as with the tonkatsu, and deep fried similarly...



The prawns were fleshy, and very tasty. A hint of the sea was present, and the meat was crunchy, sweet and rich. Excellent.

Easy to find, the shop is in the ANA building, and right next to a Singapore Chicken Rice restaurant.



Katsukura
Shiodome / Tonkatsu
Higashi-Shimbashi 1-5-2, Shiodome City Center B1F. Open 11am-10pm daily.

The Search for Ramen Part 2: Tom Ton, The Central

Tom Ton is a branch, owned by the same Mr. Takagi who also owns Tampopo. Tom Ton specialises in tonkatsu dishes, while Tampopo specialises in ramen. But both stores have extended their menu to include almost everything Japanese...ranging from simmered dishes to shushi and shashimi.

It takes a brave man to call his ramen shop Tampopo. The Japanese cult movie, Tampopo tells a story of a widow's dream to create the best ramen shop in the world.

The very same Spicy Korubuta Shabu Shabu Ramen, which made its name in Tampopo (now on the ground floor at Liang Court) is available in Tom Ton.



The Kyushu style pork bone soup was prepared over 2 days of constant high heat boiling of pork bones, extracting the marrow, and all the goodies of the bones to produce a superior stock. I asked for reduced salt, and the soup was very tasty, nicely balanced, with a good robust pork flavour. In spite of the liberal and colourful sprinking of chilli, the ramen was not too spicy.



The ramen was on the safe side...thin ramen was used, and cooked just slightly softer than al dente texture I prefer. This contrasts with the much firmer bite and eggy taste of the ramen used by Menya Shinchan.

But the centerpiece is the kurobuta slices. Kurobuta, literally black pig, is the pork equivalent to wagyu. Berkshire pigs, which are black and hence the name, are reared in a stressless environment, causing the meat to be tender, and full of flavour.



The taste is truly testimony to the added care to raise the pigs. thin slices of belly meat is quickly boiled and added to the bowl. The texture certainly is very fine, very tender, and beautiful flavour. The pork was a bit fat, but that's what gives rise to the rich taste and soft, tender texture.

The speciality for restaurant is certainly the katsu pork. We ordered the Black Pork Katsu with pink salt served atop a bowl of rice.



The slice of loin pork used was fat, but oh-so gorgeous taste...rich, satisfying. The meat was tender, and very beautiful flavour. The crust was very crispy, and somehow did not retain the oil despite being deep fried. My personal best is still Katsukura in ANA Building, Tokyo (will blog about this soon), but this was pretty close.



Pink salt, liberally coats the sides of the bowl, and a sprinkling is also on the vegetables supporting the katsu. Pink salt, from Bolivia is a hand harvested rock crystal salt. The characteristic rosy pink hue, and speckled. In addition to its sodium chloride (salt) content, Pink Salt is remarkably rich in other minerals including Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron and an array of other essential and trace minerals.

The taste is subtle...I am not sure in a blind test, if I can correctly identify this from more normal rock salt.

The dish came with one of the most interesting miso soup I have seen. This was rich miso stock, but also brewed with vegetables and herbs and more kurobuta pork. Very fine, rich tasting, and not at all salty like most miso soup. This was a delight.



We also had the kurobuta tofu...see the theme of kurobuta? Many dishes are adorned with this very special, great tasting pork.

The stock was rich, possibly soy with rich pork bone stock...but lighter than the soup of the ramen. The tofu was the rough, cottage style tofu...very delicate soy flavour provided a nice counterpoint to the rough texture and the rich taste of the pork.



As the shop had a beautiful sushi counter, I ordered the namesake Tom Ton Shushi.



This proved to be a mini-disaster. Comprising of a cut roll with 6 different sushi ingredients - I can identify salmon, tuna, another fish, tamago, crab stick, cucumber. The taste is a riot, none of the ingredients was allowed to bloom. The sweet tamago clashed with the mild taste of the salmon and tuna. Wierd.



Other than the misadventure of the sushi, the meal was a great success. The ramen is one of better ones in Singapore, as is the katsu don.

Tom Ton
06 Eu Tong Sen Street #03-88/99
The Central(Above Clarke Quay MRT)
Singapore 059817

Wakashachiya - Central, Singapore

Lunch today was Japanese. My father thought of going to this place as he wanted to relive his experience of the unagi he had in Tokyo, two weeks ago. He happened into what appeared to be an old, traditional unagi place after an afternoon of shopping at Yodobashi in Akihabara. The huge camera and electronics store - one of the largest in the world had a whole floor dedicated to restaurants. The unagi kabayaki bento he had there was the best in his experience.

We started with teba chicken wings, they offer three different types - original, spicy and some other thing. We had the original one, which was the middle part of the wing.



It was nicely and lightly fried, the skin was crisp and not very oily with a hint of shio (salt). The meat was succulent and juicy. It was very enjoyable.

My mother ordered the set which comprises of curry udon, rice, and a pork katsu.



Frankly, the pork katsu could have been better. The one she had in Tokyo at Katsukura was still the best she has had. This pork was tough and fibrous although the crust was nice, light and crispy. The udon however, was fantastic. It has a nice firm bite and the curry was gorgeous. The curry gravy tasted like it was made of finely ground potatoes and featured leeks and a piece of fried tofu. She gave the rice to me.

I had the ebi tempura udon which came with two huge prawns perched atop a bowl of steaming curry udon. The curry udon had was the same as the one in the set menu.



The prawns were magnificent, large ebi delicately and lovingly tempura-ed. The batter was light and crispy and the crunchiness provided an excellent counter point to the firm but juicy ebi within.

My father had the piece de resistance: Hitsu-mabushi. This was a huge bowl of finely grilled unagi resting on a bed of rice. The Hitsu-mabushi is the speciality of the Nagoya city where Wakashachiya is from.



It came complete with eating instruction which instructed the diner to portion the dish into four equal parts. Serve the first part on the small bowl and eat it as it is. The second portion is then served onto the same small bowl, obviously after you finished your first portion. Sprinkle it with the chives/spring onions/wasabi and dried seaweed with has been finely cut into strips. Proceed to enjoy the second portion. For the third portion, use the dashi soup (fish stocks from bonito flakes) provided, and the same condiments. This was like a rice porridge. And for the final portion, you may consume the Hitsu-mabushi in any of the above that you prefer. Both my father and me preferred the second.



The unagi was very well grilled and served kabayaki style, covered with just the right amount of sweet sauce. It tasted very fresh, and the meat was soft, smooth and creamy without any hint of any bones which may appear in unagi of lower quality. My father felt that it was almost as good as the one he had in Tokyo, and certainly one of the best in Singapore.

All in all, we enjoyed ourselves very much and the bill came out to a total of about $80 for three persons.

---

Wakashachiya
The Central
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-92 to 95
Singapore 059817

http://www.wakashachiya.co.jp