Deep fried pork cutlets, aka “tonkatsu” とんかつ, is one of those western style foods that’s become a mainstay for many Japanese. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered tonkatsu is any Japanese restaurant in Canada although it’s been ages since I’ve been back to Canada so I guess you can find anything there now. Tonkatsu is easy to eat because it’s full of delicious fat deep fried in more fat covered in sauce which tastes good. I like tonkatsu but try to stay away from it as much as possible. Eat a pig, become a pig. There are many tonkatsu chains but one of the most famous and traditional ones is Maisen まい泉. You may have seen their sandwiches being sold in department stores. Maisen has their main restaurant in the backstreets of Omotesando. It’s a classic shop with ’60s style retro decor similar to the Hotel Okura. Believe it or not, this was actually my first time to visit the place in all the years I’ve been in Japan.
Maisen tonkatsu is different from other tonkatsu because the meat is extremely soft. It’s advertised that you can cut the meat with your chopsticks. The meat is very tender and looks like it’s been pulverized and beaten a thousand times. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of it but it looks kind of like spam rather than a pork cutlet. Maisen was pretty good, but I still think this one in Asakusa was the best tonkatsu I’ve ever eaten. Kimukatsu is also pretty good.
It might not be healthy, but it sure is tasty.. and all that cabbage must make up for it, right? Actually tonkatsu did give me a new love for cabbage, I’d never had it raw and thinly shredded like that before and it’s quite delicious. Usually in the West cabbage is served up boiled and bland and something that you are forced to eat as a kid, otherwise you won’t get any pudding!
Yeah, I never really ate cabbage much until I came to Japan and found that it was more common than lettuce.
Tonkatsu curry is the one thing that I crave since i came back to canada from my trip to japan. It was great everywhere, but atleast you could get it almost everywhere.
Here, there doesn’t seem to be any good curry places, and the tonkatsu here is so thin and tastes like nothing compared to the real stuff.
And the cabbage really does grow on you, I dont mind eating it raw now that im home.
I’ve been there! Besides the tonkatsu itself, I liked the decor a LOT.
Kinda retro except not really because that’s how it probably looked when they built the place…
Tonkatsu is available in nearly every Japanese restaurant I’ve been to in Vancouver. And there are a lot here.
I guess it really has changed a lot since you’ve been here.