Katsukura: Sometimes, all you need is some deep-fried pork

When it comes to comfort food, Japanese tonkatsu ranks high on my list. While it will probably never unseat my all-time favourite, Malay satay, it does come fairly close.

Over the years, many Japanese chain stores have ventured into the Singapore market and Tonkatsu by Ma Maison from Nagoya is my preferred choice.

Whenever we find ourselves in Orchard Road and need to grab a bite, their restaurant on the second floor of Mandarin Gallery is the first place that pops into my mind.

I almost always end up ordering their Nagoya-style Negi Miso Rosu tonkatsu that’s slathered with a thick layer of black miso, and topped with a heaping mound of roughly sliced negi.

Sometimes all you need is some deep-fried pork

When we’re physically in Japan though, our number one pick for crispy and juicy tonkatsu is invariably Katsukura from Kyoto. They have a lot more stores throughout the country, including one inside Takashimaya Times Square in Shinjuku.

But since we were in Kyoto for the week, it was a given that we’d visit one of their several locations in the city for some oishii deep-fried pork.

Specifically, the one at Shijo Teramachi that had good ratings on both Google (4.3⭐/5.0 | 1,177 reviews) and Tabelog (3.21⭐/5.00 | 157 reviews).

It’s one of their smaller restaurants, probably because it occupies expensive real estate right in the heart of the downtown Kawaramachi shopping district.

Not surprisingly, there was already a sizeable queue when we reached. But since it didn’t spillover into the main street and turnover was quick, the wait time was acceptable.

There was limited counter seating on the ground floor, and a larger dining area in the basement level. Either would have been fine, but we were hoping to get a direct view of the cooking action.

While waiting, we browsed through the large menus that were prominently displayed on large stands just outside the entrance.

In addition to their evergreen items, there were also several seasonal specialties including fresh bamboo shoots, as well as a rotating selection of soups.

As we inched slowly towards the entrance, we could catch snippets of conversation from the other customers in line.

Among the different languages we recognised were English, Chinese (in both PRC and Taiwan accents), Cantonese, Korean and even Thai.

Even though we didn’t understand everything that was said, it was obvious that everyone was excited and looking forward to the meal ahead.

When it was finally our turn, we were seated right in front of the cooks, with only a glass panel separating us from the bubbling vats of oil.

The small menus in front of us were essentially the same as the large ones outside, so we already had a good idea of what to order.

I didn’t even have to whip out my Google Translate app as most items came with English (as well as Chinese and even Korean) translations.

For the few that came with only Japanese descriptions, the large photos and occasionally kanji characters were more than enough to give us a clue.

Pickles were self-service and I pinched out a small amount from the mini pot with the bamboo tweezers.

They had an unexpectedly strong shiso note, which we love, and made for a nice appetiser that helped to open up our palates.

We were served hot hojicha, together with a wooden pestle and small bowl filled with toasted sesame seeds. The bowl had ridges on the inside surface to facilitate the grinding of the sesame.

A choice of two tonkatsu sauces was provided, regular and (allegedly) spicy, as well as a tart yuzu dressing for the ubiquitous accompaniment of bottomless finely-sliced raw cabbage.

Tonjiru was the complimentary soupe du jour and it was chock full of ingredients, including generous amounts of daikon and sliced pork.

Hotate Katsu was the first of the two appetisers that we ordered. It was a featured item with scallops sourced from Aomori in the northern tip of the Tōhoku region in Japan.

Three golden and juicy nuggets arrived, together with a dollop of tartare sauce on the side. They were meaty, fresh and tasty, though slightly overcooked.

Our second appetiser, the Tatenoko to Madai no Chawanmushi, was also a seasonal dish. The Japanese steamed egg custard was filled with thick slices of bamboo shoots and a generous chunk of sea bream.

Even though chawanmushi is readily available in Singapore, it usually comes with anemic bits of either chicken or prawn. Fancier ones are sometimes topped with ikura or shredded crab meat, but the version we had at Katsukura was the best we’ve had so far.

Bamboo shoots are typically neutral tasting, but these were amazingly sweet and flavourful. Their crunchy texture contrasted with the soft and silky egg, and paired perfectly with the thick slice of madai.

The mains were up next, and mine was the Kirishima Sanroku Rosu tonkatsu, using Miyazaki pork from Kyushu.

When it arrived, I thought that it looked a bit dry. Worried that it was going to be slightly overcooked like the scallops, I took a tentative bite. Thankfully, it was done just right.

Pork chops can sometimes taste quite bland, but this was clearly not. Like Porco Rosso, Miyazaki pigs have strong character, and this was evident as I savoured each piece.

First, as-is. Then, with a tiny dab of salt. After that, with a small blob of mustard. Followed by a dip in sesame-infused tonkatsu sauce, both original and (allegedly) spicy. It was all good.

The Wife ordered the leaner “hire” cut of the same pork, but chose a set that came with Tatenoko Ebi Hasami Katsu, or steamed shrimp bamboo shoot sandwich.

Even though the “sandwich” was meant to be a co-star in the dish, it put in a spectacular performance and convincingly stole the show.

It was love at first bite, and she was sorely tempted to order more. But alas, her stomach said no.

The tonkatsu at Katsukura that night was as good as we remembered, but it was the seasonal items that were truly exceptional.

Sometimes, all you need is some deep-fried pork. But it clearly doesn’t hurt to throw some fresh bamboo shoots into the mix.