For the love of all things, breaded, fried and golden, few come close to the taste and textural satisfaction we get from Japanese tonkatsu. What’s to hate? It’s everything you could ever want on a plate from the crispiness of its breaded exterior to the moist, meaty flavour that hides within.

While East Coast Road may seem a tad far off for tonkatsu—given that you can easily find it everywhere nowadays—Katsuya is one tonkatsu-focused restaurant worth making a trip down for.

The restaurant—helmed by Chef Kervin who has several years of experience cooking Japanese cuisine and even a Japan-issued chef license to boot—ensures that everything is done properly. They do not use MSG and lard in their cooking and the sheer deliciousness of their food is solely dependant on the technique and freshness of each individual ingredient.

On their menu, diners can expect to find a wide range of katsu offerings spanning the classic pork katsu, beef katsu and even lamb katsu. Sashimi, sake and other small plates are also available for those looking for a quick snack and tipple after work.

As far as pork is concerned, having a good amount of fat almost always guarantees exceptional flavour, which is why we did not hesitate to opt for the Rosu (pork with fat) Tonkatsu (S$23++).

The layer of fat was moist, full of porky flavour and provided a somewhat buttery element to the dish. Having gotten the set, we were also treated to refillable cabbage and rice!

While there was nothing wrong with the Chicken Katsu Curry (S$23++), we felt that it lacked a certain flair to it. The chicken was succulent and deep-fried to golden perfection, however, the curry sauce—as flavourful as it was—seemed like any other Japanese curry sauce.

The dish was well balanced from the pickles and the shredded cabbage that do well to cut through the intense richness of the curry and is, without a doubt, a good option to consider if you ever find yourself craving Japanese curry—our only gripe was that it seemed a tad too ordinary considering its price point.

Katsuya
85 East Coast Road,
Singapore 428787
Tel: +65 6344 8183
(Closed on Mondays)
Tue to Fri: 6pm – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 10am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Eunos

The Midtown over at Upper Serangoon Road is fast-becoming another foodie haven with the exponential setting up of new eateries within its premises—a godsend for nearby residents and office workers.

Otoko is one of the newest additions to this Hougang enclave. This humble Japanese eatery first started out as a stall in a coffee shop at Sultan Plaza offering quality and comforting Japanese Donburi at affordable prices.

The menu at their new branch at The Midtown features a wider spread of items, like tendon as well as a mix-and-match menu for their Japanese curry rice in which diners can choose to stack on more of their preferred items. Otoko may not rank as high up as the greats but considering the affordability and the quality of the food they serve, this makes it an ideal spot to get your fix.

As with most eateries located at The Midtown, the kitchen and order counter is situated on the ground floor, while the dine-in area is upstairs.

The menu is pretty straightforward. On the left is essentially the customisable Japanese curry rice, along with all the many goodies you can add to pimp it up and on the right are the various donburi, sides and specials.

Otoko’s Classic Tendon (S$10.80) comes preloaded with the usual battered suspects of your average tendon bowl—prawn, fish and an assortment of vegetables.

The tempura pieces do come rather crisp, although the prawn was slightly lacking in crunch. The rice was actually rather ordinary but the addition of the crispy tempura bits, along with the lightly sweetened sauce drizzled over top made it heaps better.

To be honest, the tendon here is forgettable, but considering that it is just a fraction of the price of those at other places, we would say that this is still a pretty decent option.

The Japanese Curry menu begins with you choosing whether you would like to have it with rice (S$2.80) or udon (S$3.80) and after which you can proceed to pick and choose your ingredients. We went with the usual pork cutlet (S$2.80), potato salad in bacon wrap (S$1.80) and for good measure, a fried egg (S$1.80).

Otoko’s recommendation is to pick three toppings with a base. But if you pick just one topping (S$1.80), the Japanese curry rice can be as cheap as only S$4.60.

Taste-wise we were really impressed. The luscious curry was sweet and savoury with a subtle hint of spice. The pork cutlet was outrageously crispy and slathered with the delicious curry, made it such a joy to eat. The potato salad in bacon wrap had a smooth, velvety, mashed potato-like texture and the bacon gave it a more robust and smoky quality.

Otoko
1187 Upper Serangoon Road
#01-20 The Midtown
Singapore 534785
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Hougang