57-1 Takehana Nishinoguchicho, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto, Japan
¥ ・ Tonkatsu
Bib Gourmand: good quality, good value cooking
The tonkatsu is fried in a mix of canola oil and lard. Diners can choose from a number of brands of aged pork, which has been left to sit to enhance the umami. The meat is wrapped in low-carb breadcrumbs and fried slowly at low heat for a nicely browned, fluffy batter. The chef’s pride comes out in how the fried cutlets are served with the cut side up, showing the pink flesh. The pork boiled down in soy and served with rice can be considered a Japanese-equivalent of pork rillettes.