My favourite Japanese Restaurant, Tonkichi Tonkatsu in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

31/01/2017

Hi all, my name is Jason and I feel extremely privileged to be able to join the Washoku Lovers team. For my first blog, I decided to take all you Washoku Lovers to the place where I was born and raised – Hong Kong, and discover the finest Japanese food over there, starting with Tonkichi Tonkatsu.

Located in one of the busiest districts in Hong Kong, Causeway bay, Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood is famous for its tonkatsu, a deep-fried pork cutlet.

As we were guided into the restaurant, the interior gave off a very unique vibe. Each table was divided and covered by paper doors (shoji) and Japanese style curtains (noren) for privacy. The curtain actually reminded me of those dividers which hung outside of the entrance of an onsen!

To start off with the night, we ordered a sashimi combination. I believe that a sashimi dish is a good way to test a chef’s skill because it takes years of experience to actually slice and cut the fish just right. It also exposes the pure taste of the raw fish with minimal flavouring. Overall the sashimi was quite satisfying and the presentation was aesthetically pleasing! Besides, the salmon and king fish were soft, smooth and fresh.

After that, we decided to move on to the main focus of the night, which was the tonkatsu. We all ordered a dinner set, which included a tonkatsu loin, refillable rice and miso soup. We were then given a bowl of roasted sesame seeds and required to grind them with a pestle and mortar. Once it was crushed, we added in a special sauce, mixed it up and used as a dip.

Within 15 minutes, our meals arrived with a golden brown crust and touch of pink in the middle. The breadcrumbs were crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. It was well cooked and didn’t taste greasy at all. We wrapped up our meal by finishing the miso soup.