Katsukura 名代とんかつ「かつくら」

11th December 2010. Written by Xin Li.
Kyoto, Japan
After exploring Nakagyo and Teramachi Dori, we had our dinner at Katsukura at Shijo Dori, which belonged to a chain of restaurants specialized in tonkatsu. It has branches in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto (the base city).

The restaurant seemed rather popular as we had to wait in line before we get our seats and during the waiting process, there were quite a few people popping in for takeaways.

The dining experience in Katsukura started off with a mortar containing white sesame seeds and pestle being served. One is supposed to use the pestle and crush the white sesame seeds which you would add to one of the four to five types of sauces provided for your tonkatsu. The sauce ranges from BBQ flavor to sweet ones. There is also a tangy sauce, a specialty which was made of red wine, apples and dates.

I had a Sirloin Tonkatsu Set (1000 Yen) which came with the tonkatsu itself, a bowl of hearty miso soup, barley rice and a heap of shredded cabbage which they would gladly refill for you if you wish. There is a special citron dressing from Tokushima prefecture provided for the cabbage.

The tonkatsu was heavenly. The deep fried pork wasn’t oily at add and the best part about the tonkatsu in Katsukura was its crispy, crunchy exterior made of bread crumbs which disintegrates as I savor it. It was unlike the tonkatsu I had in Singapore which always reminded me of a supermarket frozen fried food. The texture of the tonkatsu I had was simply brilliant.

The pork was tender and juicy and tasty even without using the sauce. On top of that, there was not hint of burnt oil flavor. In fact, the tonkatsu wasn’t oily at all.

I was never a fan of the fried pork cutlet, but I enjoyed every bit of the tonkatsu in Katsukura. They also serve other kinds of food like tsukemono and deep fried prawns and the set meals are reasonably priced, you could get a set meal from 1000-2000 for lunch and dinner. English menus are available.

Katsukura 名代とんかつ「かつくら」
かつくら四条東洞院店

Address:
京都市中京区東洞院通四条上ル

Telephone:
075-221-4191

営業時間
11:00～22:00
(ラストオーダー21:30)