A note on the words: katsudon is a bowl of rice topped with a breaded pork cutlet and egg. In the standard style, the cutlet is simmered in a dashi broth with onions, beaten egg is poured over it to set (a step called tojiru), and the whole mixture is placed over rice. Tojinai katsudon, by contrast, is a style where the egg is not bound over the cutlet: the egg is cooked separately into a soft layer, laid over the rice, and topped with the freshly fried cutlet and sauce so the crust stays crisp. Sangenton refers to a three-way crossbred pork, hirekatsu is a tender fillet cutlet, and tsuyudaku means the rice underneath gets a generous soaking of the sauce.
#Katsudon wa Hito o Shiawase ni Suru Akasaka ten on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Now, before I knew it, Miso Kuma, the ramen shop in Akasaka, was gone. Looking back, I had written an article about it around January of last year, so perhaps it changed over after about two years. In its place opened “#Katsudon wa Hito o Shiawase ni Suru” (Katsudon Makes People Happy) — an edgy name, perhaps? ha — a katsudon shop. Being a little intrigued, I decided to step inside.
It is right there in the shop’s name, but they serve “tojinai katsudon” (a katsudon where the egg is not bound over the cutlet).
Before, I had eaten something called kake katsudon at Suzushin in Yotsuya; I wonder if it is close to that?
Tojinai katsudon, sangenton pork — 1,300 yen
Tojinai katsudon, sangenton pork, cheese and egg — 1,500 yen
Tojinai katsudon, jo-rosu loin — 1,900 yen
Tojinai katsudon, hirekatsu — 2,600 yen
Tojinai katsudon, top-grade loin of Tokyo X — 3,300 yen
The pricing is crazy, ha.
The lowest price for katsudon is 1,300 yen? Just how high are prices going to climb! Well, trying it at least once should be fine. This time, thinking cheese and egg might be nice to have, I chose the tojinai katsudon with sangenton pork and cheese and egg.
Now, after waiting a short while, here is what came out.
Incidentally, you can order a smaller portion of rice: regular is 170g, small is 120g. Since they serve it with a rice-portioning machine by pressing a button, asking for “about half the normal rice!” did not fly, ha. I could actually see buttons for 70g or 100g, but I understand that they probably cannot do it because it deviates from standard operations.
Hmm, looks appetizing.
It feels like freshly fried cutlet placed atop fluffily cooked egg and cheese, drizzled with sweet sauce. Plenty of sauce soaked into the rice too in a tsuyudaku state, making it a hearty, strong-flavored dish. Taking a bite, yes. I see. This style is tasty. The crisp crunch of the cutlet, the fluffy egg, and the added cheese brings out quite a nice flavor. My impression of the sauce was that it is just very sweet. Personally, I would prefer a stronger presence of dashi, but sweetness is straightforwardly delicious, after all. It works for what it is.
Well, if there is one thing to mention, the format is tasty and the sweet sauce is fine. The fluffy egg is great and the cheese is good, but unfortunately the cutlet itself was rather dry and tough. Granted, it was indeed the cheapest sangenton pork, but if I were to pay 3,300 yen for a katsudon, it makes me feel like I would rather eat cutlet and rice separately at a dedicated tonkatsu restaurant.
I felt it would have been so much better if the tonkatsu were juicier.
Now, given the price, if you are looking for everyday meals, there are tonkatsu places in Akasaka that are tastier and better value, but if you want to eat tojinai katsudon, it might be worth trying at least once. I cannot say for sure without trying it, but going for the 3,000-yen meat might satisfy your taste buds more! Though it might be harsh on your wallet, ha.
#Katsudon wa Hito o Shiawase ni Suru Akasaka ten (Katsudon / Akasaka Station, Akasaka Mitsuke Station, Tameike Sanno Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.2
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
