A note on the words: tonkatsu is a breaded pork cutlet, enjoyed here on its own with drinks, and ebi fry means breaded fried shrimp, the other dish I ordered. Mugi shochu is a distilled barley spirit, served with soda here. Otoshi is a small appetizer you’re charged for — it’s not a scam, it’s the cover charge — and here it gave me something to nibble on while I waited for the tonkatsu.
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Rantei Ponta on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. I was wandering between Yushima and Ueno-hirokoji, thinking about dinner, when I spotted the name Ponta! Ponta is a well-known tonkatsu restaurant in Ueno. This place is called Rantei Ponta, so I figured the two were probably related. I remembered really enjoying the tonkatsu at Ponta, so I decided to go in.
It was around 6 p.m., but there were plenty of empty seats. Lucky me!
Special tonkatsu — 3,570 yen
Ebi fry (breaded fried shrimp) — 1,890 yen
The tonkatsu was a definite order, but the fried shrimp looked good too, so I added those!
First, I settled in with mugi shochu (barley shochu) with soda while I waited.
The otoshi (a small appetizer you’re charged for — it’s not a scam, it’s the cover charge) was good too. Taking little bites between sips of barley shochu was a pleasure.
Then the main event arrived: the tonkatsu.
The plump cutlet looked delicious! It seemed to be fried slowly at a low temperature, so it took a while to arrive. Well, that was what the barley shochu was for.
Look at how it was cooked: a faint pink in the center.
I tried a bite with salt first. Delicious. The pork was tender and easy to bite through, and the fine coating had a delicate crunch that seemed to melt away. I was surprised that such a thick piece of meat could be this tender. So good.
Apparently there was a rice set too, but I figured I would be drinking, so I ordered the cutlet on its own.
Next, the fried shrimp.
Three large shrimp.
One bite revealed that lovely springy texture, with a satisfying firmness.
These also seemed to be fried slowly at a low temperature: the coating was delicately crisp and airy. The sweetness of the shrimp spread through my mouth. They would probably go well with rice, but they made a luxurious bite to enjoy with a drink.
So I ended up enjoying drinks with tonkatsu as a rather luxurious snack. What a good evening. At 3,570 yen, the tonkatsu was a little pricey, but the quality of the meat and the frying made it worth the money. I think it would go well with rice, but it was also excellent with drinks. Give it a try! The fried shrimp were delicious too, and I recommend them as well.
Rantei Ponta (Tonkatsu / Yushima Station, Ueno-hirokoji Station, Ueno-okachimachi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
