Itacho Tonkatsu

Came to known about this new concept named Itacho Tonkatsu that had recently opened its doors at Raffles City Shopping Mall whilst scrolling through social media one day — it does seem like Itacho Tonkatsu is a brand by the same folks behind the Taste of Japan group, which had brought Itacho Sushi into the Singapore F&B scene more than a decade ago. Located in the basement of Raffles City Shopping Mall, Itacho Tonkatsu is an establishment the also be fairly easy to locate — it is tucked behind the outlet of Ippudo Ramen there, which is also directly opposite the outlet of the now-defunct The Coffee Academics in the same mall; Itacho Tonkatsu had actually taken over the former premises vacated by Sushi Raku. There hadn’t been too much of a change in the space after Itacho Tonkatsu had taken over the tenancy of the unit — much of the shop space still is decked in an largely dark colour scheme; mostly black against wooden furniture and fittings, with the dine-in furniture being that of pretty much the same ones that Sushi Raku had used. It is fairly obvious from its namesake that the core focus at Itacho Tonkatsu is of course their Tonkatsu offerings — the menu is being segregated into sections dedicated to Set Meals, Ala Carte and Side Dish; beverages available at Itacho Tonkatsu includes that of sake, draft beer, fruit juices, canned beverages and teas.

It wouldn’t be quite right for us to enter a Tonkatsu restaurant without ordering their Pork Tonkatsu offerings — for those looking for the lowest-priced item on the menu at Itacho Tonkatsu featuring Pork Tonkatsu, this would be the Pork Loin Set. All Set Meal items (which includes the Pork Loin Set) at Itacho Tonkatsu comprises of elements such as cabbage and rice — both of which being served free-flow as well; there is also pickled vegetables served up, as well as a bowl of Miso Soup that comes with small cubes of tofu and kelp, and a bowl of sesame seeds where one can grind the sesame seeds to the texture that they prefer to have to go with the Tonkatsu. Some waiting time is required for the food especially for those whom have ordered the Tonkatsu items — each order being fried fresh on the spot upon order. When the order has arrived the table, the Tonkatsu does look pretty decent coming with a breaded batter that came all golden-brown and free from grease; we also noticed a dollop of mustard hiding beneath the slab of deep-fried Pork Loin as well. Considering the price point of the dish, Itacho Tonkatsu does do quite a reasonably well-made Pork Tonkatsu dish here — establishments like Tonkatsu by Ma Maison would still top the charts for us, but the Pork Loin Set from Itacho Tonkatsu would fit those whom aren’t that fussy about fried items in general. There is no doubt that the panko crumb-crusted exterior provided a shatteringly crisp texture for the exterior of the deep-fried Pork Loin; the slab of Pork Loin wasn’t particularly dry and tender — sure, some would have preferred a fattier texture overall, though that could be the only issue if one would nitpick on the dish.

Patrons can help themselves to the Tonkatsu sauce available on the side at each table, which provides for a savoury yet tangy note that not only went well with the deep-fried pork loin by cutting through the meatiness and the deep-fried nature of the dish, but also with the pearl rice as well. The Goma dressing for the cabbage salad can also be found beside the Tonkatsu sauce at each table; patrons can help themselves to as much sauce as they wish to drizzle on the cabbage salad which comprises of julienned cabbage — the Goma sauce adding a nutty and roasty note for the salad. Other dishes that we had tried included the Pork Cutlet Sando which seemingly features the Pork Cutlet rather than the Pork Loin; the Pork Cutlet was sufficiently tender being easy to chew through with thin slices of white bread with lettuce leaf and a sauce in between — seemingly intended to be more of a side dish than a main. We also had the Spicy Salmon with Tenkasu Roll which is essentially a Makimono item featuring Aburi Salmon atop sushi rice with Tamago and spicy salmon rolled within — the spicy salmon being more of flaky salmon flesh that carries a light note of chili that was not particularly spicy. Given that we had made our visit during Itacho Tonkatsu’s initial launch, they were also serving up complimentary servings of Scallop Sashimi with the order of a Set Meal item; the Scallop Sashimi being smooth and slippery, undoubtedly fresh and carried a natural hint of sweetness that was absolutely on point. Prices of the Set Meal items which mainly feature their Tonkatsu dishes starts from $12.90 to $26.80; the lowest priced being their Chicken Katsu Set, while the priciest is the Japanese Pork Loin Set. Itacho Tonkatsu may not serve up absolutely top-notch Tonkatsu, but the rendition of the Pork Tonkatsu are pretty respectable for the price point — and not forgetting that it comes with a fair share of free-flow elements; definitely a spot worth considering dining at if in the area.