Katsuya Restaurant

And riding the recent gyukatsu high, their signature Hokkaido Wagyu ($70/ set) Katsu was expertly prepared. The golden-brown batter was light with that delicate crunch from the panko crust and the premium beef was a wonderful medium rare pink—tender, not too fatty or cloying and a nice balance of fats with its divine marbling. The cube-like chunks also ensured that it is not overly indulgent and it definitely needs to be salted for that extra oomph. Oh, and you got to eat it with a bit of fragrant yuzu kosho served on the side. So good!

Each set comes with a bowl of miso soup as well as free-flow Japanese rice topped with yukari, pickles and free-flow thinly-sliced crisp raw cabbage which we could dress with a refreshing yuzu ponzu or creamy sesame. Should you decide to go for a la carte, the prices are $4 off. 

With a craving for all things fried, I decided to try Katsuya recently. Located along Tanjong Katong Road, the Japanese Tonkatsu Specialty Restaurant has a lovely menu that consists of not just the familiar tonkatsu (Hire and Rosu cuts) but also offers Unagi (eel) katsu, dory fish katsu, Japanese wagyu katsu as well as exclusive off-menu items like salmon, hotate (scallop) fry and lamb katsu.

Beautifully done, the soft juicy Salmon Rare ($42/set) Katsu was flakey fresh and quite literally melts as you bite. The batter was perfectly thin and light too. Glistening at the top, two fatty salmon belly pieces were crowned with their homemade tartar sauce and the other two were embellished with wasabi and a fresh squeeze of lemon. The sauce was creamy, and savoury with a slight tanginess; very moreish and complementary. A more refreshing pairing, the salmon pieces with wasabi and lemon were even better after being lightly salted! Note that as with all off-menu items, a pre-order is required!

Imakatsu turned me off my beloved fatty katsu but Katsuya has rekindled it. Still not as good as Tonkichi's but good enough. The free-flow cabbage here wasn't as raw as Imakatsu's so I whacked it.

Yummy yummy in my tummy! Love that they offer free refill of salad and rice. It sure guarantees that you will be full when you finish the meal 🤗

First time to Katsuya and was blown away by the quality. The menu featured how the Chef was trained in Tokyo and the philosophy behind Katsuya - quality, clean, freshly made food. The pork Katsu was delicious, as was my wagyu Katsu - so tender and juicy. Will definitely come back again!

Paid full price of $56++ for a sharing platter of Rosu, Dory and Oyster and it was heaven 😍Total about $67 including refillable 🍵