Taste for tonkatsu

ONE OF Bangkok’s most popular streets for dining out, trendy Thonglor has just welcomed another new kid to the block with the opening of the popular Japanese tonkatsu (pork cutlet) chain Hamakatsu.

Born in 1962 in Nagasaki on Japan’s northwest coast, the new restaurant is the chain’s first international branch and has set up shop in new lifestyle mall The Taste on the corner of Thonglor Soi 11.

Hamakatsu started life in a seven-square-metre space offering deep-fried breaded pork cutlets on rice with a unique home-made sauce. Today it has more than 100 branches all over Japan, plans to open in Hong Kong and Shanghai and boasts a menu offering a range of appetisers and main dishes plus a dessert buffet that is guaranteed to delight anyone with a sweet tooth. 

Here in Thailand, it’s managed by Champion Foods, which also runs Ringer Hut, a fellow Nagasaki chain that specialises in the noodle dishes champon and sara udon.

Already a favourite with the local Japanese expat community, the two-storey restaurant has two private rooms and an airy dining space with leather banquettes and long tables that easily accommodates 80 guests. 

“Hamakatsu is a pioneer of the tonkatsu restaurant and is famous for its oil-free deep-fried pork cutlets. We have stuck to the chain’s blueprint in terms of design and cooking techniques,” says Wilaiporn Dangthongdee, vice president of Champion Foods. 

The pork is sourced from a free-range farm Samphran, where the pigs are fed with herbs to boost their immunity and slaughtered humanely on site. The fresh breadcrumbs, soy bean oil, eel and prawns are flown in regularly from Japan. 

“The cutlets are dressed with pepper, special seasoning powder and fresh breadcrumbs and then fried in soy bean oil twice at different heats for three and five minutes. This technique ensures our tonkatsu is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and never greasy,” Wilaiporn says. 

Diners have a choice of two sauces. The original has quite a strong flavour and is a favourite with the Japanese expats while the Thais tend to prefer the sweet-and-sour version. Shredded cabbage is served as a side dish and comes with healthy dressings, the yellow one made with apple, carrot, onion and black vinegar and the purple, again designed for the Thai palette, a blend of a roselle and dragon fruit.

Miso soup also comes in two colours – basic white and a full-flavoured red. 

Recommended starters include Salmon Caesar Salad (Bt195) with a home-made dressing and the melt-in-a-mouth, slow-cooked, seasoned Pork Squares (Bt180).

A set is the way to go here, with options including the Hamakatsu Special Set (Bt395) that has deep-fried pork cutlets stuffed with rich cheese, pork loin cutlets, pork fillets cutlets and deep-fried prawn, the Hitsumabushi Set (Bt690) featuring grilled organic eel in special sauce served on steamed rice, and Pork Loin Cutlet Set (Bt345).

All sets come with unlimited cabbage and rice – steamed or grain – refills. 

For an extra Bt100 you can indulge in the dessert buffet that features cheesecakes, tiramisu and shortcake flavoured with black sesame and soya, mango jelly, grape, green tea and milk puddings topped with strawberry or green tea sauce as well as ice sherbet made from apple, mango, pineapple, grape and lychee. 

“Starting next year, we will be adding sushi and sashimi and we are offering deep-fried oyster from Hiroshima untill next month,” Wilaiporn says.

And customers should keep a sharp eye out for the special offers. Right now, the restaurant is offering a 50-per-cent discount on the Premium Pork Fillet Cutlet set. 

 

 

CHOPSTICKS OPTIONAL

>>Hamakatsu is located on the first floor of The Taste dining complex on Thonglor Soi 11. 

>>It’s open daily from 10.45am to 10.30pm. 

>>Call (02) 712 7843 or visit HamakatsuThailand page on Facebook.