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A new pork katsu (aka cutlet) shop opened up in Surrey. Turns out it’s a chain with multiple locations in Toronto. This Surrey location is the first in BC.

The menu is quite simple: variations of pork loin or tenderloin katsu, or chicken or shrimp katsu if you don’t feel like pork. Alongside there’s also appetizers or fried chicken to add to the mix.

Food

As suggested by the restaurant name, obviously we had to order a tonkatsu. We had the Pork Loin Katsu. Mr. made a comment, “This is one of the few restaurants whose food comes out exactly like the pictures in the menu.” Sure enough, it looks just like the menu, down to one piece of cutlet flipped to its side. In fact, I think the portion size is even bigger than the picture.

The cutlet was crispy, with just the right amount of breading. Panko breading was light and flaky.

I was fully expecting some level of dry pork loin. To my surprise, meat was tender and still quite juicy. It wasn’t very well seasoned but there’s the house special sauce.

Making the dipping sauce was quite interactive. We were given a mortar and pestle to grind our own roasted sesame seeds (it smells so good as you grind them), then we added it to the sauce provided. The sauce itself was sweet yet savoury with a hint of acidity. With the addition of sesame seeds the dipping sauce was thicker, almost creamier, and more fragrant. The sweetness became more subdue.

The Tonkatsu comes with rice, miso soup and cabbage salad. Tip: The salad dressing is at the table in what looks like a soy sauce bottle. We didn’t know at first until our server reminded us. We would’ve eaten some plain shredded cabbage — we just thought they were trying to make it healthy. Haha! The salad dressing is soy based with some vinegar and sesame oil.

In addition, we ordered an appetizer sized Soba and Crispy Thighs. The Soba was warm, as advertised, and it’s in a soy based broth. Noodles were cooked well, although I would prefer them just a tiny bit harder. It’s topped with a tempura prawn and shredded seaweed. Not a lot of noodles but it’s a good appy size for $4.50.

The Crispy Thighs, on the other hand, was of good value. For $6.50, you get 5-6 decent sized pieces of thigh strips. The batter was crunchy and crispy, the meat was moist and very well seasoned and bits of peppercorn brought hint of heat. It didn’t come with any dipping sauce, but I thought it’s flavourful enough that it didn’t require any. This also comes in full size for $16.00.

Did I mention Mr. Tonkatsu makes their own panko? You could see loaves of house made bread near the entrance, waiting to be turned into breadcrumbs.

Pricing

The menu confuses me. I understand they charge extra for soba, but the cost varies depending on the item. $2.70 extra if it’s katsu (but only $2.00 if it’s chicken katsu with cheese); $2.50 for donburi but only $2.20 if it’s chicken karaage don. If it’s the same soba, and it looks to be, why does the surcharge need to be different for each item?!

Final Thoughts

$13.00 for the Tonkatsu isn’t exactly cheap but I thought it’s reasonable. The size of cutlet was big and it’s done well. Service was also quick — received our food within 15 minutes. This would be a good spot for lunch for those working in the area or just a casual meal with friends and family.

Mr. Tonkatsu
10320 152 St A, Surrey
604-498-1766
mrtonkatsu.com