Tonkatsuya: The Way of The Katsu Warrior

Many foodies would agree, myself included, that the Philippine food scene is in a state of massive upheaval.  Take the example of the Japanese restaurant in the metro: gone are the days of dark nooks tucked ostensibly in the shady streets of Manila, replete with barely visible windows and ominous red lanterns looming intimidatingly outside, as if gangs of Yakuza were holding clandestine meetings within.  Nowadays, Japanese joints are brightly lit, hip and urban, inviting massive throngs of hungry people and catering to particular dishes: be it yakiniku, ramen, or the popular katsu.

I once remembered that I didn't fancy katsu dishes not so long ago.  I was more fond of the heavenly gyudon, often paired with a serving of crisp tempura.  To me, katsu dishes were painful - literally.  Those bread crumbs smothering the meat were often too spiky and would leave my palate a harsh reminder.  But then again, it is the prevailing craze nowadays, so I tried to ride on the bandwagon.

Tonkatsuya was pretty famous, some say notorious, even before I found out about it through food blogs.  Makati people new about this shangri-la and often would swear it in secrecy.  Its notoriety was born out of the difficulty in looking for it, hence, a true shangri-la.  Compounding that was the equally scary stories of parking woes.  However, the clamor for another branch soon led to its  birth down south, just a stone's throw away from my home.  I didn't pass up the chance to try its much talked-about specialties. 

This branch in BF Homes was in stark contrast to its mother branch (which I have never visited, but only read about it in blogs).  It was a converted house, with the front yard providing ample parking space.  A big store sign was right out front, as if screaming to people to try this out.  And so, I hoped these were the only differences, and the taste should be pretty much similar to its original branch.

I was with my family, so each of us ordered a set meal, which actually makes up most of their menu.  Mind you, there are no sushi / sashimi dishes offered here, as they exclusively specialize in their beloved katsu. 

Thus said, I proceeded to order - a tempura set! Much as I wanted to try out the herikatsu set, I figured mom and dad would order it, so I beat them to the punch.  Anyway, I could always grab a piece of theirs.  As my order arrived, I almost instantly regretted my choice. 

Ebi Tempura Set, P340

At first glance, each piece of shrimp seemed bloated with too much batter.  Although five shrimps was a good number, I feared the batter concealed baby shrimps inside.  Thankfully, as I took my first bite, these were regular-sized shrimps.  However, the batter was really too thick it felt like eating a waffle-dog.  Adding insult to injury, the tempura sauce was too diluted and practically lacked flavor. I thought to myself, why did I even order a tempura dish in a katsu place??

But redemption beckoned.  Good thing I sampled the other dishes which saved my impression for this restaurant.  The Mixed Fry set consisted of 3 medium-sized slabs of herikatsu pork and a regular-sized ebi fry.  And my, it was a great combination, akin to a Japanese surf n' turf.

 Mixed Fry Set, P290

Each herikatsu piece was crisp and plump, yet tender on the inside.  However, it still paled in comparison to the other katsu (enter: Yabu), as it lacked the distinct juicy aspect of the latter.  The katsu sauce was quite good, but without the intricacy of Yabu.  A generous siding of cabbage with Japanese mayo complimented this hearty dish.  The prawn was regular-sized, fresh and succulent.  Drown these morsels with sips of your miso soup, and you're all set. For people who want to try out both pork and seafood at the same time (and eat with selfish picky buddies), this is an easy choice.

Mom was always fond of katsu, but this time she opted for the Chicken Katsu set.  I got to try out a few pieces, and the meat was a tad dry.  The crisp covering and the overflowing katsu sauce made up for it, but I expected more oomph from this dish.  

Chicken Katsu Set, P210

Overall, the katsu experience was quite fulfilling, save for the slight tempura disappointment.  (I should have known better).  And browsing through the menu, each item was reasonably priced for a specialty restaurant.  Comparisons with Yabu abound, with Yabu winning in virtually all aspects.  There are no ceremonious grinding of sesame here, no pageantry in presentation, and no pomp in flavor.  Tonkatsuya, however, may just be the next-best-thing.  The service is prompt, the dishes warm and well-cooked, the flavor satisfactory.  No fuss, no frills, just delivering what you expect for your money.  And for those simple reasons, I would definitely come back and try out their other katsu dishes (no more messing with tempura this time).  Not surprisingly, Tonkatsuya has its loyal disciples, both north and south of the border.  It owes its reputation to its strict, almost bushido-like code of cooking: it does its duty and delivers.

Tonkatsu-ya Restaurant

252 Aguirre Avenue

BF Homes Paranaque City