Katsuya - Singapore's East Side Tonkatsu

Katsuya Restaurant - The Tonkatsu Specialist

258 Tanjong Katong Road

Singapore 437046

Katsuya is located on Tanjong Katong Road and is the place to go for Tonkatsu if you are an Eastie. This intimate 14 seater counter style restaurant is run by Chef-Owner Kervin Tay and his wife. It is clear that Katsuya has its own following since it opened in 2011 and recently there has been alot of comparison between Katsuya and Tonshou, which we claimed to have the best Tonkatsu in Singapore. So of course we were keen to see how Katsuya delivers.

Stepping inside, you are greeted by a minimalist decor and an open kitchen, where every seat has a front row view of the Chef working. It is clear here that Katsuya's experience is one that is authentic and personal. As we had our lunch, we saw regulars greeted by name and it feels like one of those places where you eat and become family. We were there for lunch and had for appetisers, grated yam with maguro and tamago. The grated yam with maguro was so delicious, perfectly sticky and starchy with the right amount of shoyu and a generous serve of thick maguro cuts. A perfect meal start.

Unfortunately for us the premium cut Tokujyuo Rosu was already sold out by the time we got there and so we had the Hire and Rosu cuts instead. Hire is tenderloin whilst Rosu is pork loin. In general, tenderloin is meant to be lean and tender whilst pork loin is soft, melt in your mouth due to the higher fat content. In this instance, we actually preferred the Hire to the Rosu. It was tender and soft and had better balance of flavour for us in comparison to its Rosu counterpart. Both had a delicately light batter and was not greasy. We were told by Chef Kervin to start with the Tonkatsu with just salt before adding the condiments available: mustard and Tonkatsu sauce. Our favourite condiment pair was salt with mustard.

Each set comes with shredded cabbage (free refills) and salad dressings - yuzu and sesame dressing as well as rice, red miso and a side of pickles. The red miso was something interesting for us, I believe drawing inspiration from Nagoya's miso katsu tradition. The red miso is deep, rich and robust, and not commonly served up in Singapore. It had super umami flavours that lingered well beyond the meal.

Booking

Tables can be reserved via Whatsapp to 96568183. We booked one month in advance and managed to get our first option. It is hard for me to tell if it is difficult to get a reservation at Katsuya, but when we were there, the restaurant was full for lunch service and had 2 seatings. I would highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time and speaking with the Katsuya team for availabilities.

Accessibility

We are thankful for the brown line and Tanjong Katong MRT that makes Tanjong Katong a little more accessible. The train station is approximately a 7-10 min walk, which makes it accessible. There are buses as well in the area. Driving at peak lunch hour there is always a nightmare as it is getting a street side parking. So I would highly recommend ditching the car and taking the train instead.

The Damage

Our 2 appetisers, 2 katsu sets, 2 green teas set us back 122 SGD.

Would We Recommend?

Yes, for the Easties. I think now that we have made it to the end of this post. The question still remains, Katsuya or Tonshou? Japanese v Korea. For us, Tonshou takes the win. But hear us out. Katsuya is for the Tonkatsu purist, classic and Japanese, as with the ambience. You wouldn't be disappointed at Katsuyas. Tonshou on the other end is innovative, adding a charcoal grill for a subtle smokiness at a better price point and what we thought was a more flavourful Tonkatsu with modern condiments to complement the dish. And that's why our choice would still be Tonshou.