Shin Katsu - A New Tonkatsu Place in Tanjong Pagar

Shin Katsu

84/86 Tg Pagar Rd,

Singapore 088505

Link to Shin Katsu Website

The newest Tonkatsu restaurant in town is Shin Katsu. Located on the main strip of Tanjong Pagar near the likes of Yakiniku Don Don, Shin Katsu brands itself as a premium tonkatsu restaurant. It is headed by Chef Matsubayashi Masato, who was the former head chef of Ma Maison.

Step into Shin Katsu, and you see a huge U-shaped counter, where everyone gets a view into the open kitchen. You get to be part of the action of seeing your katsu being crumbed and fried and fresh rice being prepared. It is as though you are in Japan.

For our meal, we got the Signature dishes:

• Hungarian Mangalica Rosu Katsu (42.80 SGD ++)

• Shin Katsu Combo Set (34.80 SGD ++)

The Hungarian Mangalica Rosu Katsu was a standout. The pork has exceptional marbling witha. rich and buttery flavour. The katsu was served with Himalayan black salt. Our first time trying it and it had an intense egg flavour due to phosphorous components. It was also like tasting century egg in the salt. Very interesting and paired very nicely with the tender soft pork.

The Shin Katsu Combo set was a mix of Ebi Fry, Rosu and Hire using Canadian pork. The Ebi Fry was outstanding. The prawn was succulent, fried perfectly with a fantastic crunch. But we couldn't say the same for the Rosu and Hire. Maybe it was because we were eating it side by side to the Hungarian Mangalica Rosu and it was clear which cut was premium. Whilst the Canadian Rosu was OK, the Hire was not fantastic. If i had to order again, I would choose either just the Ebi Fry set or just stick with the Hungarian Mangalica Rosu Katsu.

Together with the meats, we were served a side of rice, cabbage salad and miso soup. The rice was absolutely delicious, and we heard several others around us also commenting on how delicious the rice was. All the sides were refillable.

Booking

We were extremely lucky to have walked in on a weekday evening and there were seats available. During our meal, the restaurant was full, but they also had several media hosting during this time, so perhaps as that phase passes, there may be more availability. Regardless, booking a table is simple on the Shin Katsu website. For larger parties, Shin Katsu has 2 rooms at the far end of the restaurant for a more private dining experience.

Accessibility

Shin Katsu is conveniently located on the main Tanjong Pagar strip with plenty of Korean and Japanese eateries and located about a 4 min walk away from Maxwell MRT.

The Damage

Our meal was not cheap. We paid 92 SGD for both sets including taxes. Shin Katsu is running several opening promotions at the moment, including a free plushy if you review on google maps as well as a 30 dollars return voucher (with a minimum spend of 100 SGD). I don't know how long these promotions will last, but currently some good value with return voucher.

Would We Recommend?

Yes! The premium food was good and the team was attentive. It felt like you were brought back to Japan. The buzz of the kitchen was in plain sight and it was overall a very good meal. But the question remains, now that we have been to the 3 trending Tonkatsu places in Singapore, which one takes the win? And now, I am ready to make the call on the best Tonkatsu. For us, in terms of value, atmosphere, quality of food and service, I think Tonshou strikes the best balance. Fantastic quality meats, a very peaceful and tranquil environment at a reasonable price.