A Review of Tonshou Singapore, The Famed Tonkatsu from Busan

Tonshou, the first branch in Singapore

Tonshou

51 Tras Street

Singapore 078990

Everytime we went by Tonshou on Tras street, the queue was crazy long. But finally, on a random Tues at 5pm, we were able to snag a seat without having to wait in line. It was a stroke of luck as we were debating whether to go to Brothers Ramen or Mensho Tokyo and then deciding something completely different because we were just early.  

The cold creamed corn soup is a brilliant starter

Tonshou is famous in Korea, originating from Busan and now with 4 locations in total. They serve tonkatsu their way, firstly low temperature cooking, then high temperature frying, resting and finally grilled on a charcoal grill to gift that charred goodness. It was a pleasant delight to sit right in the center of the counter seat and witness this at work.

Watch that sizzle

For dinner today, we decided on the Katsu combo which consists of Rosu (pork loin), Hire (pork tenderloin) and Ebi as well as the Hokkaido Kurobuta Rosu Katsu. Each set is served with rice, nicely Fermented kimchi, salad and miso soup with pork bits.

I have to address the elephant in the room. It is a Korean eatery, but it seems to gravitate strongly towards Japanese names and meat even! I was hoping we would see some Jeju black pork but perhaps that was not a fantastic choice for a Tonkatsu. Regardless though, Tonshou gravitates more towards the Japanese style of Tonkatsu, where larger chunks of high quality meat is favoured with a crispy and light batter over the thinner cutlet and sauce drenched Korean tonkatsu.

Katsu Combo

The Hokkaido Kurobuta Rosu Katsu

The Tonkatsu was melt in your mouth kind of good the batter was light and the meat was succulent. When served together with condiments, was just absolutely delightful. There were several condiments to choose from: Maldon Salt, Salt and Lemon, Tonshous special sauce, Lemon Kosho, Wasabi and Mustard. Our favourites included Tonshou's special sauce which was a Tonkatsu sauce made out from tomato, oyster, pork, beef, wheat and soybean. Another favourite was the Lemon Kosho which was a nice pairing with a deep fried piece of pork.

Booking

I have never been able to book Tonshou, but they do have a reservation system by MyNeon which is the same system utilised by other Korean establishments (e.g. Um Yong Baek). The Q system opens at 1130 everyday and you can sit yourself in the queue without having to physically Q at the store. Once you get closer, you will receive an SMS to head to the store front for your turn. Its simple, no fuss and lets you take a breather at the malls close by to get away from the heat.

Accessibility

Located on Tras Street, it is about a 5 min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Whilst not fully sheltered, you can duck in and out of the shop houses quite easily to escape the heat or rain whilst making your way here.

The Damage

We paid 80 SGD for 2 sets and were super full after.

Would we recommend?

Yes Yes Yes! Tonshou has been on my list for a long time, both the Busan one as well as the Singapore one when it opened. The lines really put us off for a long time but I am glad we decided to drop by off peak. The Tonkatsu is truly premium and possibly the best I have ever had. We are saving this to the list of need to go back to!