This is a review of the restaurant Katsuya, part of the #FEastCoastRoad series.
Originally, we had made a reservation at Stirling Steaks, located several shops down East Coast Road. However, as they had only outside seating available, we decided to forgo the reservation due to the heat and noise.
Thankfully there were no shortages of food options on East Coast Road. We settled on Katsuya, a Japanese restaurant specialised in tonkatsu (Japanese-style pork cutlets).
Decor of Katsuya
Once we entered, the staff made sure that we weren’t running a temperature before showing us to an empty table.
The decor of the place was pretty minimalist; the green cushions went with the green paint of the exterior. The kitchen was typically Japanese, visible through the large glass panel behind the counter
Menu of Katsuya
The first page of the menu featured the Michelin Man holding the digit ‘0’, parodying some other restaurants which proudly display the stars or bib gourmands received from the French tyre company. Both of us found it pretty hilarious and appreciated the owner’s humour.
The next page provided the history of the restaurant and the chef’s background. Some of the quality ingredients that he promised to use included 100% premium sunflower oil and premium rice from Niigata.
Drinks and dessert menu – we just got tea and warm water.
Page on appetisers and sashimi – nothing really caught our fancy.
Detailed write-up on wagyu as well as the tonkotsu set items: –
We ended up ordering both our items from this two pages which feature katsudon / katsutoji and Japanese curry items.
Food of Katsuya
Green Beans loved the pretty cup used for her warm water and insisted on taking a picture.
My rosu (porkloin) and ebi (prawn) curry rice was served first. As the prawn used that day was larger than usual, the staff advised that there would an additional $1 surcharge when I placed my order.
Green Beans’ rosu katsutoji set came with rice, pickles and miso soup.
Close-up on the toji:-
Guess this is the premium rice from Niigata: –
I guess that the premium ingredients (oil, rice, breadcrumbs) used really do make a difference; the fried items were all really crispy but they weren’t too oily as well – quite a perfect combination in my opinion. Green Beans’ katsutoji was very nice as well.
Final Words
In contrast to our time at Rakuya, both of us were really full and satisfied at the end of the meal. Although the prices aren’t cheap, we could see ourselves returning again when we are craving for some good tonkotsu.
It’s really no surprise that the restaurant has been around since 2011 and the longevity is indeed a proof of its success. Who knows; we might see the owner changing Michelin Man’s digit on its menu someday.
Visit Date: 26 September 2020 (Lunch)
Good for: Awesome tonkatsu, filling meal, couples, friends and families
Cost: 74.86 SGD for 2 pax
Location
Address: 85 East Coast Road Singapore #01-01 428787
Phone: 9656 8183
Opening Hours: Tues to Fri 6pm to 9.45pm, Sat & Sun 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 9.45pm
Check out the rest of the #FEastCoastRoad reviews here.
