The owner at Mok-shin started his business in 1988 and has been making the same sauce with the same recipe for about 30 years. The thick sauce is made with roux (butter and flour cooked together), which is stirred on a light fire until it turns the desired brown color. After vegetables are added, it is cooked a bit more. Although previously this special sauce was poured on top of the tonkatsu, it now comes served in a separate bowl. As for the tonkatsu itself, the pork sirloin is pounded thin and covered with bread crumbs in an old-fashioned way. Unlike the traditional Japanese tonkatsu which uses thick pork (which add texture), this place offers a more crispy alternative. The taste? The dubious look and atmosphere of this restaurant vanished with one bite of their specialty, the tonkatsu. The deep fried pork cutlet comes in the size of a hand, served with brown sauce and salad with dressing.
The interesting thing about Mok-shin is that they serve a whole variety of food including fish egg stew and even Korean style sashimi. Even so, their specialty tonkatsu and hamburg steak are solid. The hearty and comforting tonkatsu made me reminisce of the times when my mother would take me to have this comfort food back when I was a child. I'm not saying it's in any way jaw-droppingly good, but Mok-shin is worth visiting for old time’s sake.