Served with a mountain of shredded cabbage and sweet-sour sauce to offset the richness of pork fat, tonkatsu is a treat as well as a staple of Japanese cuisine. While tonkatsu is considered a casual dish, often served in the form of a sandwich or boxed bento, Tsukanto has jazzed up the ubiquitous crumbed and fried meat into something that can be paired with wine in the after-dark hours.
The menu, created by Michelin-starred chef Naohisa Ohashi, features rich cuts of pork loin and fillet served with grain mustard as well as gamier morsels of meat such as venison, duck and wild boar. Unlike the traditional method for deep frying tonkatsu, Tsukanto slow-cooks the meat before frying it at a low temperature so that the flavours don’t get lost from being cooked in oil for too long. The result is a skillfully attained, blushing pink centre that is tender throughout.