Tonkatsu is often celebrated for its golden brown crust, but Narikura’s unique approach has resulted in pork cutlets with a much lighter, almost pale colour instead. Don’t let that unusual appearance fool you, though – this is still textbook tonkatsu. The meat is surprisingly tender and glistens with its juices while the panko crumb coating is crisp and fluffy without any traces of oil.
It took chef Seizo Mitani years of experimentation to perfect his low-heat frying method that gave rise to his signature blonde tonkatsu. And because precise timing is crucial in this painstaking process, the restaurant is by reservations only. There are several seatings a day and everyone is served at the same time in each session. In other words, don’t be late.
There are only two options on the menu – the ¥6,500 two-piece and the ¥8,000 three-piece set meals. Granted, the price is unusually high for tonkatsu, but that’s to be expected as Narikura uses top-shelf Japanese pork, namely Tokyo-X and Iwachu-buta. Plus, the portions are big: expect 175g to 200g of meat (which is a lot!) alongside appetisers, pork miso soup, rice and a small dessert.
Depending on your meal, you’ll choose two or three different cuts from a selection of six including fatty bara katsu, tenderloin, rib roast, chateaubriand, mille-feuille and cheese mille-feuille (some cuts require a ¥100 top-up). On some days, you can also add on side dishes such as deep-fried shrimp and stewed pork belly.
While the bright, clean and tidy space may give off the impression of a cosy home-style restaurant, Narikura is unmistakably of a fine dining breed, well deserving of its Bib Gourmand rating.