While we were in Tokyo, we wanted to go to interesting places to eat. After walking over to the spot I wanted to try, and finding out that they have not yet opened for the year, we had to go find another restaurant nearby. That is the challenge for when traveling at the end of the year and beginning of the new year… Luckily for us, we found a restaurant just a few blocks away with people lining up outside. It was Tonkatsu Maisen, the Aoyama flagship restaurant. It had a long line that went around ropes like at a popular ride at Disneyland.
On the outside, they had the very realistic wax food in the glass case, so that you can see what their food would look like. The Japanese wax art of food and drinks are seriously top quality, you almost can’t tell they are fake! The restaurant had a beautiful vestibule, keeping the cold outside air to stay outside, as much as possible.
Once we got inside, thinking we are getting a seat, we were completely wrong… The line for the table continued inside, along the wall. My goodness, we sure know how to stumble upon a super popular spot! Once we slowly moved down the wall, like a musical chair, I got to see another room in the back with lots of table seatings. We wanted the counter seats, and seems like it was faster to get the counter seats, so we were happy with that.
After some wait, we finally got the seats at the table. Once we settled in at our seats, we received a small cup with Daikon Radish Soup in it. On the wall, there was a cute artwork with calligraphy saying “Grated daikon radish does not need a doctor” – kind of the similar saying to “One apple a day keeps the doctor away.” It was very light, earthy, with bits of grated daikon radish. It was nice to warm up the body and soul with such healthy sip!
All the condiments for the pork cutlet was set at the counter, and we got to have a great view of the kitchen. It was interesting to watch them fry up their tasty cutlets! The staffs working inside the counter were our servers. When you are ready to make the order, just flag down one of them and they will come over and take care of you.
I wanted a little bit of everything, being greedy as usual. LOL. So, I ordered their Wakaba-Zen Set (若菜膳), (2,650 yen/around $19 Jan 2024). Look at how much I am getting for less than $20! No wonder they have a looong line of customers waiting to get in… This set comes with Pork Cutlet (Katsu), Sushi, Chilled Soba Noodles with Chicken Dipping Sauce, and a Side Salad.
The sushi came with five nigiri sushi pieces, and one maki roll, cut into three pieces. They were excellent sushi, fresh and high quality, generous amount of seafood, and not too much rice. The side salad was really good too, vibrant colors of the vegetables really open up your appetite. The soba noodles were cooked just right.
The dipping sauce for the soba noodles were nice and hot, and had large pieces of chicken and some veggies. They were so good! The broth had such deep, earthy flavor, with that plump chicken. I could have it as a soup on its own.
I watched a quick tutorial video on how to best enjoy the katsu. It said that you should start with the second piece from the left. Squeeze some lemon on it, and enjoy the flavor as is, which was delicious! The batter was thing and crisp, lightly fried so it was not greasy. The meat was tender and juicy, with a nice crunch with each bite! Then, you can add a dash of their spice salt. The addition of that salty flavor went great with the katsu.
Then comes the sauces… They have two kinds, one sweet and another spicy. It said that we should try the sweet sauce first. The sauce was nice and thick, sweet and tangy. It was so tasty, I loved that on my katsu!
The last but not least, the spicy sauce. This one was more watery, not as thick. It had some kick to it, but not that spicy. I really liked this one, but my favorite was the sweet and tangy sauce.
Most katsu dish come with a mountain of shredded cabbage, to cut the fat. They had sesame dressing for that, which I am a big fan of, and with a little drizzle, it was great!
My husband also want a little bit of everything. Since they had another set item, he went with that option. It is Aoyama Saika Variety Bento Box (青山彩花弁当) (2,550 yen/around $19 Jan 2024). This one was beautiful and impressive as well. It comes with Pork Cutled (Katsu) Kyoto-Style Grilled Sablefish, Two kinds of Sashimi, Side Salad, Pickles, and Miso Soup.
The sashimi was tuna and whitefish (I didn’t make a note on what kind of fish it was…). Each had two thick pieces of sashimi, very fresh and delicious. It had freshly grated wasabi, shiso leaf, and shiso flower on the side. Shiso leaf is said to kill whatever the bacteria that might still be in the raw fish, so it is recommended to eat it with sushi/sashimi. And, it is tasty, I love shisho. The sablefish was so delicate, flaky yet juicy, packed with flavor. It was amazing! It came with two Japanese egg omelet pieces, also flavorful. The pork cutlet here still took the spotlight. It was delightful!
Since everything was so delicious, my hubby couldn’t resist getting a couple of side items. We added Deep-Fried Prawn (海老フライ) (580 yen) and Cream Prawn Croquette (エビクリームコロッケ) ($390 yen). It came with the Tartar Sauce, and another small mountain of shredded cabbages.
They were both sooooo good! The batter was again and crisp. The cream croquette was amazingly creamy and tasty, and prawn was plump and satisfying. Loved every bite!
The bathroom is on the other side from the main entrance, across the host/check in counter. They had gender-neutral bathroom and women only bathroom. Very clean and modern.
We had such great dinner here at Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama. No wonder they have long line of people waiting to dine here. We were happy to have stumbled upon this restaurant. Everything we had was delicious and satisfying. Definitely recommend if you are looking for a tasty pork cutlet!
Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama – 4 Chome-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan
とんかつ まい泉 青山本店 – 東京都渋谷区神宮前4-8-5