野良パンダム
To all tonkatsu lovers across the country, Happy New Year! Where did you have your first tonkatsu meal of the year? My first tonkatsu meal was at a new restaurant, the popular tonkatsu chain "Katsuya" opened by Kenichiro Usui, the former president of the company. The restaurant I chose for my first tonkatsu meal this year was "Yokozuna Tonkatsu Dosukoi Tanaka", a tonkatsu restaurant produced by him. This restaurant was created to support the second careers of sumo wrestlers, so they actively hold sumo-related events. The event sales seem quite interesting, such as having a sumo match with former sumo wrestlers after the meal or taking commemorative photos on the dohyo. The event sales are quite appealing, but the price of 11,000 yen is quite high, so I decided to try the regular business first. By the way, the regular business is only available at night. The restaurant has a very eye-catching exterior, so I arrived without any trouble. Inside the restaurant, you can see the kitchen from the outside, and the staff working in the kitchen are all well-built guys. It seems like they are really supporting the second careers of former sumo wrestlers. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is also impressive. In the center of the high-ceilinged interior, there is a real dohyo (sumo ring)! The tables are arranged around the dohyo, and all seats are table seats. It's interesting to eat tonkatsu while looking at the dohyo. The background music in the restaurant is, of course, taiko drums. Now, it's time to decide on the order, and this restaurant has some unique items on the menu. The recommended item by the restaurant is called "Dosukoi", such as Dosukoi Rosukatsu Teishoku (Dosukoi Katsudon and Dosukoi Katsu Curry are also the same), which consists of two 200g pork loin cutlets, a very voluminous dish. Even though I love pork loin cutlets, I couldn't handle the total of 400g of pork loin cutlets due to my stomach capacity. So, I decided to go with the regular pork loin cutlet, which is also 200g here. Moreover, whether it's a pork loin cutlet set meal, katsudon, or katsu curry, they all come with a 200g pork loin cutlet. Well, it's quite manly or hearty (laughs). Nevertheless, it seems appropriate for the atmosphere of this place to have a 200g tonkatsu. In the end, I ordered the following items: Katsu Curry (1,600 yen) with a 200g pork loin cutlet, which is quite cheap considering the size. It takes quite some time for the food to be served. Well, it's understandable since it's a 200g tonkatsu. The served katsu curry was as expected, quite voluminous. Indeed, having such a large pork loin cutlet on top of katsu curry is something I've never had before. The amount of rice and curry sauce is also generous. The pork loin cutlet meat is a lean and flavorful pork with no strange taste, easy to chew, and has a good sweetness from the fat. It's quite delicious. The frying method is orthodox, probably fried at medium to high temperatures. It's not outstanding in terms of cooking method, but the meat is fried well while retaining the juiciness. There's a bit of oil remaining on the breading, but it's not too bothersome when eaten with the curry. The curry is a Japanese-style curry commonly found in chain restaurants. It doesn't focus on the flavor of spices or spiciness, but it serves its purpose as a side dish to the tonkatsu. Personally, this level of spiciness is just right for me since I can't handle spicy curry. The rice is cooked nicely and fluffy, which is good. It's also nice to have cabbage on the side. It's a bit lonely that there are no condiments. I wish they had included Fukujinzuke or rakkyo. Despite looking quite filling, I finished it easily. It's quite impressive to easily finish a 200g tonkatsu. I wonder if I could handle a 400g one... Overall, if I were to evaluate based on the taste of the food alone, I would give it a 3 out of 5. However, eating a tonkatsu in a restaurant with a dohyo and former sumo wrestlers ===========