Hamakatsu. The focus here is mainly on salad, dressing, and pickles. It's been a while. I heard they have some new, expensive menu items? Let's check that out. The black pork loin cutlet, 180g, was over 2000 yen. The large cutlet has a wild-cut look to the pork. The cross-section shows a slight pink color. The fatty part is a bit tough, not very sweet. Is it cooked too much or is it the quality of the meat? The meat is not very tender, it's tough and not juicy in some parts. Also, there are noticeable meat tendons which I wish were trimmed better. The more you get to the edge of the cut pork, the more tough tendons you find. Despite that, the carrot dressing for the salad is delicious as always! I ended up getting a refill of the cabbage. The pickles felt a bit low-cost this time with just a burlap pickle. It's understandable given the current situation. Maybe I should have just gone with the ginger pork instead. And the cleanliness of the restaurant! They should put more effort into that!

When I went to the Aeon Mall, I was disappointed to find out that the pre-sale Hama Katsu lucky bags were sold out. However, since I really wanted to eat some katsu, I decided to go to the Hama Katsu restaurant in Aeon, which had many branches. The parking lot was full, so I had to wait before entering. Although there were empty seats, there weren't enough staff members to clean up, so I had to wait for a while after writing my name down. I ordered the lunch set with rosu katsu and chicken nanban. You could choose between shredded or sliced cabbage, red or white miso soup, and white or brown rice - I chose sliced cabbage, red miso soup, and brown rice. You could also have unlimited refills of rice, miso soup, cabbage, and pickles. While waiting, I ground some sesame seeds in a suribachi and mixed them with the sauce. The katsu had a thick and crunchy coating, providing a satisfying texture. The chicken nanban was very tender, and the tartar sauce was light. The katsu was delicious, but what really stood out was the secret sauce and the original dressing for the cabbage, which had a consistently great taste.

Hamakatsu, a stable chain restaurant! One of the attractions is that you can get unlimited rice, cabbage, and miso soup, and it also provides a sense of security as it is a chain store. There were many elderly customers. The cabbage has no taste or aroma. They may be using factory-cut vegetables. It seems like a risk hedge for quality control and foreign matter contamination if they were to cut them in the store. They compensate with a flavorful dressing, which seems just right. There has been a price increase, so there doesn't seem to be much of a sense of value for money now.

Was Hama Katsu always this expensive? I had only been there for lunch before, so I was surprised when I went at night. The food was delicious, but it was pricey. It was a bit cheaper because it was Meat Day, so it was okay, but there is a big difference in taste and value compared to the nearby 999.

Lunch with my wife and son. When it comes to tonkatsu in our generation, it used to be Hamakatsu. However, due to inflation, there was a period when I thought I wouldn't go there anymore because of price increases and lower quality. But it seems to have slightly improved. I came back after a long time because the bill was just under 1000 yen. It was a bit late for lunch, but there were only a few customers inside, unlike the crowded times before. Time flies. There was a notice at the register about some items being sold out. I didn't ask for the reason as they were items I wouldn't order anyway. My wife ordered the Dutch cutlet set (990 yen), my son ordered the donburi-kko (480 yen), and I ordered the assorted cutlet set (990 yen). This combination is typical for us. After waiting for about 10 minutes, the donburi-kko and set meals were served. The taste hasn't changed much from before. The texture is crispy, and the sauce is spicy and goes well with the cutlet. Still delicious. However, the cheese cutlet in the assorted set had very little cheese, almost unnoticeable. The rice also looked different, like red rice. The taste didn't seem to change much. They no longer serve rice in a traditional wooden bowl, and you have to call a staff member for a refill when you finish. It's a hassle. The miso soup was also bland, not rich, but thin. The variety of pickles has increased, and I enjoyed the pickled vegetables like pickled daikon. For the price where you get change from 1000 yen, the quality is acceptable. I was very concerned that the women's restroom was not usable. It's strange to have sold-out items in the early afternoon, and it makes me wonder. But the restroom issue is not good. This never happened in the past.

I had some extra income, so I decided to treat myself to tonkatsu for lunch. I had a 20% discount coupon that was only valid until May 21st. I ordered the Rosu Katsu and Dutch Katsu lunch set (originally 780 yen, but with the coupon it was 630 yen). While waiting, I ground sesame seeds for the sauce. The dish included 3 pieces of Rosu Katsu, 2 pieces of Dutch Katsu (minced cutlet with cheese inside), and fried eggplant and sweet potato. Surprisingly, the eggplant and sweet potato were delicious. Especially the sweet potato, which is usually eaten as tempura with soy sauce, tasted great with tonkatsu sauce, bringing out its sweetness. I chose barley rice instead of white rice, which paired well with the fried food. I also chose red miso soup, which complemented the rich flavor of the red miso with the fried food. Having tonkatsu for lunch at a restaurant is a luxurious treat.

HamaKatsu is a restaurant located on the right side after crossing the Sunrise Bridge straight from Chokubo Station. While HamaKatsu can be found everywhere in Kyushu, it seems to be hit or miss in other regions. They offer a self-service style where you can grind your own sesame seeds, which is fun for kids. I used to love doing that when I was young. I sometimes go there for lunch, but this time I went for dinner. The Dutch Pork Cutlet set meal costs 990 yen, and it's great to get change back from a 1000 yen bill for dinner. I really like the pork cutlet with cheese inside. One of the good things about HamaKatsu is that you can have unlimited refills of rice, miso soup, cabbage, and pickles. The pickled vegetables are delicious, especially the hanging pickles, which are so tasty that you'll want more. They even sell them for takeout. I went during a quiet time this time, but the air conditioning was too cold, even for summer. That was disappointing.

I like to go there occasionally because you can easily enjoy tonkatsu with unlimited rice, miso soup, cabbage, and pickles! The feeling of getting a good deal is great. This time, I went for lunch for the first time. First of all, the price is cheap!! It's much cheaper than dinner! The value for money is doubled. I forgot to take a picture, but the crispy texture was delicious, and the meat was juicy! I was satisfied. The waiting time was not long, and the dishes were served smoothly, allowing for seconds. I think I'll continue to go for lunch, where the cost performance is even higher than dinner.