Today's lunch, I was in the mood for fried food and was considering going to "Jukubuta 3rd Generation Kurasuji" near Akasaka-Mitsuke Station. However, I remembered seeing a new tonkatsu restaurant opening soon around Akasaka Station when I walked by the area the other day. So, I decided to search for it and ended up at the newly opened "Tonkatsu Kagurazaka Sakura Akasaka Store" on September 7th. The restaurant is located in the basement of the former "Shabu Shabu Onyasai Akasaka Store" and opens at 11:00, which is convenient. I walked into the brand new store and chose a table seat over the counter seat. I ordered the Thick Cut Rib Roast Katsu Set (1600 yen) which came with a notice that it might take a little while. I actually debated between the daily special 3 kinds of assorted dishes, 4 kinds of deep-fried eggplant sandwich, and cheese-wrapped katsu, but I was craving delicious katsu. After a short wait, the dish arrived! Look at that beautiful marbling and tender texture. I was recommended to start with a sprinkle of salt, and the fat melted in my mouth sweetly. The rib roast's cross-section was also surprising, but what caught my attention was the rice - it was cooked in a clay pot, and they mentioned that it starts cooking once ordered, so you get almost freshly cooked rice! The rice came with a pot holder, and it was a bit tricky to find a place to put the lid of the clay pot, but indeed, the shiny freshly cooked rice arrived! The rice had a bit of crispy texture, and it was a delight. The cabbage was thinly sliced, and I quickly finished it. I tried the yuzu dressing, sweet sauce, and spicy sauce in that order on the cabbage and rice. The rib roast, especially the middle part, was incredibly tender with a sweet fat that was irresistible. The rice in the clay pot was perfect, and I wanted to have another half bowl, but if they brought another clay pot, I wouldn't be able to finish it. So, I asked if I could have a half-bowl of rice, and they kindly brought a new bowl. I also got a new bowl for the clam soup and was able to get a cabbage refill from a large bowl using tongs. I was fully satisfied with the meal! Thank you for the delicious food!! Payment options included cash, various credit cards, various transportation IC cards, various IC payments (iD, QUICPay, nanaco, Edy, WAON), and various QR code payments (PayPay, d payment, auPay, Rakuten Pay, Smart Code). They also have a stamp card where you get one stamp for every 500 yen spent, and when you collect 20 stamps, you can use it as a 500 yen discount voucher on your next visit.

I ordered the daily special set meal (990 yen) which changes every day. On Mondays, it includes 50g of pork cutlet, 30g of fillet cutlet, and 40g of minced cutlet. On Fridays, the order of the cutlets is different but the details are unclear. The food was served promptly as it is a tonkatsu restaurant. The rice was served in a small pot and was delicious. The three types of cutlets appeared larger than expected. The pork cutlet was slightly pink and tasty. The minced cutlet had a special spice mix which was good. The fillet cutlet was made with fillet and onions, and it was not dry. The miso soup with clams was a bit light on clams. I had a half portion of rice as a refill and left feeling satisfied. Although I am curious about other menu items, I feel like this trio of cutlets cannot be beat.

The restaurant is newly opened, so when you go down the stairs, there is a fresh smell. The interior is clean and easy to use. It had been a while since I had fried food, so I avoided the tonkatsu, but the rice cooked in a pot was so delicious that I regretted not ordering the tonkatsu. It's a bit heavy for me to eat at night, so I want to go back for lunch. The freshly squeezed lemon sour was sour and perfect for fried food!

The underground restaurant at the former site of Onyasai, Rains, is a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) place that serves freshly cooked rice and daily lunch specials at a reasonable price. However, it may not be suitable for a quick meal as the service can be slow. It is recommended to visit on a day when you have plenty of time. The taste is decent, similar to Tonkatsu Wako.

I visited "Tonkatsu Kagurazaka Sakura Akasaka Store" which opened today on September 7, 2023! The location is on Akasaka Street, in the former location of Yawatamegumi (B1). When I arrived in the early afternoon, the restaurant was fully packed, as expected on the opening day. After registering at the entrance, I had to wait on the stairs for a while. The spacious underground space where I was eventually seated had robotic servers resembling cats and many staff members bustling around. The menu had a wide variety of options, but the main menu items included Rosukatsu set meal (1,000 yen), Jumbo Rosukatsu set meal (1,500 yen), Hirekatsu set meal (1,200 yen), Thick-cut Rib Rosukatsu set meal (1,600 yen), and Coarse-ground Menchikatsu set meal (1,000 yen), among others. There were also daily specials available. I decided to try the daily special set meal, which came in two options: 3-item set or 4-item set. I ordered the 4-item set for 1,300 yen (tax included), which included rice, miso soup, Hirekatsu (40g), Renkon sandwiched fried item, and Crab Cream Croquette. After ordering, it took about 10 minutes for the meal to arrive. To my surprise, the rice was served in a small pot, which required some skill to transfer to my bowl without burning myself. The struggle with handling the hot pot was real, but the rice, with its crispy bottom, was delicious. Moving on to the fried items, they were all perfectly crispy, with the Menchikatsu standing out for its juicy meat and flavorful sauce. The Crab Cream Croquette was also creamy and tasty. The Hirekatsu, however, felt a bit lacking in flavor. The restaurant offered both sweet and spicy sauces, and I was advised to eat the Hirekatsu with salt. They also had a seasonal menu item featuring fried Hokkaido autumn salmon, which looked tempting. Overall, it was a satisfying meal. Thank you for the delicious food!

I visited the newly opened Akasaka branch for lunch. I ordered the daily special for 900 yen, which included fillet cutlet, lotus root tempura, minced cutlet, miso soup with cabbage and clams, pickles, and white rice cooked in a clay pot. What's more, the miso soup, cabbage, and rice are all-you-can-eat! I felt that it was a great value for the price. The impact of the clay pot rice was particularly impressive. It's a restaurant with a big impact in the fierce tonkatsu battleground of Akasaka. By the way, since it was newly opened, the staff accidentally forgot to include the fillet cutlet in the photo.

The cost performance is good.