Tokyo Shokudo Visit 2: Best Katsu Kare…

Tokyo Shokudo: Norcross, GA, USA

I have had katsu kare, and then there’s katsu kare.  I should have known that Tokyo Shokudo would not fail me.  Katsu kare (or curry katsu-don) is a Japanese dish that consists of a panko-fried pork cutlet (katsu) on top of rice (don).  Normally, regular don-katsu has Japanese teriyaki sauce drizzled on top and sometimes served with mayo.  There’s a little bit of finely sliced lettuce from some restaurants here in the USofA, but in Japan, katsu kare is served like all the other donburi bowls: in a bowl, as is, meat, egg, sauce, and rice.

Tokyo Shokudo comes through again!

かつかれ (curry katsudon)

The last time I had this dish in Japan was about six years ago, and it was amazing.  I realize that this dish is really simple and can even be ordered in vending food courts.  This was how I had my first authentic Japanese katsu kare, in a small food centre where I purchased a ticket with the order from a vending machine in Kyoto.  Since then, I haven’t found the same hearty flavor here in the US until last night when I asked the owners of Tokyo Shokudo if they could make it for two of my friends.

While I ordered the bento box C (which ended up to be too much for me), I did manage to sneak in a bite of two from my friend Daniel’s plate.  Admittedly, I instantly though, I have to come back and order this for lunch!  I believe that this dish is only available on the lunch menu.  But I do love the owners, and I hope they stay open for one more year so when I return, I can fully abuse their katsu kare option.

Katsu Kare かつかれ (Curry Katsu-don)

• good portions, not oversize for super large eaters
• well flavored: not too salty not too thick
• evenly mixed sauce (not too much spice in one bite and then nothing in the next)
• katsu was not too small or burnt (sometimes happens with using panko).

All in all, a summary:

• Katsu kare: **** (4 stars)

Thanks so much to ともこさん (Ms. Tomoko) for making this dish.  I can’t wait to get it again:

3631 Peachtree Industrial Blvd
Duluth, GA 30096

(770) 622-1116

tokyoshokudo.com

ごしそさま！

R/g

03 May This entry was published on May 3, 2014 at 15:28. It’s filed under Japanese, restaurants, The Gastronome and tagged Atlanta restaurants, かつかれ, curry katsu, curry katsudon, Japanese Cuisine, katsu kare, restaurants. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.