Menchi Katsu @ Taishoutei, Akasaka, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka

 

Despite covering so much ramen throughout the years, it is actually not my favourite Japanese dish of all time. That will be menchi katsu (メンチカツ), also sometime known as a mince cutlet. And it is easy to see why. Essentially, its a deep fried burger patty. What is not to love?

Blast from the past

However, I have only had this deep fried treat by road pavements and market stands. Last week was the first time I had it as a proper stand alone meal. Taishoutei (大正亭), is a tonkatsu shop with decades of history. Established in 1993, you can feel a sense of nostalgia as the place has a retro interior, similar to showa era style coffee shops. It is know for serving up awesome pork cutlets from black pork, which is the Japanese answer to iberico. I love tonkatsu but seeing menchi katsu on the menu was quite hard to resist. 

Lunch is served. 

The rice set meal was fairly simple, with a side of cabbage, pickles, miso soup and of course the rice to round it all up. Simple but it works. Why fix something that isn't broken right? Straight up, this was a satisfying lunch. The patty was well breaded and the exterior had an even crunch to it. Contrasting that was the supple and tender inside, it was a welcome misdirection to the senses. 

So golden....

The meat itself had the classic flavour that I look back to from time to time. It had a gamey taste to the mince. One may attribute it to the black pork, but I also suspect some beef inside it. There were also some mild garlic and onion flavour to it. Pretty common trick, but still quite nice. 

A close up, with some awesome sauce on it. 

Simplicity was the star of this dish. But if you like to diversify your palate, then there are various sauces for you to dip your deep fried delights with. Personally, the tonkatsu sauce is your best bet. Being fruity and salty at the same time, it worked like apple sauce for an old fashion British pork roast. Pairing it with yellow mustard is also a recommended move. 

Pick your poison.

This enjoyable lunch came at an affordable price too, as my minced cutlet meal was only 950 yen. There are other deep fried dishes, as the aforementioned tonkatsu and katsudon. which range from 1200 yen to 2000 yen. But if their cheapest dish is this good, who knows what other great tasty items they have in store? 

Vintage posters are everywhere in this shop. 

Although the food alone is a good incentive to come here, I really like the decor. It gives off a very warm retro vibe to it. Feeling like I have just gone into a time warp wormhole, it is easy to feel like you are in another dimension, literally. Well whether it is the nostalgic factor, or your interest in porky deep fried treats, this place is an easy recommendation. Fancy a go? The address is as follows:

〒810-0042 Fukuoka, Chuo Ward, Akasaka, 1 Chome−3−1 赤坂ピアレ (Akasaka Piare) 1F

Front of the house. Don't mind the snow.