There are suddenly a number of new katsu places in Honolulu, and we are here for it. Who doesn’t love fried food? Tonkatsu @Honolulu (read: Tonkatsu at Honolulu or just Tonkatsu Honolulu, despite the very confusing Instagram name) is one of the newest and worth the wait if you can get in.
It’s very small, a 32-seat space in the same complex as Hangang Korean Grill House on Waimanu Street. Parking is scarce, especially at peak times.
Owner Go Yamada hails from Nagoya and brought Michelin-trained chef Keita Yamada to run the kitchen. They make the panko themselves with fresh bread from local Japanese bakery Epi-ya. Everything is fried expertly in an exclusive blend of soybean oil and pork lard—you get a crisp crunch with each bite, without a greasy feeling.
The meal starts with a tsukemono of the day (usually pickled shredded cabbage with a delicate blend of yukari), tonjiru (a pork and vegetable miso soup with an option to add cheese for an additional charge), Niji no Kirameki rice from Ibaraki prefecture, and a set of three kobachi or side dishes. Every time I eat the kobachi, no matter what they make, I want to eat more—it’s always a contrast of addictive flavors and textures.
Most people go for the dry-aged pork loin set, available in four portions (5.3, 7, 10.6 and 14 ounces), or the dry-aged pork tenderloin (5.3 or 7 ounces). The pork loin sets are $28, $30, $34 and $38, respectively, and the pork tenderloin sets are $30 and $33. If you compare these prices to other spots in town, you’ll find they are comparable.
I’m more of a chicken katsu or shrimp katsu person, and since I can’t decide, I go for the mix teishoku ($33). You can opt for any combination, in fact, such as pork tenderloin with oyster katsu, or shrimp katsu with oyster katsu, all of which are $33. They also have some sets with three choices that are $35.
If you feel a little spendy, the A5 Miyazaki gyukatsu sets are $90 for 4.2 ounces and $135 for 6.3 ounces. This is definitely a set of luxurious bites, well worth it. We opt to order them à la carte ($70 and $115, respectively) so we can share and not be overwhelmed by the richness. Just a little wasabi is all you need to pull the flavors together.
I’m always a big fan of curry sauce, so I order it on the side ($6). This is super aromatic, with beautifully complex flavors, a hint of spice and little chunks of meat. It’s great with the katsu items, but once I try it, I just want to curl up in the corner with a bowl of rice and this incredible sauce. I order some to go so I can prolong the experience.
Every table has a set of regular tonkatsu sauce, spicy tonkatsu sauce, wafu dressing (for the unlimited shredded cabbage) and miso tonkatsu sauce—the last one a nod to Yamada’s and Maeda’s hometown of Nagoya. This is my first time trying Nagoya-style sauce, and I love the strong flavor.
The restaurant plans to open for breakfast “soon,” which I’m looking forward to trying. They want to serve rice balls ranging in price from $2.50 to $6.50 with accents including tonkatsu with sauce, tonkatsu with miso, shrimp katsu, nameshi or Japanese leafy greens, ume, salmon, spicy cod roe and tuna with mayo…