Tonkatsu Katsuichi @ Meguro

2nd generation master

Oshinko (pickles)

Sake — Kubota

Shredded cabbage

Hirekatsu (fillet cutlet)

Hirekatsu (fillet cutlet)

Rōsukatsu (loin cutlet)

Rōsukatsu (loin cutlet)

The most reasonably priced and generously portioned among Meguro’s big three tonkatsu houses, Katsuichi is considered to rank in 2nd place behind the venerable Tonki and ahead of our personal Meguro favourite, Tiahou. 

In business since the mid-1980s and now with the second generation master at the helm, this compact yet homely basement eatery is steeped in a rich Shōwa era charm complete with a gyotaku adorned ceiling memorializing the master’s fishing exploits. Although mostly frequented by regulars the welcome to the uninitiated is invariably warm. 

The menu ranges from weekday lunch sets, katsu-curry and katsu-don to breaded oysters, but it’s the seminal loin and fillet cutlets, served with pickles, miso soup, rice and mountainous freshly sliced cabbage (wonderful with the sesame dressing!), for which this restaurant is famed. Although less refined than the cuisine at Taihou, the coarse, crispy bread crumbs and thick cut, juicy pork result in an exceptionally robust tonkatsu experience. 

Tonkatsu Katsuichi

03 3779 3388

 

Braceria Delizioso Italia @ Ebisu

Fresh oysters

Ricotta cheese and fruit salad

Spear squid and zucchini fritters

Porcini and black pepper risotto

Lasagne

Porcini and bacon cream sauce tagliatelle

Obikii kiln-grilled lamb chops

Beef cheeks braised in red wine with mashed potato

Florentine T-bone steak

Blue cheese and strawberry tart

Lemon cake with machedonia and vanilla ice cream

Since its late-2017 renovation and relaunch, Braceria Delizioso Italia’s focus on robust Italian cuisine marked by quality ingredients, preparation and presentation has laid previous gripes to rest. The prefix lunch and dinner courses, which allow selection and sharing of dishes from across the entire a la carte menu, are particularly generous. 

Despite the elimination of pizzas from the menu it remains impressive in its scope; from catch-of-the-day seafood, charcuterie and seasonal vegetables to moreish risottos, lasagne and a pasta offering encompassing no less than twenty regional sauces for pairing with a selection of ten different fresh and dry pasta varieties. 

The kitchen also prides itself on the range of cattle, sheep and goat cheeses incorporated into its appetizers, mains and desserts, although as the ‘braceria’ moniker suggests, choice meats grilled upon an Okibii wood-fired kiln are the house speciality.

Braceria Delizioso Italia

03 3440 5510

 

Ironbark Grill & Bar @ Ginza

Old Fashioned

Amuse of beetroot purée with almonds and olive oil

Fresh oyster with lemon

Butternut squash soup

Tasmanian ocean trout tartare with carrot puree, salmon roe and feta cheese

Leaf salad

Tasmanian salmon

Premium natural beef flat iron with parmesan polenta, bok choy and shallot pepper sauce

Rib eye with parmesan polenta, bok choy and shalot pepper sauce

White chocolate parfait with Nutella ice cream, berry sauce and crumble

Ironbark Grill & Bar is a pleasant lunch spot within the stylish Ginza 6 mall that riffs of past Salt Grill & Tapas Bar glories while no longer living up to them. It touts itself as a contemporary Australian restaurant with a focus on authentic Aussie ingredients and spices combined with the culinary influence of diverse regions and cultures. 

We’ve yet to have an unsatisfactory visit, although a cursory glance at online kuchikomi reveals a chequered history of poor service and a ‘tourist trap’ mindset that, with the exception of woefully over-priced table wines, seems to be mostly remedied. 

Ultimately, and especially for those who remain ignorant of the culinary depths of The Ginza, this is accessible premium economy dining by the numbers; the set lunch courses provide attractively presented, uncomplicated cuisine and cost performance that will neither disappoint nor excite.  

Ironbark Grill & Bar

03 6264 5402

 

Tonkatsu Taihou @ Meguro

Otoshi of takuan

Miso soup

Hirekatsu (fillet cutlet)

Hirekatsu (fillet cutlet)

Tokujō hirekatsu (special fillet cutlet)

Tokujō hirekatsu (special fillet cutlet)

Tokujō hirekatsu (special fillet cutlet)

Tokujō rōsukatsu (special loin cutlet)

Tokujō rōsukatsu (special loin culet)

Although ranked third among Meguro’s ‘big three’ tonkatsu restaurants, just behind Tonkatsu Katsuichi and Tonkatsu Tonki, we rate Tonkatsu Taihou more highly than either its Meguro area contemporaries or perennial Shirogane favourite, Tonkatsu Suzuki. 

In fact, and although clearly of a different ilk, Taihou falls only a tad short of even Musashi Koyama’s exquisite Tonkatsu Taiyou. 

Stellar cost performance aside, the succulent, juicy-pink, melt-in-your-mouth rōsu (loin) and hire (fillet) pork cutlets deep fried in light yet crunchy home-baked breadcrumbs are exceptional. For devotees and the gluttonous, premium ‘tokujō’ cuts of loin or fillet are divine. Both are best experienced as teishoku set meals complete with pickles, miso soup, rice, lemon and crispy-fresh shredded Miura cabbage. 

Tonkatsu Taihou

03 3491 9470

 

Bistro Nid @ Toritsu-Daigaku

Pickles and fermented nakazuke preserves; carrot, olives, radish, Jerusalem artichoke and turnip

Smoked boar ham with burrata cheese, fermented tomato jellyand strawberry and rucola sauce

Seasonal leaf salad

Bacon and porcini salad

Shrimp shell risotto, with firefly squid and fennel salad

Hokkaido venison with Jerusalem artichoke, grated mushroom and black garlic and egg yolk purée

Roast Echigo pork with lentils, sprouts and black garlic sauce

Winter yellowtail sauté with daikon sauce, black olive and wasabi tapenade and spinach

Japan Mont Blanc with blue cheese ice cream and brown sugar crumble

Baked appple pie with honey and rosemary ice cream

Onibus coffee

Caught as it is between Gakugei-Daigaku and Jiyugaoka (and despite boasting Yakumo Saryo and Carica.ri), Toritsu-Daigaku is something of a culinary afterthought. Thankfully, Bistro Nid seems destined to remedy the situation. 

Inspired by and aspiring to the particular ambience and focus of restaurants such as Kabi and Sio, chef Tsuzurahara has created an inviting space in which guests can enjoy his particular strain of seemingly uncomplicated yet surprisingly refined and seasonally variable neo-Euro fusion cuisine, paired with carefully curated natural wines, nihonshu and affable hosts. 

Although Nid is a nest best enjoyed by night, the lunch menu (sadly only available on weekends) is an absolute steal. 

Bistro Nid

03 6459 5572