This lively neighborhood shop does a brisk business both day and night, so it might be a good idea to avoid peak lunch and dinner hours if you don't want to wait. In addition to doing excellent tonkatsu, in both regular and premium grades, the kitchen also turns out deep-fried prawns, oysters, fish and chicken. One of the most popular items is a combo platter of menchi-katsu (ground-pork patties) and croquettes.

The Mochi-buta rosu (Y1350) features a fatty cutlet made from mochi-buta pork, a hybrid breed developed in Tohoku for its superior flavor. The breading is a medium golden brown, slightly thick and soft in texture rather than crunchy.

Our waitress suggested trying it with coarse salt, and the cutlet turned out to be extremely succulent and tasty without the usual tonkatsu sauce. The shredded cabbage is livened up with a touch of the goma-dare (sesame dressing) on the counter. Drinks include budget wines by the glass as well as beer by the bottle.