A few months have passed since Mr. Seizo Mitani, the former manager and chef, left Tonkatsu Narikura in Takadanobaba. The current Tonkatsu Narikura (とんかつ なりくら), now managed by one of his pupils, still operates in the same area, but what about Mr. Mitani? He has since opened his own Tonkatsu restaurant in the Minami-Asagaya area, calleds Tonkatsu Narikura (とんかつ成蔵) !
Now, his new restaurant requires reservations. You can make a reservation through Omakase, which only accepts seat bookings. Once you’re seated, the order is taken when you arrive, so no long waits anymore! 😊
However, making a reservation can be a bit tricky, so it’s best to access Omakase immediately when reservations open. The restaurant is located in a renovated private house, and its name remains the same as before.
When I arrived just before my reservation time, there were already a few people waiting in front of the house. I joined the line, and once the seats were ready, the staff led us inside.
The interior of the restaurant is reminiscent of the original location in Takadanobaba, featuring a clean and tidy wood-and-white design. The seating is spacious, allowing you to enjoy your tonkatsu comfortably.
On the table, you’ll find salad dressing, rock salt, olive oil, and other condiments.
As for the tonkatsu, Narikura is known for using luxury meats such as TOKYO-X, Iwachu-buta pork (岩中豚), and Yukimuro Jukusei-buta pork (雪室熟成豚). These high-quality cuts are deep-fried at a low temperature with a white coating. Naturally, this results in a high price tag, similar to a dinner course. But it’s worth it – the quality is exceptional! The set menu includes tonkatsu, rice, tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup), and pickles.
They also offer special items of the day, like the Yukimuro Jukusei-buta pork kushikatsu I had on my visit.
You can enjoy a variety of drinks, including bottled beer, highballs, and wine.
For my meal, I chose the TOKYO-X Special loin tonkatsu set, which comes with Koshihikari rice from the Tanba area of Niigata.
The white coating is typical of Narikura’s style (though it looks light brown in this photo, it was actually much lighter).
The tonkatsu was beautifully fried, with the meat inside still slightly pink. The coating was fluffy and crispy, and the meat itself, particularly the fatty parts, was incredibly flavorful. The bread crumbs soaked in the meat juice made for a fantastic dressing for the shredded cabbage. Despite being deep-fried at a low temperature, it wasn’t greasy at all.
On the table, you’ll find rock salt, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard – perfect complements to the tonkatsu. Personally, I love pairing the fatty parts with rock salt and the leaner cuts with mustard.
To be honest, I wasn’t fond of the tonjiru at the Takadanobaba location, as it was too greasy for my taste. However, at the new restaurant, the balance of vegetables and pork in the tonjiru was much better, resulting in a refreshing flavor that complemented the tonkatsu perfectly.
Since you need to arrive at the reservation time, and tonkatsu takes time to cook due to the low-temperature frying process, I had to eat quickly to finish within the allotted time. For someone like me, who tends to take longer to eat, this was a bit challenging.
But in the end, the TOKYO-X tonkatsu was absolutely delicious. I don’t know of any other restaurant that prepares TOKYO-X tonkatsu quite like Narikura does. It truly is a special place.
About
Name Tonkatsu Narikura (とんかつ成蔵)
Open Lunch, Dinner
Reservation Required at Omakase
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