とんかつ すぎ田

Was looking for a place for my last meal before heading back home, and this place was a short walk from my hotel. Ordered the Tonkatsu, with a side of rice, pickles, and miso soup-delicious! Great service, and they were accommodating to my very limited Japanese.

April 2023に訪問

I had to wait for about 15 minutes for a seat at the counter and when given the menu in Japanese, I took out my Google Translate app to see the English version. Immediately, the owner came over to me and in good English, gave me the English menu (with pictures). I couldn't decide between the pork lo...in or the prawn and, as it might be my first and last visit, I ordered both. She told me that the prawn was very big and costs more, which I accepted. I also ordered the rice set and a beer and sat back to watch the chef prepare the Tonkatsu in front of me. Chef cooked my food and presented it to me with a great smile "Your special plate" he said. And special it was! Pork was cooked perfectly, very juicy and I used the Ponzu sauce as recommended by the chef. The prawn was HUGE and ever so slightly overcooked but in reality prawns of all things need to be safer so I was happy with that. Great food, wonderful atmosphere and I got to see the chef cook right in front of me. Great, quick and efficient service by a team who were in constant communication, some 6 staff for about 16-18 diners. When leaving I congratulated the owner and we exchanged numerous bows and 'thank yous' as I left, very happy indeed. As I had two mains, I paid over 6,000Y but worth every penny and won't need much else for the rest of the day.

March 2023に訪問

We were here for lunch on a Friday around noon and waited for 15 minutes to be seated. We were handed an English menu when we were in the queue and ordered before seats became available. We were seated at the counter and it was interesting to watch the chef working. We had the tonkatsu fillet and ...tonkatsu loin with rice and tonjiru soup (miso soup with pork and vegetables). The tonkatsu was not oily at all and the breading was so thin and crispy. Both the fillet and loin were juicy, tender and flavourful but we preferred the texture of the loin. The tonjiru soup was surprisingly good. You must try it. The restaurant was around 15 minutes walk from Senso-ji in Asakusa. Everyone working in the restaurant was friendly. It was definitely worth trying.

June 2019に訪問

This is not a well known hyped up place. Its an honest tokantsu-ya with the chef who is very skilled and use very high quality ingredients. The meat is so good, most people do not use the tokatsu sauce that covers up the meat taste but salt and lemon. Great rice too!

July 2018に訪問

So for dinner, I was looking for a restaurant that served food mainly rather than alcoholic drinks, easy for a single person to enter and does not tax my brain to eat. Within walking distance of my hotel, I decided to venture into this place without too much research or thought. First impression, i...t was a small family run restaurant. The counter table looked very new, nice cedar wood or something similar. The decor was clean, chic and well lit unlike many traditional tonkatsu restaurants that tended to look aged. Importantly there was no smell of cooking oil, something that is often part of the fixture in such restaurants. In short, it resembled more a sushi restaurant. The menu is kept simple, port cutlet without much fat - fillet, or with more fat - loin. As I recall other choice was omelette or fried tiger prawn. I went for fillet, which was slightly more expensive than loin only because I preferred a lean meat that day. And as it is customary, I also ordered rice and miso-soup, thereby making it a meal-set. Cooking starts only after taking orders, so the oil needs to be heated up before use. I looked into the cooking oil from a distance as the chef checked the temperature - it looked very clean and fresh smell. As I waited, the chef prepared the cutlet while the proprietor tended to the soup. With nothing else to do but to wait, my eyes wandered around the restaurant and soon enough I noticed something unusual - oddly enough, this restaurant had Lee & Perrin Worcester sauce at the counter, in addition to the usual set of thick tonkatsu sauce, soya sauce and salt for customers to use. I asked about the Worcester sauce - the chef responded nonchalantly that some customers like the spicy sauce. Of all the tonkatsu restaurants I had visited, most of them very traditional Japanese, I have never came across a chef that appeared as worldly as him. I sensed something unusual about this chef, perhaps he used to work in another, larger restaurant before working here? Having omelette in the menu gave another clue - I never came across another tonkatsu restaurant that offered this quintessentially Western dish, a dish that every aspiring French chef must be able to prepare in his/her sleep. Then, I noticed two bottles of Talisker - 10 years - alongside other bottles. Could this be a favorite tipple for the chef or the proprietor? This cannot be so, I deduced, as this restaurant looked thoroughly professional, no personal stuff lying around. But looking in the drinks menu, whisky wasn’t on it - only beer, wine (red/white/sparkling) and shochu (potato wine). And I doubt he would be commiting the sacrilege of mixing a single malt with anything else. Hmm, the mystery deepens... Just as I was getting tired of my sleuthing around, the cutlet was ready to be served. As she did so the proprietor pointed out the various sauces that I could choose from. I chose salt, as good tonkatsu should not need anything more complicated than a pinch of salt for the full flavor to be released. I was not disappointed. The cutlet was coated with crispy bread crumbs, which kept the meat succulent. The portion felt to be on the petite side, but may be that was because I forgot to pace myself. Although cutlet is the main dish, good restaurants also take care to prepare the rice and the miso soup. Rice was very soft and with a hint of mild sweetness inherent in the rice. The soup contained gobo, or burdock, a root vegetable often included in pork miso soup. Simple in its composition, the soup had the right amount of miso for the delicate flavor to be savoured, without being overwhelmed by the saltiness of miso. I enjoyed the meal very much but it ended far too quickly in my view - I must eat more slowly next time - leaving just the bill to be settled. I paid by cash but I did not recall seeing credit card stickers. Beware if you are not carrying much cash. As I paid I asked the proprietor, as casually as I can make it, for how long has this restaurant been in business. She quietly smiled and replied “forty years”. As I walked out and closed the door, I promised to myself that the next time I must try out the loin... was greeted by an elderly lady, who happened to be the proprietor. The chef was her son I believe, aided by his wife. I went in soon after 5pm to beat the queue - as it turned out I was the first customer.

October 2018に訪問