Friday, December 25, 2009

Tis the Season for Katsudon Perfection

Warm Greetings for the Holiday Season!

Eating and drinking in Japan to wrap up another year of great (and not-so-great) eating comes pretty close to perfection. We've eaten tons in the past week and I fear I will never get around to sharing everything in the detail that the experiences warrant. However, I didn't want to forget this, the last meal we had before we departed from Osaka yesterday for Xmas eve dinner back at Mag's.
Tonharu is one of the many tiny food joints lining the underground arcade of Namba station, one of Osaka's main transportation stays. The place was packed with hungry and grouchy salarymen, a sign of good things, surely. Every table was tucking into one combo tonkatsu dish or another, served with rice and steaming bowls of miso soup.
Both of us ordered the Katsudon (840 Yen each), one of the most substantial rice bowl dishes known to mankind. We knew we'd done right by our tired and hungry selves when both bowls arrived, wobbling in gleaming, golden glory.

The dish is standard deep fried pork cutlet, on top of rice with gravy and smothered with a runny egg topping but Tonharu's version was the best we've had to date. The pork cutlet was thicker, crunchier and the fail-safe rice-gravy-egg mixture a heartstopping rendition of all things right for the season - warmth, substance and delicacy, wrapped in love.

We made the train and back in good time to cheer our first of many glasses of bubbly with Ollie, Mag and Taka.

May your holiday season be filled with many moments like the one Tonharu's Katsudon offers. A very Merry X'mas and a Happy New Year to you, you and YOU! See you next year!

17 comments:

Kenny Mah said...

Now, that sure is some hearty katsudon! I've been falling in love with Japanese food all this year, and this just deepens it further... Here's to my exploring it first hand as you did when I visit Tokyo next year.

Merry Xmas and have yourself a Happy New Year! :)

J said...

Oh man. That looks so tempting...

Hope you're having a great Christmas so far (in Japan! *jelez*) and will have an even more wonderful New Year! :)

Bangsar-bAbE said...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you too! =D

Rebecca Saw said...

Ohh... I love katsudon.. & cant wait to hv it in Japan itself!

qwazymonkey said...

Woah! that's a glorious bowl of perfection u've got there. Jeles

Sean said...

looks like eggs-tasy!!! i have no idea what linoleic acid is though, but i guess it's something good! :D
glad to hear your vacation is going so well. hope u return rejuvenated!!!

J2Kfm said...

Seldom do we see or taste good Katsudon here in Ipoh, for normally the dish would resemble a Chinese style of pork chop with runny eggs, more often than not.

Merry Xmas. Belated as it may be.

iamthewitch said...

Wow spending Christmas holidays in Japan eh! That's wonderful! Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR min!! :)

Big Boys Oven said...

have fun yeah! Eat more drink more and get merrier! :)

allie said...

The runny egg make me drool leh! Happy New Year in advance to you!

Penang Tua Pui said...

you are killing me with the way you describe the dish...

I HATE YOU.....

:P

i wish to make a trip to Japan one day and this would be my best guide to refer to hunt down those food...

ciki said...

welcome baCK! missed ya!

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

Happy New Year! I envy you and your eating frenzy in Japan! :-)

Babe_KL said...

Still on holiday or recovering from your holiday? :p

Happy new year to you!

Gallivanter said...

Happy New Year! God bless Japanese food!!! :-D

HairyBerry said...

i like osaka in winter! cos it's less crowded..hehe..cant wait to read about all the okonomiyakis and more! ;D

backStreetGluttons said...

WOW ! in Japan - the clean and cool place . Perfection. Happy New Year !
where's 550 btw ?