While in Omotesando (Tokyo) in September 2018, I had a chance to try the famed pork cutlet (tonkatsu) from Maisen.
Maisen is a household name for tonkatsu in Japan. They started in 1965 and operate a number of restaurants nationwide, they have kiosks in some luxury supermarkets and they also have outlets overseas in South East Asia. From what I understand they are now part of the Suntory Group.
I am glad to report that the place lived up to its reputation and I had an extraordinarily good tonkatsu.
The visit
At their Ayoama Main Store there is usually a line, but I was quite late for lunch and I just waited a couple of minutes. They have a counter that is honestly not a very attractive place where to seat (maybe good for a quick bite), but luckily, even if I was alone, I was offered a seat at a table in the dining room downstairs. Apart from the more casual counter seating, their dining room fits the bill for fine dining in terms for service and decor.
They have various tonkastu sets and variations to choose from. Up to five brand of pork may be available.
In the end, I opted for Amai Yuwaku pork (Sweet Temptation), the pork breed that was developed by Maisen itself and its unique to their stores in limited quantities. I found online an explanation about what is special about this breed:
The hogs are fed on the bread crusts produced during the making of their pork fillet cutlet sandwiches. Maisen spent roughly two years to develop the product, working together with pig farmers and feed companies. The company launched a menu using Amai Yuwaku pork in December of 2012 at the main restaurant in Aoyama (Tokyo), and then deployed it to other restaurants. The name (Sweet Temptation in English) comes from the delicately tender meatiness, the sweetly melting fattiness, and the juicy and rich taste that is embossed into the tongue. Leveraging the bread crusts as fattening feed helps better digestion, producing meatier pork with less fat.
Apart from the way the hogs are raised, Maisen also applies to this pork an aging process that breaks muscles filaments and make the meat even more tender.
Hype? Not really. This pork was divine, not to mention the perfect crust. It was really tender and soft like I rarely experienced a pork cutlet. In particular, I opted for a 100 gram loin (that has some fat), but they also have the fillet for a fully lean piece of meat.
The set also came with the mandatory pickles, rice, cabbage, and a bowl of miso soup.
The meat was so good that did not really need any sauce, but I did try their tonkatsu sauce that augment the sweetness of the bite. They also have worchester sauce. Finally, as usual, you are also provided some mustard.
I added to my selection a minced pork cutlet with melted cheese. I expected a small side dish, it was actually a huge portion. It can also be ordered without cheese, but with cheese is better in my opinion. This minced cutlet is also a popular street food in Japan.
Outside the store, they operate a kiosk where to buy take-away food. The minced meat cutlet is available.
My only regret was that I did not have time to try their pork cutlet sandwich (katsu sando). It looks really attractive.
The check
The set menu plus the additional minced meat cutlet cost me 2,760 yen (around 25 USD). Cutlet lunch sets can be found around Tokyo for as little as 1,000 yen, but nothing approaching this quality. The premium price is totally justified in my opinion. If you opt for a fillet cut or some other more exotic pork breeds you bill can easily increase, but within the realm of reasonableness in my view. I also appreciate that prices are inclusive of taxes and service charges and that tea was included.
As you can tell, I was very happy about this meal and I fully recommend the place.
Where in Tokyo:
The Ayoama Main store is close to Omotesando subway stop on Ginza line.
4 Chome-8-５ Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
They have other locations as well. Check their website.