Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San is in Akihabara and is another small diner in the basement of a non-descript building. It only serves gyukatsu, the Japanese beef cutlet.
The visit
After descending a very steep stair…
You get in a very small dining room. I was seated on one of the two small tables at the end of the room; the other seats are at the counter.
Their lunch menu comes in three sizes: 130, 260, and 390 grams. You can choose whether to have or not the grated yam (only 100 yen difference, but I can understand that some people may not like it, it is an unusual flavor. It is a kind of puree that is to be poured on the rice).
I went for the small size that came with the usual sides: rice, miso soup, grated yam (I kind of like it), sauces and some greens, plus cabbage and a scoop of potato salad.
As usual the meat is left rare inside.
And as usual you have a personal stove on the table where you can complete the cooking to your liking.
The check
Final check was 1,400 yen (or 12.75 USD). A very reasonable check for what was a delicious dish after all.
Now… if you read my review of Gyukatsu Motomura you will notice that the two places are very similar. Too similar. Actually it is the identical experience. The only difference is that Motomura also has some fancy mini side dishes while Ichi Ni San offers also the jumbo size. I really tried to find differences in the meat and the batter. I would venture to say that the meat was marginally better, a bit more juicy. But it was basically the same thing. I could not determine who came first. My impression is that Ichi Ni San may now be owned by Motomura, but it is just speculation. The Akihabara venue of Motomura I visited was way more comfortable, so it would be my preference if I was to eat another gyukatsu in Akihabara.
Still, my search for the perfect gyukatsu in Tokyo is not finished… to be continued.
Where in Tokyo:
3 Chome-8-17 Sotokanda.