Perfect Golden Crispy Pork Tonkatsu in Kyoto

Japan is not like many train stations around the world. Not only are the trains bullet trains and not only are they super on-schedule all the time but they also serve great tasting meals. There was a whole floor dedicated to dining and I came across a place that had a pretty long line so I decided to try it out. They are renowned for their perfect golden crispy Pork Tonkatsu.  For those that don't know what is Pork Tonkatsu is, it is a pork chop that has been breaded with flour, egg and Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) that is deep fried. The sauce you dip the pork in tastes like a thicker version of the Worcestershire sauce (BBQ sauce). My meal was served with barley rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and thinly sliced cabbage. I got the Sangen Premium Tenderloin Cutlet set. Please Share if you love Pork!

Sangen Premium Tenderloin Cutlet Set

What I love about Japanese foods is that it requires some work to eat your food. We were provided a Mortar to grind the fresh sesame seeds into a powder form to mix with your BBQ sauce which is then used to dip your pork to consume.

Grinding Sesame Seeds

This has a special place in my heart or shall I say stomach! Would come here again in I'm in the area!

The Lineup

Front Entrance

Name: Katsukura Kyotoekibiru the Cube
Address: 901 Higashishiokojicho, Shimogyoku | TheCUBE 11F, Kyoto 600-8216, Kyoto Prefecture

Google Maps: Click Here!
Website: Click Here!

Store Sign

Menu

Sauces!

Miso Soup!

One of the Best Yakitori I've had so far...

This place has honestly exceeded my expectations in what they offered. Each grilled item was cooked to perfection and tasted super fresh! They also grilled the meats using Charcoal! I prefer Charcoal grilling over Propane grilling because there's a more smokiness flavor/aroma infused to the meats grilled and it gives it that more natural taste that you don't quite get from traditional Propane grilling. I had a local friend tag along who wasn't even aware of this place since I guess he's not that much of a foodie who would proactively look for places to try and even he was really impressed with this place so this place has got to be legit! This food spot basically serves every part of the Chicken and doesn't waste any part of it. They offer Pork as well but the main star here is the Chicken! This may be more on the adventurous side for some people but I was definitely down for trying it since I came all the way to Japan; might as well see what they had to offer since I'm sure I wouldn't find these kind of food items back at home.Good thing they had English menus! Such a relief!

These were the items I tried:

Liver, Gizzard, Cartilage, Neck Skin, Heart. The highlight was ordering the Tsukune which was minced chicken cooked on a skewer and served with a fresh egg yolk. It was so unique and delicious (refer to the picture below)! I also wanted to try raw chicken too but my other friends didn't want to do it so we ended up not trying it! Apparently eating raw chicken in Japan is not very out of the ordinary. There's no real concept of getting Salmonella here as Chickens raised in Japan are treated much differently than say for example how USA and probably rest of the World raises their Chicken when it comes to cleanliness of the farms/food they are fed/way they are treated/harvested/etc.  Let's get to the details of this establishment! We initially had some trouble finding this place but luckily for you I have the exact coordinates on Google so it'll be a breeze for you to find it! This is definitely a place to go in a group so you can try and share the various items they have. The items we ordered were about 315 YEN or about $3.15 USD dollars per plate which usually can feed about  2-3 people but varies depending on what you ordered. Surprisingly it's wasn't as expensive as initially thought but obviously it'll be more costly than your average Yakitori where they usually focus on cheap eats/cheap meats.

Name: Sumibi Torito (炭火串焼 とりと)
Address: 左京区川端東入る東丸太町9-5神原ビル１階, Kyoto, Japan 606-8395
Phone: +81 75-752-4144
Website: http://www.sumibi-torito.jp
Google Maps: Click Here!

Chef Sampler - Pork

Chicken and Green Onions

Tsukune (minced chicken with raw egg yolk) - must try!

Cartilage

Chef Sampler - some grilled nut

Chicken Liver

Stewed Vegetarian Rice - not much flavor

Another Stewed Vegetarian Rice - not much flavor

Gizzards

Chicken Skin

Chicken Thigh with Quail Egg

Awesome chefs in action!

Fatty Pork