Aptly called Katsu Country, the restaurant specialises in breaded pork cutlets or “katsu” that are fried golden brown.
Almost everybody loves Japanese food these days. From sashimi, to tempura, to udon, ramen, gyoza and tonkatsu, Dabawenyos can’t seem to get enough of flavours from the Land of the Rising Sun.
In as much as I love Japanese restaurants who try to serve anything and everything Japanese, this is actually not the case when it comes to a cozy little Japanese restaurant located along Jacinto Street.
Aptly called Katsu Country, the restaurant specialises in breaded pork cutlets or “katsu” that are fried golden brown. Almost the entire menu is fried as it pays homage to katsu, which is also the norm when it comes to many katsu diners that can be found around Japan.
Although not 100% authentic Japanese, as there are menu items are are clearly inspired and interpretations of other dishes, the katsu served at Katsu Country taste as authentic as it can be. This can be seen by the thick cut pork that is deep fried to perfection and tender and juicy to the bite. Add tonkatsu sauce to ground sesame and a plate of cabbage and you have a complete meal.
My favourite would be their Curry Katsu plate which is katsu served with a generous amount of Japanese curry sauce, white fluffy rice and paired with crisp shredded cabbage. Personally, I would have loved to have a side of Japanese pickles just to cut through the richness of the curry sauce.
There is also an injection of local flavors at Katsu Country such as their Sweet Potato Croquette, the croquettes are light and fluffy and go well with the house tonkatsu sauce.
For dessert I chose their coffee jelly which comes with sweet syrup and cream on the side. The actual coffee jelly is pure unsweetened coffee in gelatine form. The sweetness of the dish is controlled with the amount of syrup you add.
Katsu Country is located along Jacinto extension near the Central Bank building.
