Desert and sand dunes? Image from Locky's English Playground |
Cup and teapot Image from Locky's English Playground |
A nice cup of tea? In an air-conditioned room?
Plate and wooden chopsticks Image from Locky's English Playground |
Or an empty plate that anticipates the arrival of your favourite food?
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Image from Locky's English Playground |
Tonkichi @ The One, Tsim Sha Tsui Image from carjaswong |
I must say this is a kind of open secret for anyone who loves Tonkatsu (豚カツ, とんかつ or トンカツ), a Japanese term for pork cutlet with a history tracing back to the 19th century. In fact, there is a wide range of choices of cutlets offered by the restaurants, such as chicken, king prawn, large scallops, oysters, crab meat and Wagyū (Japanese beef), but after trying every single one of them, my favourite remains as the pork fillet cutlet.
Mixed set with king prawns, oysters, pork fillets, pork chop and large scallops Image from djibnet |
Sesame as sauce companion and a game for the diners Image from Locky's English Playground |
Chicken Chop set Image from Locky's English Playground |
Close up of a pork fillet set Image from Locky's English Playground |
The panko (パン粉) breadcrumbs are golden brown, meaning that the oil has been kept at a very steady temperature throughout the cooking process, presumably at a low temperature, for the meat to be cooked without getting the breadcrumbs burnt. However, that's not all of the secret.
I remember that I once watched a show introducing the tonkatsu made by this restaurant, and the chef took out a wooden hammer-looking meat tenderizer with real sowing needles at its ends and hammered it down to the pork piece before taking it for a panko dip.
Meat tenderizer with needles Image from alibaba |
I have tried several branches of Tonkichi, namely World Trade More @ Causeway Bay (mostly), Hang Lung @ Causeway Bay (yesterday) and The One @ Tsim Sha Tsui (more than 4 times), each has its own selling point.
The World Trade More branch used to have an amazing seaview but thanks to the reclamation of the beautiful Victoria Harbour, what you get to see now are cranes and dredgers; however, the skill of cooking is the best here and you'll get that golden yellow crumbs instead of golden brown. It is also the first shop in Hong Kong and has been an award-winning shop ever since. Looking for walk-in with zero waiting time? This is the one to go after its expansion.
I tried the one in Hang Lung yesterday and took these photos, the food looked browner but the taste remains great. There is no seaview or any views but the cups, teapots, plates and the overall atmosphere is better. I like the quietness and spaciousness the most. Reservation is recommended but walk-in is fine based on yesterday/ Sunday's 7:30pm visit.
Finally, the one at The One has an excellent view of Park Lane facing directly at the Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre, so you will always get to see a huge flock of flying pigeons as you dine, both day and night the view is simply stunning. The seats are tighter and less comfortable, but you can ask for window-seats if you make reservation, which is highly recommended.
Pork fillet set, HK$178 Image from Locky's English Playground |
Tonkichi @ Tampines Mall, Singapore |
Scores:
Look: ★★★★★ 5/5
Taste: ★★★★★ 5/5
Smell: ★★★★★ 5/5
Textures: ★★★★★ 5/5
Temperature: ★★★★★ 5/5
Overall: ★★★★★ 25/25
Vocabulary:
mortar -- (n)[C] The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone.
pestle -- (n)[C] The pestle is a heavy club-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding
rumble -- (vb) [I] to make a continuous low sound:
meat tenderizer -- (n)[C] is hand-powered tool used to tenderize slabs of meat in preparation for cooking the meat
flatten -- (vb) [I or T] to become level and thinner or to cause something to become level and thinner:
crane -- (n)[C] a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally
A crane Image from Wikipedia |
dredger -- (n)[C] an excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater, in shallow seas or fresh water areas with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location.
A grab dredge Image from Wikipedia |
spaciousness -- (n)[U] approving large and with a lot of space:
unbeatable -- (adj) approving unable to be defeated or improved because of excellent quality:
Resources:
Food: The Search For Great Curry -- Part 3 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/04/food-search-for-great-curry-part-3.html
Tonkatsu @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonkatsu
Breaded Cutlet @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaded_cutlet#Tonkatsu
Panko @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panko#Panko
Meat tenderizer @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_tenderizer
Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood @ Openrice
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?&shopid=5182
Tonkichi Tonkatsu Seafood @ Openrice
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=48671
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortar_and_pestle
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/rumble_1?q=rumble+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/flatten_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_(machine)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dredger
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/spacious?q=spaciousness+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unbeatable?q=unbeatable