Hyperlocal Tokyo

This popular restaurant has a retro Showa era vibe and was quite busy with foreign tourists. I tried their popular set meal, which includes a pork cutlet, ham cutlet, and croquette for 850 yen, and it was absolutely delicious! My friend shared a bite of their menchi katsu with me, and while it was good, the texture of the onion was quite strong, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who dislikes onions. I went on a weekday around 6:15 PM and was able to get a table without much wait. When I left around 6:45 PM, there were 3 or 4 people waiting, but the turnover seemed pretty fast, so I don't think the wait would be too long. I'll definitely be coming back here again!

I used to frequent this place back when their two-item set meal was only 650 yen. I recently felt nostalgic and decided to visit again, and I was happy to find it still operating! ✨☺️ The price has gone up considerably now, with the two-item set costing 850 yen. The smaller portion size per item is expected, so I ordered the three-item set for 1100 yen, choosing tonkatsu, torikatsu, and eggplant cutlet. Everything is cooked to order, so it was piping hot and delicious! 😋 It's always a joy to revisit a nostalgic place and find it unchanged. It brings back such fond memories! ♪

Torikatsu Chikin, a lunchtime staple from my days working in Shibuya. "What?! A place like this?" You walk into the depths of a building and suddenly find yourself facing a traditional-looking door. It's a small place with only a counter (there's a table in the corner, but it's technically part of the counter). It can fit about 15 people. On the wall, there's a menu of fried items you can choose from: 2, 3, or 4 items. The prices are like 800 yen for 2 items, 1000 yen for 3 items. The style hasn't changed in about ten years. They have things like: - Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) - Torikatsu (chicken cutlet) - Yasai Maki (vegetable roll) - Tama Negi (onion) - Menchi Katsu (meat croquette) - Aji Fry (horse mackerel) - Kani Cream (crab cream croquette) - Nasu (eggplant) And so on. This time, I went with the 3-item set: Tori (chicken), Tori (chicken), and Menchi (meat croquette). I put plenty of sauce on it, a generous amount of mustard, and a heaping helping of the free daikon leaf pickles on my rice. It used to feel like a typical downtown lunch spot, but now there are so many foreign visitors. The guy who does the frying even speaks English casually. I crave it every now and then. Hyakken-chō is a great place to eat. There's Kiraku, Murugī, and Torikatsu. If you wander in, you'll find so many things you want to eat.

The walk to the restaurant was a bit scary and made me nervous, but the interior was absolutely charming! It's a cozy counter with very close seating, so you're practically shoulder-to-shoulder with the person next to you. But the atmosphere was incredibly warm and welcoming, including the staff. The menu took me a while to figure out at first, but it was a great deal at 850 yen for two choices! I went with the pork cutlet and chicken cutlet. They were both incredibly delicious and crispy! I want to try the other options too, and since it's such a great value, I'm thinking of trying three next time.

I finally visited Tori Katsu CHICKEN, a place I'd been wanting to try for a while, on a weekday afternoon around 1:30 PM. I think the price for two items might have gone up by 50 yen since I last checked, but even so, I think it's still a great value. The two-item set meal costs ¥850. I ordered the chicken cutlet and crab cream croquette. **Two-Item Set Meal** It was served about 6 minutes after I ordered. The price feels very reasonable, and the fact that they bread and fry the cutlets right after you order gives the impression that they take their preparation seriously. The chicken cutlet was small, while the crab cream croquette was quite large. The side dish was simple, just cabbage. The chicken cutlet was already cut into three pieces. The meat was very tender, with no tough bits, and the breading was relatively crispy. It was delicious. The crab cream was also quite soft, as if the cream had been cooked gently. It was a very smooth white sauce base, but it was a rich and creamy croquette, and I enjoyed it very much. The rice seemed to be cooked in a gas-fired rice cooker, and it was very fluffy. The miso soup was simple, just with wakame seaweed, but it was quite filling. The service was fast, and for this price, I think it's a great value. Thank you for the meal.