Hyperlocal Tokyo

While I'm referring to the Wakou Group (not saying Wakou is bad), I feel it's more of a high-end establishment than a casual eatery. The cutlet is fluffy, crispy, and perfectly fried - delicious! The price isn't exorbitant for an airport restaurant, it's commensurate with the quality. Not only the cutlet, but the finely shredded cabbage and rice are also delicious. And the red miso soup to finish it off is quite good! For my late-night overseas business trips, I always make sure to have a hearty meal at Katsu-Sen, then just have two beers and sleep on the plane. The photo shows a set with a bite-sized fillet cutlet, shrimp fry, and crab croquette, with two additional bite-sized fillet cutlets.

I was looking for a place to eat at Haneda Airport because I was leaving late at night, and I found this place. It seems to be open until 10 pm. The interior is bright and clean. Since it's an airport, there are a lot of foreigners. ■ Draft Beer (¥700) You want a drink before your flight. It's a really good beer. ■ Pork Cutlet and Menchi-katsu Set (¥2,280) I ordered a set that came with two bite-sized pork cutlets, a cheese menchi-katsu, chawanmushi (savory egg custard), rice, miso soup, and pickles. The pork cutlet was crispy and the meat was tender, making it incredibly delicious. The cheese menchi-katsu was juicy and went perfectly with the rice! You can get refills of the cabbage. Even though it's in the airport, the prices aren't that high, and I think it's a very reasonable deal. If you have some time at Haneda Airport, this is definitely a place to remember.

I enjoyed a relaxing meal at the counter. Watching the tonkatsu being prepared right in front of me was a treat. The crispy exterior and juicy meat, with its melt-in-your-mouth fat, were absolutely delicious. The red miso soup was made with clams, which was a nice touch.

This place is a dream come true for those who love fat. Nearly half of the meat served was fat. While it's true that the meat's flavor comes from the fat, it was a fat party in every bite. The breaded cutlet, deep-fried with the breading soaking up the oil, released more and more fat with each chew. Personally, I'd avoid this place before a flight, as I ended up leaving more than half of it. Cabbage, rice, and miso soup are all refillable. There were very few Japanese staff members, if any. It felt like eating tonkatsu in a foreign country. The saving grace was that the restaurant wasn't filled with the smell of oil, and each seat was generously spaced to accommodate suitcases. The tonkatsu in the photo, with about half of it being fat, is called "Tokyo X." It's a limited-time offering with a mysterious name. I wish they had called it "Fat Max." The menu is also in English, Chinese, and Korean, with no Japanese or explanations. So, I had no idea what it was. The name "X" made it even more mysterious. To reiterate, this place is a must-try for fat lovers. I personally dislike it, so my rating is low. However, if you don't mind fat, you should definitely check it out.

Wako is my favorite tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant. I heard that a high-end Wako branch was located at Haneda Airport, so I decided to visit. The restaurant was beautiful and stylish, with impeccable service. I ordered the limited-edition Agu pork loin cutlet set. The accompanying pickles and red miso clam soup were delicious. However, I was disappointed with the cutlet. First, it wasn't properly drained of oil, leaving the breading soggy and tasting only of oil. Despite costing ¥3,200, the cutlet was only about 1 cm thick and the flavor was indistinct. Many reviews have praised this restaurant, so perhaps today (June 11, 2023) was an exceptionally bad day for the cutlet. Regardless, I was truly disappointed. Finally, I usually eat even the parts where the breading has come off, but the oil was so excessive this time that I left some behind. (This is a photo of it.)