Wednesday, January 28, 2009

tonkatsu hanamura

Sunday the weather was cold but sunny.

Satoshi and I walked to Ikeda--about a 30 minute walk. We intended to have a hot bowl of ramen at Ippudo (the ramen place that took over Momofuku-tei), but found that the line was outside the building and then some.

So, we walked up to a pizza place but they were filled, as well as another cafe. Not knowing where else to go, we saw a tonkatsu place.

Tonkatsu Hanamura is a tiny shop, under the Hankyu rail, it is a bit noisy when the train passes over, but the restaurant is very clean.

Satoshi ordered the Shrimp and Filet Katsu 1680 yen (about US$16.80) and ordered a large bowl of tonjiru (pork soup) 200 yen (about US$2).

I ordered the Hanamura set, this came with a lot of fried veggies and a filet katsu on the bottom. 1890 yen (about US$18.90).

We had a choice of the kind of rice and both ordered the 10-grain rice.

After ordering, they give you a mortar and pestel with a scoop of sesame seeds, while you wait for your order, you grind the seeds and add the tonkatsu sauce to the bowl to dip your katsu in. Delicious!

The amount of food I had was way too much for me and I ended up giving most of my rice and filet katsu to Satoshi.

Everything was delicious, the katsu came out straight from the fryer, hot and crispy. There was lots of cabbage on the side which was nice too. I think if we are in the mood for something fried this would be just the place to go.

Tonkatsu Hanamura (Under the Hankyu Ikeda Station)
4-1 Sugahara-cho, Blanc Marche #1 Building
Ikeda, Osaka
Phone: 072.752.1802

14 comments:

OkiHwn said...

Oh boy, expensive!

Tonykaku said...

i am always looking for a good tonkatsu-ya. the one i have been to the most in the Minoo area is at the Senri-chuo station overlooking the subway line.

i am not exactly sure why i have your blog "bookmarked" but i noticed it today and was surprised to see Minoo. Minoo is where i stay when i am in Japan. since 2003, i have stayed with my friends in Minoo about 20 times. i was there for the autumn colors last november as well as the sakura last ohanami season. if you look at my blog from yesterday you can see 4 views from my "home" in Minoo. there are more Minoo and Japan photos as well as my other travels. i plan to return to Minoo in late March. i will look for Tonkatsu Hanamura. i have a funny story about losing and finding my bicycle at the Hankyu Ikeda Station.

i am going to look more at your blog and catch up on Minoo life. okini.

K and S said...

Expensive but ono, Nate :)

I hope you like Hanamura, Tony, checked out your blog, you have some really good photos of Minoo :)

Take care you two.
Kat

Lynne said...

I'm glad you were able to find a resteraunt to your liking. Sounded divine!

Anonymous said...

Tonkatsu is my favorite Japanese food. I'm curious what the green thing inside of the katsu was though. I'm referring to the bottom picture next to the giant shrimp katsu. Yum...

Also, your posts about Japanese funeral rites and customs are really fascinating. I was wondering if you could perhaps do some posts on Japanese weddings and related customs both traditional and modern. One of the things I like about your blog is that you give your readers an insightful, detailed view of Japanese culture and you have good observational and literary skills. I hope you consider my suggestion if you have the opportunity to go a wedding.

KirkK said...

Hey Kat - Are those prices the norm? Looks mighty good though....

K and S said...

Thanks Lynne!

The green thing was asparagus, Anon, and if I get invited to a wedding I'll surely post about it :)

Not sure if the price are normal, Kirkk, as we don't always eat tonkatsu, but it was delicious :)

Take care everyone!
Kat

Anonymous said...

When I saw the first pik, I was like, Katsukura! I hadn't heard of Hanamura. It looks almost identical, from the menu right down to the grind your own sesame!

Ippudo in Kyoto -- after like 6 years -- is now often possible to get into without having to stand in line for 30 minutes.

I see that Hanamura is also pretty expensive like Katsukura has gotten in recent years.

Yum! Yum!

Phoebe said...

TONKATSU! my favourite! hahaha your tonkatsu can be fried just the way you like it, which can really be a bonus!

Anonymous said...

Everything looks very tasty, especially that big bowl of tonjiru!

Rowena said...

It's cold and sunny here too (and time to walk the dogs). I could go for crispy katsu...and what is that? A slice of fried pumpkin in the last pic? Ono!

K and S said...

There was pumpkin, lotus root, eggplant, Rowena, all were delicious :)

Satoshi really enjoyed it Lori :)

Your comments are so funny sometimes Phoebe :)

Hmm I wonder if I've tried Katsukura, Peko-P, hopefully the next time we check out Ippudo it won't be as crowded :)

Take care everyone.
Kat

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K and S said...

Thanks Egy Moyo and thanks for stopping by.

Take care.
Kat