とんし
In Shiga, there is my favorite restaurant called Hirasanso, but in Kyoto, I don't have a favorite place. I haven't visited dozens of high-end restaurants, but every tire shop has been a disappointment. The tire disappointment is not unique to Kyoto, but it's a shame for such a wonderful city. So, when I had some business in Kyoto, I asked Mr. Nakamura at Bar Chitcha for dinner. I had the Lin SPF rib roast and fillet. The quality of the meat is excellent. Personally, I prefer the fillet. You can really taste the goodness of high-quality pork. The rib roast, although light and sweet in fat, naturally has more fat, so as I approach my sixties, I am drawn to the fillet. Anyway, if the fillet is not of good quality, it can be dry, tough, or lack the taste of pork. Since coming to Kobe, I have never had a good experience with it, but the pork at this restaurant is top-notch and I was satisfied to eat tonkatsu after a long time. In order to make the most of this quality pork, they do not drown it in sauce with bad rice and a thick, nauseating batter. Therefore, for those who do not appreciate the umami of pork, this may be unsatisfactory. Well, it's a matter of personal preference whether you want to eat a tonkatsu set meal with unappetizing rice and sauce poured generously with degraded oil at lunch. However, as I approach my sixties, I cannot eat something that gives me heartburn, so I want to eat only this kind of tonkatsu. They handle this quality pork so well that their frying technique is also excellent. Everything has a clear concept, and their dedication is conveyed pleasantly. The atmosphere is excellent, and I would like to eat it with wine rather than as a set meal with rice. I'm still abstaining from alcohol, so I had their homemade ginger ale, which was very delicious. I hardly used it, but they are very particular about their sauce, salt, and everything, so as not to ruin this high-quality tonkatsu, they take care to bring out its goodness. The Bagna Cauda, a different taste from Chitcha, was also very delicious. For the first time since coming to Kansai, I was able to enjoy tonkatsu that I truly thought was delicious. I heard that there is now a high-end tonkatsu boom in Kobe, but will they really be able to provide authentic tonkatsu? I am quite skeptical because using a well-known brand of pork and a fancy interior alone does not guarantee that they can provide the real thing, so I have no plans to visit. It is disheartening to see a queue forming at a completely tasteless, somewhat high-end tonkatsu restaurant in the underground mall in Sannomiya, or to see high ratings online, and I mutter to myself, "That really isn't delicious tonkatsu." The real deal was at Nijo Castle in Kyoto.