Katsu heaven: dining at Mr. Tonkatsu

Original Pork Loin Katsu @ Mr Tonkatsu

My kindred spirit in fried (and junk) food (you know who you are!) recommended we try Mr. Tonkatsu in North York. And since the fam loves a good, deep-fried pork cutlet, we had to check it out. One Saturday, for an early six-ish dinner, we managed to get one of the 3 parking slots up at front for a yummy meal!

I immediately liked the industrial décor. The counter-height wooden bar stools had space to store your bag and rest your feet and they had pipes and valves to hang your coats. The ambience was hip and vibrant, but friendly to kids as well. The crowd was a mix of young folks and some families with kids.

We all ordered from the Original Tonkatsu set which includes shredded cabbage, miso soup and rice that are free to refill!! How awesome is that?! Hubby and I got a Pork Loin Katsu, but he included an order of soba (noodles) and pickled daikon (radish). The girls shared a Chicken Katsu while Grandma tried the Fish Katsu.

Soba @ Mr Tonkatsu

We were served some sesame seeds with a mini mortar and pestle. You get to grind these to your liking for use with the dipping sauce. 

Sesame seeds for grinding @ Mr Tonkatsu

Our meals did not take long to arrive. I got to try each dish, which the fam generously shared with me and they were all good. The pork loin was fried to perfection. Not at all greasy, it had a beautiful, golden brown crisp coating and the pork was tender inside. The sweet-tart tonkatsu dipping sauce complemented the katsu. For the original tonkatsu set, prices range from $12-15. The servings were decent sized and with free refills of the sides, what more can you ask for? Extra meat can be ordered as well for about $8-10. We only ordered refills of miso soup, which the girls love. We were not so much fans of the shredded cabbage which had a house dressing available on the table. As the cabbage was bland, it needed a lot of the dressing which was bordering on the salty side. 

Fish Katsu @ Mr Tonkatsu

Service was truly superb! DD#1 was feeling a bit clumsy that day and spilled not only her water but also her miso soup! The server quickly came over and cleaned up the mess, all the while smiling and reassuring DD#1 that it was just alright. She came back soon after with a new glass of water and new bowl of miso soup. How is that for family-friendly?! A couple of times as well during the meal, they would check on us for refills. Love their service, love their food! Would definitely be back!