Japan's No 1?!? I always take such sensational taglines with a pinch of salt as more often than not; statistics can be tweaked in a manner that you can be number one in anything for the sake of marketing.
For me, it's just a matter of whether i should spend my hard earned money and find out the truth myself. I decided to give Ginza Bairin a try for one reason; my recent craving for Saboten's deep fried pork cutlet!
No service staff will go to your order and take your order! Like Cafe Cartel a while ago, there was a counter where you can place your orders, make payment and collect the number for which the server can identify to serve the dishes.
The concept was, on the surface, an efficient time saver that would cut down on manpower although from the point of the diners, the queue can be frustratingly long when you have a few indecisive customers ahead of you.
Want to take a look of Japan's No 1 Special Katsudon? I was pretty hungry at that time and upgraded to a set (S$1 extra) that included a bowl of miso soup and pickles.
Ta-dah!
Don't belittle the seemingly cooked egg with runny yolk; its half-boiled consistency played as important a role as the katsu (pork cutlet)! Without it, the taste pinnacle of the katsudon would be effectively lost.
I am normally a gyu don rather than a katsu don person and was totally not expecting much. Hence, when i scooped a mixture of katsu, rice and egg into my mouth, my taste buds were immediately arrested by the intensity of flavour; an amazing combination of well seasoned, juicy pork cutlet that was half drenched in egg yolk and moist rice that sat beneath an omelette with onions in sauce!
Need i say more? I am not sure if it is confirmed to be the number one Katsudon in Japan but it definitely is a number one in my heart.
At least for the moment.
=====
Location
2, Orchard Turn, ION Orchard
#B4-39/40/41/42
Price
Katsudon Set - S$17.50
[Inclusive of GST. No Service Charge]
Menu
As above. Click and save the picture on your computer to zoom in! As usual, prices are subject to change.
Additional Information
Not everything was as impressive as the katsudon. My sister had the fillet katsu curry which was a great disappointment. The irony - it was said to be the best seller.