If young and aspiring chefs in the West might believe that being creative and innovative is the key to one’s first Michelin star, in Japan you can get a Michelin star for being really good in what you are doing, even if what you are doing is deep-frying pork cutlets. It’s the case of tonkatsu chef Etsuo Nagai who has been perfecting his craft for 50 years and together with his wife and children runs a small tonkatsu counter restaurant Katsuzen at Barneys New York department store in Ginza. (Kojun Building 4F, 6-8-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; tel. 03-3289-8988).
Nagai san uses Kurobuta pork from Kyūshū and everything is cooked upon the order. Waiting is definitely worth it though as there is nothing more comforting than breaded deep-fried pork cutlet served with finely shredded cabbage and Worcestershire sauce, especially when all is prepared with such a level of sophistication as at Katsuzen…
