Sawtelle continues to stockpile Japanese imports like a racing garage, but Kyoto transplant Ten No Meshi is the only place where you’ll find a menu entirely devoted to katsu. Order their signature fried A5 wagyu set—which starts at $44 and is as juicy and fatty as it sounds—and you’re given a hot stone to sear and sizzle each slice of rare panko-crusted steak to your personal taste. Add in the sampler of five dipping sauces with explainers on what to dip in which, and eating at Ten No Meshi can mean following more steps than a Lego kit.
The maind reason we’d come back, however, is the less flashy but classically perfect pork katsu, which can be ordered as a set meal or rice bowl topped with salmon roe. It doesn’t require any hot stone cooking, costs nearly half as much as the wagyu, and if you order the set, comes with a roe-topped scallop katsu appetizer that’s so delicious we wish they invented a vending machine to dispense one anytime we want a crispy little treat.
All of the cutlets here come wrapped in a delicate, jagged crust that’ll sound like crunching potato chips in an empty movie theater when you take a bite, but don’t worry about anyone hearing it—Ten No Meshi is the furthest thing from a quiet restaurant. There’s a unique tradition here where anytime a customer orders a dish topped with salmon roe (a.k.a. just about everyone in the dining room), the staff run over to dollop on the glossy fish eggs and yell “Ten No Meshi” loud enough to cause a jump scare. Fun? Maybe the first few times. Chaotic? Definitely.
AloJapan.com