Behind the Counter at a local Japanese Fried Tonkatsu Restaurant

this is behind the counter at a local Japanese tonkatsu [Music] shop good morning everyone I'm back in Tokyo's Asaka area just next to senoji Temple and I'm taking you behind the counter at a local Japanese tonkatsu restaurant I am super excited for this one cuz you know I love fried food let's get this one started today I'm going Fri deep into the kitchen of this Tokyo Hidden Gem tonkatsu ton show opened in 1972 in the quiet back streets of aaka this shop is a stachi favorite among the locals in the area it's run by a second generation owner who's carried on his father's delicious fried tonkatsu recipe a deep fried pork cutlet coated with pko to this day while maintaining the Shop's Hometown atmosphere for all of its customers truly capturing the essence of the neighborhood good morning is your leg okay what happened oh damn this is son the second generation owner of the shop and he's usually the first one to come [Music] in as soon as he arrives he starts setting up the shop and then cleans before any food prep starts do you always ride your bike to work cool do you live around here oh hello is he working today cool how old are you oh you're a student nice meeting [Music] you oh thank you so much so is everything the same as your father did it ah I see what about the recipes and the menu so why do you have a Filipino flag yeah both my parents are Filipino but I grew up in America what [Music] up now he makes am Misa soup and then the rice which is important as it goes with our main Tatu dish so he's careful to cook it perfectly each and every day [Music] do you have a specific kind of rice you [Music] use why the balance of [Music] course here the Tatu is prepared fresh only after it's been ordered so his morning prep is usually for other dishes oh his son's back when shopping so are you going to take over the business that's great good okay see you [Music] later now he makes the hamburger patties although it's a pork tone cut shop it also offers other items this one has been on the menu since it's opened more than 50 years ago so what's the most important thing you learned from your father have you mastered it good answer so did you think you would take over the family business so he officially started working at the shop under his father at the age of 25 but says that he'd been helping out here and there since he was young similar to his son further adding that even as a child he knew that his heart that he would take over the family business so right after high school he worked various jobs at restaurants hotels and even at large dinner banquet halls to gain as much experience as possible before devoting all of his passion to this craft and apparently his father didn't pressure him to take over the business at all but simply offered him the option to continue it on so do you have any hobbies that's so a sua why do you like it so much I feel you hey are you in any of these pictures no Ah that's him and this one is with his daughter for sure you must know everyone around here must be fun living [Music] here oh the hamburgo is coming together he uses the shop signature blend of 70% pork and 30% beef which is Thoroughly needed to help loosen of the fibers resulting in a juicier and full [Music] flavor so what does your wife do what she runs another restaurant what's it called H why what about tono what's it named after I see so when did you marry your wife what you like about 5 years ago his wife came across some real estate nearby in the neighborhood and thought it could be the perfect place to start her own business apparently property is hard to come by in that Sucka area so she jumped at the opportunity so what time do you close whoa that's early but you have such a large bottle keep intense but still why do you close so early of course so which is your favorite bottle is this one that's a p use for Tatu oh it's for me m it's good and slightly sweet thanks [Music] now he prepares the curry so what do you do with your kids when you're off oh that's cool who's your team y oh [Music] oh the alcohol delivery is here hello so are you thinking of opening up a second shop yeah I can see that one shop is working up now that all the morning prep is done for the shop he takes a break and gets breakfast apparently he comes here almost every day he literally knows everyone what's this interesting it's not crowded today huh oh noted but hey I think you're the youngest person here facts he ordered eggs in a thick piece of toast a very typical Japanese Cafe [Music] item oh that's from my last behind the counter video hi son I'm good how's business they've been good friends for a long time since they were kids oh the server is here and the customers are already here I think they're actually friends too I guess I'm [Music] included and more [Music] customers finally the shop signature FR ton KATU the shop specifically uses Raku blackhaired pork from kagoshima which is known to have a sweeter fat and tender meat it's also high in amino acids AKA Umami which is one of the reasons why the shopon KATU is irresistible and loved by many of the regulars is that the regular pork loin wow the premium loin looks completely different and rightfully so since it's a different part of the pork in fact kater shops like this one usually offer various parts like premium loin to Tender Loin called he which allows them to create different dishes with their own unique taste and texture he says that how he adjusts the heat is based on his many years of experience as it quickly fluctuates on the quantity of items being fried along with other factors it's definitely not easy at first but over time he's been able to master the technique so if you don't already know about my poo from Tokyo premium comti hot sauce I've got to tell you about it because so many people love it it's handcrafted exclusively by a small batch producer in Japan's nigata prefecture made with an original blend of Premium kanui a 6 years locally grown Carolina Reaper and show you a lot of love has gone into each bottle and I'm telling you that there's no hot sauce in the world that has this much fire and Umami all in one and it all begins at the base of Mount mioko in a process called Yuki sadashi where locally grown red chilies are spread over snowfields to develop their natural Umami for over 3 to 4 days forming the foundation of ki's distinctly delicious flavor you can get it at Pao from tokyohot sauce.com or just click on the link below and if you're in Japan I have shops listed on the website such as ski Fish Market also I just released my new commady hot sauce shirt in my merch shop you can get it along with the hot sauce by the way why is St KATU always served with shredded cabbage that makes sense so do you work here every day oh what do you do on your free time dance what kind of dance Zumba dance Zumba that's that was fun do you do anything else oh how old is your daughter really what does she do [Music] awesome [Music] a little before noon more and more customers arrive and the kitchen starts to pick up sonan looks busy so let's go talk to some customers hi said do you come here often wow that's a lot why do you come here what are you drinking damn tjo sake hardcore do you drink while cooking [Music] nice oh that's one of their popular items the katsu Sando freshly fried katsu dipped in their special sauce that's some love right [Music] there are you a regular too like how often wow were you friends originally oh are you broke just joking what are you eating you guys are so close how long have you been coming here I see do you go to the batsis with them too okay what's that so what else do you recommend [Music] thanks it's fun here absolutely this shop beautifully epitomizes typical Japanese stachi downtown shop culture where many of the local customers are friends with each other and the shop itself is like a second home where you can grab a bite of food and even a drink during the daytime and catch up with longtime neighbors this welcoming Vibe touches every corner of the shop to a point where even first timers feel at home [Music] here oh it seems like a big group of kids came and the regular are helping out to make room for them that's so kind [Music] for Fore foreign hey guys how's the food so what are you here for dope how did you find the restaurant well your research paid off excuse me do you come here often oh you the daughter so do you work here nice what do you usually do so what do you recommend what's that so would you like to say anything [Music] else thanks and that's another one in the books if you want to visit this shop for yourself I'll be sure to leave a link in the description so that's behind the counter at a local Japanese tonat restaurant if you guys like this video help me out and hit that like button if you guys want to help with the channel definitely check out the merch and my P from too hot sauce and if you guys want to see more videos like this or anything related to Japan hit that subscribe button B but and I'll catch you guys in the next one

Channel: Paolo fromTOKYO

Views: 1,013,396

Keywords: Paolo, Japan, tokyo, tokyo hidden spots, japan behind the counter, japan food, japanese food tour, japanese food, japan food tour, behind the counter, japan food documentary, tokyo hidden gems, how to make tonkatsu, tokyo restaurant, japan travel food, tokyo food, food documentary, hidden gem, fried tonkatsu, pork tonkatsu, fried pork cutlet, pork cutlet, fried pork tonkatsu, japanese tonkatsu, fried food, japanese cuisine, asakusa, japanese pork cutlet, food

Id: EzbEPJUzj9Y

Length: 15min 38sec (938 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 20 2023