This Japanese spot in downtown Toronto is best known for katsu, a popular breaded deep-fried meat cutlet.
By: Darya Soufian
The storefront of Katsuya’s downtown Toronto location at 66 Gerrard St. E. (Darya Soufian/CanCulture)
This article is part of CanCulture’s food review series, where our writers explore some of the best food finds across the nation.
If you’ve ever been to the corner of Church and Gerrard Streets in Toronto, then you know where Japanese katsu fusion restaurant Katsuya is. I passed it almost daily in my first year of university, and since I moved back to the city recently, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try the place out.
I always wondered if the food truly lived up to the signs displayed out front. Hanging outside on the beige brick wall is a poster that reads “2019/2020 Yelp Top 55 Restaurants.” Another poster says “Do you know what is the best katsu in Canada?” Well, that’s what I went to find out on a cold and dreary Wednesday afternoon. That may be the reason why the restaurant wasn’t exactly buzzing with customers that day, but a few food couriers came and went during the 15 minutes I was there. It’s no surprise that Katsuya actually has a total of 10 locations across Ontario and British Columbia cities.
I walked up the brick stairs after entering the building and found a discreet door at the top. It led me into a warm setting, with a small walkway lined with benches and exposed brick. There are lightbulbs hanging from the walls and ceilings, attached to thick pieces of rope — a detail I love but rarely see in restaurants. The kitchen could be seen from every corner, giving a rustic yet comfortable feel to the eatery.
The greeter that assisted me was very kind and patient while I was admiring the space. After examining the takeout menu, I settled on the sweet chili pork katsu. I have a soft spot for anything sweet chili and was really hoping the research I did into Katsuya’s food wouldn’t let me down on this dish.
A swift 10 minutes passed, and the hostess waved me over to hand me my sweet chili pork katsu. After I basically speed-walked back to my apartment, I ripped open the bag and found two takeout food bowls, along with a longer, rectangular, bento-like plastic container.
Inside of the bowls were miso soup and the sweet chili sauce. There was a decent-sized portion of pork in the bento box, along with a small amount of rice and side vegetables. There was also a small container holding soup broth in the big container, but I actually saved the miso soup for last and dove right into the pork katsu. Before pouring the sauce on the meat, I dragged the end of my chopsticks across the top to rate the crispiness. Unfortunately, it was not as crispy as I had hoped it would be — but it definitely had some texture to it.
A top view of the pork katsu meal, minus the bowls of miso soup and chili sauce. (Darya Soufian/CanCulture)
I drizzled the sweet chili sauce all over the katsu and dug in. Although the crunch factor wasn’t fully there for me, the pork was certainly tender and moist. I liked how the coating on the pork didn’t make me feel heavy. With deep-fried food, I also can’t stand when there are pools of oil at the bottom of my plate — and there definitely weren’t any with this one.
I was also looking forward to the sweet chili sauce because it has the sweet and spicy factor that I’m always searching for. It ended up missing the “chilli” for me, so if I visited again, I would definitely try something else marked as spicy. But I would definitely order this katsu again for when I want a non-spicy dish.
I cleaned the rice and pork off my plate pretty quickly, then followed it up with the side veggies and miso soup. I tried the yellow pickled radishes without the portion of ginger included and quite liked them. Had I tried them earlier, I would’ve eaten them throughout the meal, but there were only two slices. The side salad was also a nice touch, although I wish there was a more generous portion of rice.
This dish is $17.25 before taxes and the total was almost $20. As a student, this is a bit pricey for me so I would only go here again for a special occasion, but I wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to try something else when I do. I would recommend this place to a friend or family member if they were visiting for a casual dinner out.
If I had to give Katsuya a rating out of 10 combining the service, price, quality and taste of the food, I would give it a seven point five. The quick service and fairly fulfilling food made for this to be an enjoyable experience. While I still think the pork katsu missed the mark for me and the portion sizes were a bit off, there are some other interesting items on their menu that I would try if I went again.