Sunday, January 27, 2008

Rice Bowl: Cheap and Good Tonkatsu Curry Rice

With SCS Butter


What's the big difference between Hainanese Pork Chop Curry Rice and Japanese Tonkatsu Curry Rice? Well, one costs $4 at a hawker centre and the other costs $12 at a restaurant.

Ok, there are of course differences in the taste of the curry, the seasoning of the pork and the type of rice used, but essentially they use similar raw ingredients. The point I am driving at is that there is no real reason why one should pay $12 to enjoy the Japanese version of this particular dish. Which is why I was so pleased to find this stall in the LTN coffeeshop in Siglap which sells Tonkatsu Curry Rice for $4.50.

Of course, we were skeptical at first. You really don't want to end up with something that tastes like the Hainanese version but disguised to look like a Japanese with a few whiskers of shredded seaweed.



The rice was not the top quality Japanese short grain rice, but it was acceptable. The Tonkatsu was surprisingly good. Well seasoned and crisp on the outside and not too thin that it is dry. The curry might have come out of a premix but it certainly tastes quite good. Overall, I was quite happy to come back here for my Tonkatsu fix for $4.50 and I wouldn't mind trying the other stuff on offer too! 4/5

Conclusion

Cheap and Good. There are an increasing number of hawkers selling Japanese food nowadays, any really good ones that you would recommend? In particular, is there any place that sells a good gyu don (Beef Bowl?).

Update: June 2008

One reader commented that this place has closed.

Rice Bowl
936 East Coast Road

LTN Eating House

12.30pm to 10pm

Closed on Tuesdays

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Opening hours is 12.30 pm you mean?

ieat said...

Thanks for that!

ice said...

hi i think u mean $4 for the hainanese pork chop rice & $12 for jap tonkatsu curry rice rite? :)

trendinsights said...

This is pretty good! must try =)

Jae Hao said...

Hi! first time posting. to be honest it's nice to see hawker center japanese food reviews.

not very sure if u have tried the Japanese stall at Cuppage, can't remember the name.

recommended dish would be pork curry rice! or the ramens. =)

Jae Hao said...

ohh. i forgot, the venue of the resturant (not sure if its a proper resturant) but it's situated at Cuppage Plaza. in between OG and Centerpoint.

cheers

Anonymous said...

i been a regular to this small stall located at siglap beer garden since its opening.

the food is cheap and good and most important its does not add any MSG to their food. ( i am a bit allergic to MSG, makes me drink a lot of water when i taste it)

must try the teriyaki chix don as the lady boss told me they make their sauces to marinating the chix all by themselves instead of pre-mix.

give it a try when you are near the area. well some thing to look forward to when you wanna to have some thing chaep and good then have a cup of coffee at starbuck/coffee club opp the beer garden...

:p

Anonymous said...

try the unagi don... love it!

JJ said...

tried the Karage Don and it was fabulous! If you need a tasty juicy fried chicken fix, this is the place. Forget about Mr Kentucky!

Anonymous said...

I might have posted this but Check this place out:
Amara food court level 4

Cheap and standard Japanese food.
Gyu Don
Katsu Don
Tempura Udon

Anonymous said...

this stall is no longer there, does anyone have a clue where hv they shifted to? thx!

Anonymous said...

do try out the japanese food at amara food court level 4, it has two lanterns at the stall so you can't miss it! good food, especially the curry they use. the unagi don is also excellent!

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