Before we left for Japan, I came across a list of food recommendations submitted by people. I noticed a restaurant that was listed more than once – Gyukatsu Motomura. Of course, since this trip was supposed to be more ‘go with the flow’ (we didn’t have a set itinerary), I didn’t bring it up or even put it on my mental to-do list.
On our second day, though, I got curious about where it was. I found out it was quite near where we lived! We decided to try it for dinner but we didn’t realize it would be such an adventure. It took us almost an hour because no one seemed to know what we were talking about, and the pinned location on Google Maps was way off.
And just when we had given up and decided to eat somewhere else, we finally found it. Now we know that there are two branches almost across each other. The one with less people was right after Tully’s Coffee, whereas on the map you still had to take a turn one or two streets down from the aforementioned café. We were all hangry. My family joked, “this better be good.”
On our table were these black objects with Japanese characters on the sides. Inside each was a small but strong fire. I wasn’t sure if it was for decoration or warmth or for the food itself.
We were served almost immediately. It looked like the usual katsu set, with cabbage salad, miso soup, and rice. The salad came with a bright citrus-y dressing that was great for cutting through the rich taste of the main course.
The thick slices of beef were covered in some sort of breading. The beef still looked raw so we just assumed you were supposed to cook it yourself over the fire. No one stared at us or corrected us, so I guess what we did was correct HAHA
The beef was so juicy and tender and it felt like it was melting in my mouth. Combine that with the crunch of the crispy fried covering and you get an amazing mouthfeel with every bite. The sauce complemented it wonderfully and I loved pairing it with a little bit of horseradish to give it a nice kick.
In the end, my mom, dad, and sister all agreed that it had been worth the treasure hunt. I guess it’s true what they say – nothing worth having comes easy.
And that ends my Japan 2019 series. Check out the other parts below! After all, the best part of traveling is the food ❤️
- Part 1: Ichiran
- Part 2: Dotonbori
- Part 3: Kobe
- Part 4: Kyoto
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