Pork katsu omusoba ($7.90)!
Wednesday Japanese fast-food — pork katsu omusoba $7.90. Crispy pork cutlet on top of egg-wrapped yakisoba.
Wednesday lunch with BB — pork katsu omusoba at $7.90. The crispy pork cutlet upgrade on the omusoba (omelette-wrapped yakisoba) format.
We ordered:
- Pork katsu omusoba — $7.90
Pork katsu omusoba is the upgraded version of the standard omusoba. Same yakisoba noodles wrapped in a thin egg crepe (the omelette), now topped with a panko-breaded pork cutlet (katsu). The combination puts three classic Japanese street foods on one plate: yakisoba, omurice (in the wrapping), and tonkatsu.
The yakisoba base is the substance. Thick alkaline noodles wok-fried with finely sliced cabbage, carrot strips, sliced pork, and the signature yakisoba sauce — a sweet-savoury blend of Worcestershire, oyster, ketchup and soy. The result is dark glossy noodles with proper wok-toasted aroma.
The omelette wrapper folded over the top of the noodles. Thin egg crepe with the slightly underdone centre that stays soft and silky against the firm noodles underneath.
The pork katsu was the upgrade. Pork loin pounded out, breaded in proper panko, deep-fried until the crust shattered on first bite. Sliced into strips before plating so each piece had crispy edges showing.
Toppings on top of the omelette and katsu: a generous drizzle of okonomi sauce (the same sweet-savoury sauce used on okonomiyaki), Japanese mayonnaise lines, bonito flakes that wave when they hit the heat coming off the dish, and a sprinkle of aonori (green seaweed flakes).
The combination eats as multiple textures and flavours layered together. Crispy katsu, soft omelette, chewy noodles, sweet-savoury sauce, salty-umami bonito-aonori finish.
At $7.90 for the pork katsu omusoba this is fair Japanese chain pricing. The standard omusoba (no katsu) usually runs $6-7; the katsu adds about $1-2 to the price.
Pre-pandemic this kind of Japanese chain meal would’ve been a quick canteen lunch; lockdown and phase 2 had brought the format into the rotation as a small Wednesday treat that breaks up the home weekday cooking.
Overall: 4.2 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid pork katsu omusoba — would re-order.
