Plate profiles🍽️: Katsu-An 🥩

Are you able to recall when was the last time you had a full meal under $10 around the CBD? Today, we will be feasting at Katsu-An, known for its affordability as well as their quality. 

📍3 Temasek Blvd, #B1-149A, Singapore 038983

First Impression ☝

When I went to the restaurant, I noticed there were not only a lot of seats, but there were also self-checkout kiosks. I was so confused when I went up because I thought I was supposed to order from the kiosk. Turns out that was just for take-out orders only. 

When I got to the table, I first noticed the number of sauces that were on the table. If I can remember correctly, there was some original sauce, spicy sauce, mustard, salt, pepper, you name it. There will be a qr code present on the table, so just scan and start ordering your food. Do note that it might take a while before your food comes. 

Price💸

Katsu - An is one of the most affordable meals that you can find in Singapore. The cheapest meal that you can get is their Medium sized Katsu Don for only $5.90. I would say that for the quality of their meals, this price is already very worth it. I wonder if they are even earning a profit at all?

For their cheapest dish (besides drinks and side dishes), one serving comes with a generous amount of meat. Their tonkatsu are freshly fried and comes out piping hot. And the thickness, it's THICK. For the regular katsu don, it is usually cooked with egg and onions as well. 

Although I ordered the medium sized portion, the amount of rice that they provide is actually a lot. Usually when restaurants serve dishes which are this cheap, I find that it is usually not enough to satiate my hunger. However, I left the restaurant STUFFED.  

Taste 😋

On the first bite, I can only describe it as a flavour explosion. 

The first item that stands out is the tonkatsu. Hot, crispy, juicy. There isn’t a very distinct marinade that comes out from the meat, however the flavour from the fats saves the day. You may find the fats too cloying, hence the large amount of rice. The addition of the egg and the onions cuts some of the greasiness of the katsu, which takes away the guilt of eating something so greasy. My favourite part was the sauce. Savoury, umami, and does not take the attention away from the tonkatsu. The sauce ties the entire dish together. Without it, it feels as if something is missing.

But to be honest, half way through my meal I started to get sick of the taste. As much as I am a believer of "fat is flavour", I found that the flavour of the fats started to become more and more prominent with each bite, to the point that the addition of rice doesn’t make a difference anymore. As a result, I felt very 'greasy' and felt a bit sick as a result. 

My two cents 🪙🪙

If you are looking for a cheap and affordable place to dine with large groups of people, I would recommend coming to Katsu-An. Besides katsu dons, they also sell seasonal items such as fish. However, if you are not a big fan of having large amounts of fats in your dish, I would steer away. 

After all, to each their own. That's all for today, bye bye 👋