The taste of tonkatsu is made up of three components: crispy batter, meat, and meat juice. Very few restaurants manage to achieve a uniformly high standard for all three tastes. Nishimura in Ginza is clearly one of the exceptions.
Nishimura is located on a quiet street near the Kabukiza Theater. When you enter the restaurant, you will see a kitchen on your right and an L-shaped counter with 13 seats leading to the back of the restaurant. Because of its location and high-quality dishes, the restaurant is said to be the favorite of Kabuki actors.
Since there are only counter seats, it is better to go with a small group of one or two people. The counter is lined with a variety of home-style side dishes, and everything from main dishes to side dishes are well prepared. The lunch menu, with one exception, consists only of tonkatsu. The odd dish is the Buta Shabu Zen (boiled sliced pork set) which is rarely seen at a tonkatsu restaurant. In the evening, you can order a la carte dishes in addition to tonkatsu.
The signature dish is the Jo-Rosu Katsu Zen (high quality loin cutlet set) with a side of white rice, tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup), and pickles. The tonjiru, made with sake kasu (lees), is mouth-watering and a favorite of many regulars. The cutlet is made from 180 to 190 grams of high-quality pork. You can enjoy various flavors of loin, shimofuri (marbled meat), and akami (lean meat) in one piece. The homemade sauce is very good, but, for the loin cutlet, we suggest sprinkling the meat with some savory rock salt. The rock salt from Sicily, rich in nutritious minerals, has a deep flavor with a hint of sweetness.
Don’t hesitate to ask for an English menu when you take a seat.
東銀座の路地裏にある名店！お店は決して狭くて綺麗とは言えないが、家庭的で何度も通いたくなり、味が素晴らしいです。特に上ロースが美味しく、柔らかく、揚げ具合も抜群です。上ロースにつく豚汁が、これまた絶品で、酒粕が入ってて、出汁も強く効いてて美味しいです。この豚汁だけで、ご飯も何杯もいけるかもです。 Quote from Google Map Review
