[Tokyo] Butagumi 豚組 - Iberico Pork Tonkatsu!

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

We were having dinner with a friend in Tokyo when he started raving about the tonkatsu at Butagumi 豚組 (specifically a tonkatsu made with Iberico pork!) so we decided to have lunch there one day. There's actually a few branches of Butagumi now but we went to the original in Nishi-Azabu with a quaint two-story house that's located off the beaten path. We sat upstairs in one of their beautiful horigotatsu rooms (a low table over a sunken space in the floor) to enjoy our meal. Unlike some other tonkatsu places we've been to, Butagumi focuses solely on pork with over 50 varieties to choose from. Originally we wanted to get the Iberico pork and Butagumi-zen with 5 different types of pork in sample size, but apparently the sampler dish had been discontinued because it was hard for diners to taste the true flavors of the pork due to the small size. It was quite hard to choose from so many different types of pork so we relied on the staff's recommendation instead for one of our tonkatsu. 

Before our tonkatsu arrived, we were served these refreshing cherry tomatoes which were super sweet and appetizing! 

The sauces and seasonings with Bolivian rose rock salt, Japanese mustard and house blend Worcester sauce for the tonkatsu had already been placed on our table. 

After much anticipation, our tonkatsu made with 100% Iberico Bellota from Spain (¥3900) arrived with a tag that indicates how many servings of this prized pork they have served to date (mine was 3310). Available as a sirloin cut, the pork was heavenly with rich juicy flavors that was coated with just the right amount of crunchy panko (bread crumbs)! The tonkatsu had been fried in pure sesame oil at low heat to seal in the juices and flavors of the pork.

Pork tonkatsu are usually available in two cuts (fillet and sirloin) and since we already tried one tonkatsu with a sirloin cut, we wanted to try a fillet cut and were recommended this Imo-buta from Chiba (¥2900) by the staff. This tonkatsu was more tender than the Iberico pork and had a more subtle and delicate taste. 

The prices are not cheap here but you do get unlimited Koshihikari rice, fresh shredded cabbage, clam miso soup and homemade Japanese pickles throughout the meal. I think the tonkatsu at Butagumi is of high quality and worth a try for pork tonkatsu lovers in Tokyo!

Butagumi 豚組 

2-24-9 Nishiazabu Minato Tokyo 

東京都 港区 西麻布 2-24-9

Tel: +81-3-5466-6775

http://www.butagumi.com/




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