Michelin starred pork cutlet

If young and aspiring chefs in the West might believe that being creative and innovative is the key to one’s first Michelin star, in Japan you can get a Michelin star for being really good in what you are doing, even if what you are doing is deep-frying pork cutlets. It’s the case of tonkatsu chef Etsuo Nagai who has been perfecting his craft for 50 years and together with his wife and children runs a small tonkatsu counter restaurant Katsuzen at Barneys New York department store in Ginza. (Kojun Building 4F, 6-8-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; tel. 03-3289-8988).

Nagai san uses Kurobuta pork from Kyūshū and everything is cooked upon the order. Waiting is definitely worth it though as there is nothing more comforting than breaded deep-fried pork cutlet served with finely shredded cabbage and Worcestershire sauce, especially when all is prepared with such a level of sophistication as at Katsuzen…