Kimukatsu in Culver City: Layered Tonkatsu Debuts in LA To Disappointing Reviews

It seems like only yesterday that I was ranting about a sad dearth of serviceable tonkatsu places in LA. The yearning got worse when I tasted this ethereal beauty in Seoul a few years ago at Saboten, a Japanese chain that's ubiquitous in Korean shopping malls.

Imagine my excitement when I heard that Kimukatsu was coming to town. It doesn't just serve plain ol' tonkatsu, breaded and perfectly fried pork tenderloin. It serves layered tonkatsu, similar to the one I fell in love with in Seoul. Except it wasn't. Maybe it's just a case of it never being as good as the first time. The one I had in Seoul had all of 17 layers. This version was inferior in many respects although serviceable compared to other existing ones. For one thing, the size was ridiculously small. Considering portions here are at least twice as big as in Korea and Japan, that could only be interpreted as skimping on ingredients.

Second, the layers were pitiful compared with the gorgeous real layers of the Saboten version below. See the difference?

Now these are real layers. For $19, I expect my layers to be not-skimped on. Upon biting into it, it was moist and crunchy. However, it was a tad greasy. Ok, it's deep fried. But again, Saboten's version below was light and fluffy. Again, see the difference in crust. Visually it's different and the texture difference affects the experience. Honest to God.

Another beef I have with this place -- what's up with the tasteless tonkatsu sauce that is as integral as the actual meat? Then when we asked for mustard that you mix into the sauce, we were given a small dollop that was supposedly the last bit they had handy. What? Why doesn't every table have this? Ponzu sauce was also on every table. I don't remember this being a popular accompaniment. The sauce was highly disappointing, as was the bland mustard that should add a kick to the sauce.

One thing that Kimukatsu had over Saboten was the amazing rice. It came in a wooden box, old school. It was so good I just wanted to have rice by itself. The pebbles were glistening and they were perfectly cooked. I think I liked the rice more than the actual tonkatsu.

In short, I'm glad we have one but frankly, it needs a bit of work. Bigger portions, more real layers, less greasy, more attention to the sauce and mustard. Keep up the awesome rice though.