Katsu DON!

Tonkatsu is great isn't it? The juicy piece of pork cutlet wrapped in that crunchy deep-fried breaded shell is a treat for any meat lover. Just regular tonkatsu is amazing, I am a great admirer of katsudon. I love katsudon. Katsudon is a bowl of rice topped with tonkatsu, vegetables, and eggs. The eggs are scrambled and cooked in a way that they are sweet and go so well with the tonkatsu and the rice brings everything together. If you are a katsudon lover like me, there is one place in Tsuchiura that you should try immediately. A place where the tonkatsu is fresh and delicious and the katsudon is perfect. Did I also mention that the tonkatsu size was nothing to underestimate? I am talking about Tsuchiura's very own Suzunoki.

Suzunoki

Suzunoki is located in the Namiki area of Tsuchiura. It is very close to the entrance ramp of the Tsuchiura Kita expressway.

My wife and I went on a rainy Tuesday afternoon to grab some lunch at Suzunoki. We drove up the road going towards the expressway ramp when Google told us to turn right into a neighborhood. This is where we had to slow down and really look for Suzunoki. It is hidden behind houses and apartment buildings. When we finally found it, we parked our car and headed inside. By the way, if the main parking area is full, there is another parking lot nearby. I recommend coming by car or bicycle since the station is quite far.

Inside

Suzunoki is very much a Japanese restaurant. You have your choice of sitting at the counter or sitting on a cushion or zabuton, at the low Japanese table called zataku. There is a menu on the table for you to choose your tonkatsu.

The Menu

The menu is all in Japanese and the main dish is, you guessed it, tonkatsu. The first page (not pictured above) has chicken katsu and you have the choices of just chicken katsu, chicken katsudon, or chicken katsu curry. The left side is the full meal and the right side is the half sized meal.

The next page (pictured above) is all about the tonkatsu. They are the same options as the chicken katsu, and the same sizes. But on this page, the description tells you the thickness of the tonkatsu by centimeters and grams. The full size is 4 centimeters and 330 grams and the half size 2 centimeters and 170 grams. All meals come with the usual washoku set. Miso soup and pickles.

Half Size Katsudon

My wife decided to order the half size katsudon. As you can see from the picture, it is a fairly decent size for a katsudon. My wife got a piece of tonkatsu and gave it a try. She gave it the thumbs up and told me that it tasted very meaty and surprisingly, not a lot of chewy fat. The fat was in there for sure but I thought there would be more. Which isn't a bad thing, I would rather get more delicious pork than fat. The katsu part was crispy and fresh, and the cooked eggs were a great partner to this delicious breaded pork.
I didn't try my wife's tonkatsu because I ordered the same thing. The difference is that my tonkatsu was the full size and brought huge slices of tonkatsu that excited and scared me at the same time.

Look at the size of it!

When I was a kid, America used to run a commercial for kids about eating vegetables. The commercial basically told us that when you ate leafy greens, you were exercising your teeth (this is 100% true). I never felt that "exercise" while eating celery, but I did feel it when I was eating this katsudon. My teeth and jaw were feeling it. Look at the size of that pork. It is something to terrifyingly behold. My wife was a bit worried. She wasn't sure I would be able to finish this katsudon, or if I did I would need to lay down and hold my stomach for the rest of the day.
I took a bite out of one piece of this 4 centimeter tonkatsu and all that flashed across my mind was "meat!" So juicy, so meaty, and again, not a lot of fat. I was in complete joy while having this katsudon. My wife also tried a piece of the huge tonkatsu and stated that there was no way she would be able to finish it but it was good. I was having a great time, but then I got halfway and my stomach was starting to give me the "don't push it warning." I pushed it. I finished all the tonkatsu, fried egg, and rice. I was proud of myself and was very happy with my meal.
My wife said it was time to go and I could barely get off of my zabuton. I was so full that I handed the car keys to my wife and designated her the "I'm too full to drive driver." She gladly took the keys and we went off to our next destination.

Suzunoki, you are quite possibly my favorite katsudon place in all of Ibaraki. I still dream of that full size katsudon and hope to go back and have it for lunch as soon as I can. Thank you for making such wonderful tonkatsu and katsudon.

So if you are in Tsuchiura and are in the mood for a bowl of katsudon, why not give Suzunoki a chance? Who knows, you might see me there, ordering the full size katsudon and not being able to move after I finished it.
Enjoy!

For more information on Suzunoki, check out their website:
https://suzunoki-tsuchiura.com/