Lunch Hour: Katsumoto
In the second iteration of “Lunch Hour” – highlighting the best CBD lunch spots to hit up on your break – our reporter tries a traditional Japanese restaurant located in Gay’s Arcade.
“When I was in Japan…”: the five words my co-workers have relentlessly heard come out of my mouth since I returned from my winter holiday. I don’t know if this is just the sign of an amazing trip (that it was) or just another obvious representation of my can’t-shut-my-mouth-when-I-probably-should type tendencies.
I really wanted to show you my best side through Lunch Hour (the side that knows when to stop talking), but I can’t help it! So I must protest and continue…when I was in Japan…the food scene was next level. So much so that I’ve been craving Japanese food since touching back down in Adelaide.
I’ve been scared however to eat this cuisine, knowing it will never compare to Japanese food in Japan – I’ve even been avoiding my weekly Sushi Hub trips – but with the introduction of of this column, I couldn’t wait any longer. I did this for you.
Katsumoto came on my radar when I was searching for the best katsu sandos last year. I wasn’t aware of this restaurant before that, but it cannot be missed (it can be missed though because it’s kind of tucked away inside the Gay’s Arcade, but you know what I mean).
More of the Katsumoto menu. This picture: Claudia Dichiera.
I ordered the katsu-don set with a side of spring rolls. The set is also accompanied by miso soup and pickles. It doesn’t look as appetising as, say, the udon noodles pictured above on the left, but trust me when I say that the katsu-don packs a punch.
This dish had a perfectly coated, juicy on the inside, crunchy on the outside pork katsu piece atop scrambled-ish eggs and steamed rice. There were also seaweed strips and pieces of spring onion sprinkled atop.
Though the ingredient line-up boasts savory, umami flavours, the combination of ingredients listed was surprisingly sweet. It was a nice touch. It was also rather juicy as a combination, as I was hesitant to order this meal – I thought it might be on the dryer side.
I always like to mix my meals – that goes for whatever I’m eating – so I can taste it all together. But I think with this dish in particular, it’s best to try and scoop up a little bit of everything for one gulp. This is so you can really relish the mix of flavours.
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As promised, this dish filled me up (I barely sipped my miso soup because of it). It’s a deceivingly large portion size. I tried so hard to get to the bottom but just couldn’t. It’s fairly priced at $16.90, considering teeny tiny sandwiches from other cafes go for the same amount. Also, it was not a long wait considering it was a sit-down meal, but definitely not the type of place where you can just grab and go if you don’t have the time.
You could do far worse than a katsu-don set at Katsumoto.
What’s your favourite CBD Lunch Hour spot? Let me know.
Katsumoto is located at Shop 8G Gays Arcade, Adelaide and is open from Monday to Thursday from 11am until 5:30pm, Friday from 11am until 9pm, Saturday from 11am until 5:30pm, then Sunday from 11am until 5pm.
Connect with the business on Instagram for more.