The first speciality Tonkatsu restaurant, Tonkichi, opened in Singapore in 1992 — that’s 33 years ago! Even though it’s been around so long, anyone who’s been to Japan will tell you that somehow our Tonkatsu here still isn’t quite as good. For me, the key thing is the quality of the pork, which, for many years, has been pretty disappointing.

The main problem is that we don’t even raise our own pigs here. So for many years the only fresh pork chefs could get came from Indonesia. Over the last decade or so, this has expanded to include pork from Australia and Sabah. But, really good pork from Spain and Japan still comes frozen (mostly). That’s why the quality of our Tonkatsu will never reach the same level as in Japan where the top tonkatsu restaurants have access to specially raised pork from artisan farmers!

Another issue is how the pork is cut. Usually it’s a bit too thin and there isn’t enough fat. You can’t really blame the restaurants, though. They cut it thin to keep prices down, and they trim off fat because many customers are afraid of eating it. But any serious Tonkatsu fan will tell you that the piece of fat on the pointy end of the cutlet is the best bit. If you like the long gu (prime rib) in Bak Kut Teh, that is the same well-marbled, layered meat that you are eating!

On top of that, many Tonkatsu places here tend to overcook their pork. Overcooked pork loin is dry and unappetizing, so in Japan they always cook it just slightly pink. Most Singaporeans still think pork has to be well done. That idea is outdated. The USDA revised the recommended cooking temperature for pork from 71°C to 63°C way back in 2011, but s...