Katsuya

My kids love to eat.  Duh, it goes without saying right?  Well, they have many favourites, possibly too many to list.  However, one thing they generally do not get enough of and also would never turn down is Katsu.  They have tried Saku, Daeji, Mr. Tonkatsu and Saboten, where so far, Saku has been their fav.  So when my parents wanted to go out for dinner, I suggested we do either the new Saku in Coquitlam or the nearby Katsuya.  I secretly wanted to do Katsuya as I've never been.  Good thing they chose that!

So we got some appies to start including the small order of Chicken Karaage with some wasabi mayo on the bottom of the plate.  This featured large pieces of chicken thigh which were super juicy and flavourful.  The batter was crunchy and stayed as such even after sitting for awhile.  I wasn't exactly sure I liked the wasabi mayo with this and would've preferred just some kewpie mayo and lemon instead. 

We also had the Tartar Shrimp that featured essentially shrimp tempura with a huge side of tartar sauce.  The shrimp itself was fried up nicely with a crunchy batter than wasn't overly greasy.  Inside, the shrimp had a nice buttery snap.  That tartar sauce was on the sweeter side with a bit of tang.  We thought it was good and didn't even end up using half of it.

Our last appie was the Cheese Crabmeat Croquettes smothered with the same sweet tartar sauce.  Okay, we weren't big fans of these as the copious amount of tartar sauce made them soggy.  Also, the potato, imitation crab and mozzarella filling was far too dense.  It was a real struggle to finish even one of these.  Maybe it would've been better if the sauce was served on the side?

For my choice, I went for the baseline in the Original Pork Loin served with refillable rice, salad and miso soup.  As you can see, the pork loin was fairly large.  It was also not flattened to the degree where it was too thin either.  Hence, it was moist and meaty with a crispy panko coating.  The sauce was tangy and sweet from the fruits and vegetables used to make it.

My daughter predictably had Brick Cheese Katsu in Gold & Silver (Cheddar & Mozzarella).  She absolutely loves cheese and she got her fix here with ooey gooey goodness.  Of course the outer layer of pork had been pounded thin and it was more about the cheese.  She happily ground her own sesame seeds and added it to the rice.  However, she wasn't sure that that tangy BBQ sauce was a good match for the cheese katsu.

My son loves Terimayo Japadogs, so I guess he thought the Terri Mayo Katsu would have all of the same flavours.  That it did with a sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce, a bevy of bonito flakes and mayo.  His pork loin katsu was exactly like mine being moist and tender while still having a meatiness.  The panko was crunchy and not overly greasy.  Possibly this may have needed some grilled onions to add some moisture to the dish as well as staying true to the terimayo flavour.

My parents weren't super hungry and ended up sharing the Mushroom Cream Chicken Katsu.  By virtue of being a flattened chicken breast, this was lighter and a little less moist.  However, with the considerable amount of creamy mushroom goodness on the plate, it alleviated any dryness issues.  It was definitely mushroomy and thick.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Katsuya except for the croquettes.  Portions were large and of course the rice, salad and miso soup were refillable.  Definitely an option for katsu.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Decent eats
- Service was pretty good (as opposed to the online reviews)

The Bad:
- Those croquettes...
- Parking in the lot is difficult when busy