The No.1 Tonkatsu in Japan
The art of tonkatsu is all about savouring the harmony of tender pork meat, delicately coated with airy breadcrumbs, and generously drizzled with a rich, flavourful sauce. At MAiSEN, we never compromise on quality. We meticulously select premium ingredients, use the freshest produce, and employ original cooking methods to ensure our customers savour the true essence of delicious tonkatsu.
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The MAiSEN Story
For nearly 60 years, MAiSEN is renowned in Japan for its tender meat tonkatsu, affectionately recognised as, "Tonkatsu, so tender it can be cut with chopsticks."
Today, MAiSEN’s reach includes 13 dine-in restaurants, 60 takeaway kiosks and numerous points of sale across Japan. International expansion began in 2012 with Thailand, the Philippines, and now Malaysia.
MAiSEN's main restaurant in Aoyama (off Omotesando) is famous for its setting as a 1920s bathhouse converted into a restaurant. At the time of the conversion, people had no real concept of "reuse" as is commonplace today. It was thus considered a fresh and surprising idea to repurpose an old building, sparking hot topics for conversation and garnering high acclaim.
Customer First
At MAiSEN, we have inherited the aspirations of our founders, always putting the customer first. This shared philosophy unites all our employees, working together to become an even better company, all for the delightful smiles of our customers.
About Tonkatsu MAiSEN
Sauce
An essential factor of the MAiSEN flavour is the sauce. We produce three kinds of sauce: Amakuchi Sauce (delightfully sweet and tangy), Karakuchi Sauce (bold and savoury), and Sando Sauce (savoury and tangy).
The MAiSEN founders tested out new recipes repeatedly, striving every day behind the counter at their small shop to create our delightful flavours.
Panko
After cutting the pork to the proper size and shape, we coat it with breadcrumbs made from our own original bread recipe using special techniques. We then fry the tonkatsu in our special oil while carefully adjusting the heat.
We make our breadcrumbs with the aim of achieving the level of "kendachi" in our tonkatsu - an expression of how the breadcrumbs stand straight, often likened to the state of blossomed flowers.
Pork
Each slice of pork used is meticulously chosen from the top 10% of the pig, then carefully cut and pounded to loosen the tendons, ensuring a tender and juicy cut of premium quality meat.
Culture of Tonkatsu
Every tonkatsu meal is served alongside refillable sauce, bowls of fragrant rice, heaps of thinly sliced fresh cabbage, and a comforting bowl of miso soup - this is the authentic way to savour the flavours of tonkatsu.
