Pokupoku

Where did I hear that there is a tonkatsu specialty restaurant in Nara named Pokupoku? Anyway, it seems to be a famous tonkatsu restaurant in Nara Prefecture. The restaurant serves tonkatsu made with Nara Prefecture’s brand-name pork, Yamato pork, and is available by reservation only, especially on weekends when the restaurant is booked up months in advance.

So, I called to make a reservation for lunch in the middle of the weekday, when the competition was likely to be low, and visited the restaurant at the opening time. But when I actually went to the restaurant, I found a strange sight even though it was a tonkatsu restaurant…

It may be the first pork cutlet restaurant that appeals to women to this extent… Pokupoku is a restaurant like this…

Pokupoku is a popular tonkatsu restaurant in Nara Prefecture, located in the Naramachi district, where traditional town houses stand side by side and the atmosphere of the good old days remains. The restaurant is located down a narrow street to the south from Sarusawa Pond, and you will be immersed in a very nice atmosphere on the way to the restaurant, as the street is lined with town houses, which are few and far between even in Kyoto. The exterior of the building blends in perfectly with the surrounding landscape, so much so that I passed the store on my way to it, even though I was looking at Google Maps as I headed toward it. Please pay attention to the right side of the road after passing Dosojin.

The restaurant is a cozy space with four tables. Pokupoku has a total of 12 seats. The small restaurant is run by a couple. It is a cozy restaurant with such a homey atmosphere, but what surprised me was that all the customers were women except me. I thought it was just a coincidence, but in fact, it seems that this restaurant is usually very popular among women. No, no, I never thought I would see such a strange sight in a tonkatsu restaurant with a strong image of a gutsy restaurant… It doesn’t have any sparkling elements like a café, though. This may be the first time in my experience to see a tonkatsu shop that is so popular with girls. But when I saw the dishes that followed, I could understand why this restaurant is so popular with women…

The healthiest pork cutlet in my history! How was it when I actually tried Pokupoku’s signature dish, a set of crispy pork cutlets served with salt?

Let me introduce the signature dish of Pokupoku, the crispy pork cutlet set with salt, which I ordered that day. This set is priced according to the amount of meat, and I ordered the top-of-the-line 200g+, which came to 3,000 yen including tax, a bit expensive for a tonkatsu set meal. But you know what…

After about 10 minutes of waiting after ordering the picture, the set was brought in front of me and it looked like this. The volume of the two rows of pork cutlets (the amount of meat alone is enough to compete with the thickly sliced loin cutlet set meal at the nearby Marukatsu Nara Head Shop), the rice with cereal, soaked spinach and other ingredients, and the soup…well, you get the idea. The cabbage slices standing behind the pork cutlet are half of the default amount! Although you cannot order more vegetables, the system allows you to customize the amount of vegetables at the time of order in 4 levels from 4 times the amount (which is the default). Maybe women can get enough vegetables even with 1x amount.

Now, I would like to start with the pork cutlet, but the owner recommends that you drink up the “akamoku” in this small sake cup. “Akamoku” is a seaweed similar to mozuku, and is said to have various beneficial effects on the body, such as suppressing blood sugar spikes, burning fat, and anti-aging effects. It is lightly acidic and can be easily swallowed in one gulp. Even those who do not like mozuku seaweed should give it a try.

The pork cutlet, the star of the dish, is served with the original salt, which is a blend of French Guerande salt and several spices. The salt contains a complex flavor, and there is no so-called “spice” at all. Although this salt is the only seasoning item, I was able to eat two pieces of pork cutlet with just this salt without getting tired of it until the end.

The batter is thick and crispy, but not at all greasy and dry. The meat inside is extremely tender… This tenderness is comparable to that of the handmade tonkatsu at Tenobe Tonkatsu Sanpei in Kyoto, which I introduced on this blog a few years ago. It has been a long time since I have had such a soft pork cutlet…. The meat was almost fat-free, and I was able to eat it all the way through without getting sick to my stomach, even after eating such a large portion.

I was even more impressed with the soup. As you can see, it is very filling and contains a wide variety of vegetables, but the broth that seeps out of the vegetables gives it a very gentle taste. You could eat three bowls of rice just with this soup, even if you don’t have tonkatsu. I wish I knew the recipe for this soup.

This pork cutlet set is without a doubt the No. 1 healthy pork cutlet set meal in my history (although I’m not so sure about the word “healthy” for pork cutlet…). No wonder it is popular among women. By the way, pork cutlets in Nara Prefecture are of a very high level, aren’t they? If you like pork cutlet in Nara, this restaurant is a must-visit.

Pokupoku’s Meal Menu (prices include tax)

• Crispy pork cutlet set with salt, 80g meat, 2,300 yen –
• Umami-filled tonteki set, 80g meat, 2,300 yen –
• Soft and thick Shogayaki set, 80g meat, 2,300 yen –
• Yamato pork cutlet curry (with salad), 120g meat, 2,300 yen –

Reservation status can be checked on the business calendar…Access to Pokupoku is an 11-minute walk from the nearest station, Kintetsu Nara Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line.

Now, Pokupoku is a popular restaurant like this, but aren’t you worried about when you might be able to get a reservation even if you want to? Don’t worry. Reservation availability can be checked on the Pokupoku business calendar published on the Internet. This calendar is very convenient because it shows not only the days when the restaurant is closed, but also how crowded the restaurant will be on that day. Please use this calendar before calling the restaurant. Even on weekdays, the restaurant is booked up to a month in advance…so if possible, I recommend that you reserve a table at least a month in advance of your visit.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…

P.S. If you are looking for delicious pork cutlet in Nara, please stop by this article below…