Katsu-An had pretty much opened to quite a bit of hype in recent times — it has been a pretty interesting time for Japanese food in the local F&B scene since there have been multiple openings of almost the same nature all in the heart of town; this includes Butahage’s return to the local F&B scene with its new location also at Suntec City, as well as Tori Sanwa which had recently opened its doors at Suntec City. Katsu-An is located at the basement of Suntec City; situated at a spot that is near to Kebabchi Charcoal BBQ and the outlet of Tre Caphe there. Being positioned as a quick-service Japanese diner, the interior sees the large use of wooden elements and matching hues of orange and maroon for its interior decor. Katsu-An is a brand that hails from Japan; this is also their very first outpost outside of Japan as well. That being said, one might be able sense some vibes that are rather similar to that of SUKIYA (the Japanese brand that is most notable for serving up affordable Gyudon and Yakiniku Don; not to be confused with the similarly named Suki-Ya that is known for being a hotpot restaurant) in terms of how the menu is structured and how the entire establishment is being operated; this is also because Katsu-An is a concept run by the same folks behind SUKIYA. That being said, Katsu-An is a concept that focuses heavily on Katsu offerings — think items split into categories such as Katsu Don, Teishoku, Combination and Japanese Curry; the variety of Katsu comprising of different cuts of pork and even protein / seafood options to choose from. Examples of the types of Katsu available at Katsu-An includes Tenderloin, Chicken, Calamari and more. Katsu-An also serves up a Homemade Mont Blanc Cake and a variety of ice-cream for desserts, while the drinks available at Katsu-An most revolve around a variety of soft drinks.

Looking through the wide variety of items which they have to offer on the menu, we were more attracted towards their Katsu Don section of the menu — these would be the items that are priced at a really affordable price point as opposed to the items from the Teishoku, Combination and Japanese Curry sections of the menu which may tend to veer towards that of a casual Japanese restaurant; the Katsu Don being reasonably priced here with all items priced well below $10 for the M-sized Katsu Don. Much like at SUKIYA, patrons can opt for either M, L or XL sizes for their Katsu Don, while one can also choose to have the item ala-carte or as a combo set with the flexibility of going for a soft-boiled egg, salad or Chicken Karaage with soup or drinks.

We opted for the Tenderloin Katsu Don in M-size — the item being served in the style of an Oyakodon with eggs and onions seemingly simmered in mirin, dashi and soy sauce; all with 80 grams of Tenderloin Katsu served along with it. Simple yet comforting, it seems like the folks at Katsu-An had pretty much gotten things right here with how their Katsu Don goes — there is sufficient sauce to go around all of that short-grain Japanese rice that makes the entire bowl of rice absolutely umami and easy to finish; the egg being soft and fluffy while the caramalised onions delivered a soft crunch. The Tenderloin Katsu was also absolutely on-point; there wasn’t much chew required for the Tenderloin for how it was melt-in-the-mouth — the breaded exterior being all crisp without feeling greasy nor carried undesirable stench of overused oil. Another item we had tried was the Homemade Mont Blanc Cake; this follows the trend of Mont Blanc featuring “threads” of chestnut paste that is piped over what seems to be castella cake and ice-cream. Whilst sounding really sweet on paper, the earthiness of the chestnut paste helped to cut through all of the sweetness from the other elements; each element also carrying a different texture for a good contrast as well. All-in-all, Katsu-An probably answers to the same audience that would find SUKIYA appealing; a concept that serves up affordably-priced Katsu Don that delivers in terms of quality — despite the low price point of the dishes here, we are left satisfied by how well-executed their items are. Needless to say, Katsu-An is a concept which we think is likely to expand into a few more locations all across the island in due time like what SUKIYA has become, though it is also one that we would drop by again if craving for a good Katsu Don without the frills.