I was so excited for lunch at Katsu Jin again. I was meeting up with a priest and a friend for lunch, and it was their first time at this restaurant. I, on the other hand, already knew what I wanted to order. We got there right around when they opened, so there was no wait this time. I just had to wait for the rest of our table to decide what to order.
We ended up deciding to share so we could try more dishes, starting with the Fried Squid Leg. This appetizer was not quite what I was expecting. When I think of something that’s fried, I think of something that’s crispy. These were not, which was a bit disappointing. I would almost describe them as a little soggy. We saw another table order the Corn Ribs – I’d want to try that instead next time.
Fried Squid Leg – karaage style squid tentacles, served with spicy mayo
For our mains, we decided to get the Tenderloin Katsu Curry, Cheese Katsu, and Tenzaru Soba. The Tenderloin Katsu Curry was good as usual, but only came with three pieces this time. The Cheese Katsu was something new I haven’t tried yet. We were debating whether to be more adventurous with the Cheese Katsu or safe with a Shrimp Katsu, and we decided it was a day to be adventurous. I think we made the right choice. This Cheese Katsu was surprisingly delicious! I loved the cheesiness and it didn’t feel too heavy after eating.
Cheese Katsu – mozzarella cheese wrapped with pork, served with Koshihikari rice, miso soup, cabbage salad, and side dish
Finally, the dish I’ve been wanting arrived at our table: the Tenzaru Soba. Light and refreshing, I’ve been craving this since my last visit. Since I was busy eating the katsu, my priest friend offered to pour the green onions, radish, and wasabi into the cold dipping sauce. “Do I pour everything in?” he asked. “Yup,” I said, as I continued with the katsu.
I moved on to the soba. I picked up a strand of noodles, dipped it into the sauce, and took a bite. Mmm…just what I wanted. Noodles, dip, eat. Noodles, dip, eat. Noodles, dip, e-..my heart skipped a beat. I felt a burn on my tongue, and slowly, my mouth felt a burn. My eyes started watering as the stinging sensation grew stronger and stronger.
It was at this moment that I realized the entire mountain of wasabi was in my mouth. I was afraid to swallow but I couldn’t spit it out either. The roof of my mouth felt the wasabi slowly dissolving. Every breath was painful. I stared at the priest in horror as he stared back in disbelief as well as amusement.
“I poured everything in but didn’t mix it because I was scared it would be too strong,” he said as he tried to hold back his laughter.
I couldn’t believe it. He was safe from the wasabi, I was not. Why didn’t he mix it? No wonder the other bites were so light! I thought it was obvious that it needed to be mixed…but I guess not. Sigh.
Intentional or not, in his effort to make the wasabi too strong, I ended up with a mountain of wasabi in my mouth. He left me speechless, and even if he didn’t, there was too much wasabi in my mouth to speak. The taste of wasabi lingered in my mouth for some time after, and no matter what I tried, the only thing I could do is wait for the taste to slowly go away.
I only managed to take a few more bites due to the overpowering wasabi. I was done eating for the meal. The only thing I could look forward to is the next time we grab soba or sushi together. I’ll be keeping my eyes on that wasabi…