Ginza Bairin 银座梅林
Add: 4/F, IFC Mall, 8 Shiji Da Dao, near Lujiazui Huan Lu 国际金融中心商场,世纪达到8号4楼, 近陆家嘴环路
Tel: 5015 5087
Hours: 10am-11pm
Website: www.ginzabairin.com
Price: 100~200 RMB/person
Visited: May 2011
Since 1927, this tonkatsu specialty restaurant has been coating the choicest premium grade pork loin in homemade breadcrumbs and deep frying them in 100% premium cottonseed oil to a satisfying golden brown. The result is pork cutlets with light, crackling skin covering tender and succulent meat, and when drizzled with the signature Bairin Tonkatsu sauce then paired with a bowl of perfectly cooked Japanese rice, there simply is no better lunch in sight.
The menu mainly consists of variations of tonkatsu (fattier cut, leaner cut, in a sandwich, with curry, etc.), but there are also options such as shabu shabu or noodles for those who are not in the mood for fried pork cutlet (but why would you come to Bairin if not for the pork cutlets?)
To get a taste of Bairin at its purest, we ordered the Rosu Katsu Set ロースかつセット(98 RMB small, 128 RMB large). The kurobuta pork loin (黑豚) used in the Rosu Katsu is known for finer fat marbling and shorter muscle fiber which make the pork tender but not greasy. If you prefer a leaner cut, opt for the Hire Katsu Set ヒレーかつセット(108 RMB small, 138 RMB large).
There are three types of sauce provided at Ginza Bairin. The signature tonkatsu sauce, a secret recipe made from apples, onions, and other fruits and vegetables, is slightly sour and the perfect accompaniment for the tonkatsu.
Tonkatsu typically comes with a mound of shredded white cabbage, which I drizzle liberally with Bairin’s sesame dressing (though the tonkatsu sauce also works well on these).
The set comes with rice, pickles, and miso soup.
We also tried Bairin’s Signature Speical Hire Katsu Don (118 RMB), a deep fried pork fillet with pan-fried egg on rice with secret sauce. This gourmet version of the popular Japanese comfort food was praised by the famous Iron Chef Michiba Rokusaburo (道場六三郎) as “the best Katsudon I have ever had in my life.”
If you are tonkatsu fan, Ginza Bairin is not to be missed. It is on the pricier side for this typically inexpensive comfort food (you can find cheaper versions at Hamachan for 60~70 RMB), but Ginza Bairin is well worth the extra RMB.
i went there yesterday! (hahaha i’ve been making the best out of the copious foodie info from ur posts during my stay in taipei & shanghai ;)
though, i’ve got to say, if you have a chance to visit tokyo again, perhaps you can go try まい泉 (http://mai-sen.com/), because the rosu katsu set i had yesterday felt a little over fried compared to the one I had at まい泉. they also changed the amount of pickles in the small dish… so overall, just minor things that caught my attention, but still a good spot for quality tonkatsu and very ginza-like ambiance.
thanks for the posts! :D
i’ve heard about mai-sen, hopefully will get to try next time i’m in japan :)
haven’t been back to ginza bairin since that one visit, wonder if it has gone down in terms of quality..
went there today, good but not the best that i ever tasted. while in ifc i go and try jean paul hevin , i plan to try their macaroon . endding up buying both macaroon and their caramel . the macaroon are so so but their caramel is soooooo gooodddd, must go back there to buy more. is so expensive though 16 rmb per pc