Tonkatsu by Ma Maison Westgate

Apart from the tender & juicy humongous loin with light, crisp crumb, and the right amount of fat, this value-for-money set also comprises rice, cabbage, and tonjiru (miso soup with pork), as well as grated radish and a jelly dessert, served before and after the meal, respectively. **Added bonus** — Rice, cabbage, and tonjiru are refillable. Yippee, I can have my 3 bowls of rice without having to pay any extra charges! 😍

Could have sworn I wrote about Tonkatsu before... But anyway, this is our go-to for the best tonkatsu in the vicinity, no kidding. Westgate opened in December 2013, and Ma Maison has been here since then. I hope they will remain here as long as they can. I've probably taken a hundred photos of the food here; I just need to dig around my photos a little. You get served a refillable cup of hot or cold barley upon being seated. Every table has condiments and serviettes, a common sight I observe in Japan. But most of the time, we are not here for their katsu. 🤣🤣 I admit it's good, though! The breading and meat are superb, and I get my favourite millefeuille version here. What we aim for is their tonjiru. My record was 8 bowls in one sitting, many years ago when I could still eat a buffet. Now, I'm satisfied with 4-5 bowls of their sumptuous tonjiru, which I've tried to replicate for years. Singapore is not short on tonkatsu specialty restaurants, but Ma Maison will always hold a place in my heart, or rather, my stomach. We also miss our favourite manager. I think his name is Dimitri, a pleasant Filipino who last told us he left for 100AM in May 2024. Excuse my memory if I'm wrong.

The food was satisfactory, crisp and juicy. The soup was scrumptious, but the staff needs to put in more effort in providing service.

Absolute bomb of a place. It was really well designed. Coupled with the food, it makes an amazing experience. I ordered the curry lunch set, which came out to like $22. The katsu was tender, basically melting in your mouth, but still had that crunch it should have. The curry was packed full of flavour. Honestly, I could eat it alone with rice.

I have eaten at this place a couple of times over the years, so it was quite surprising to see that I have not written a review for them. Ever since I came back from Nagoya, I have been quite obsessed with miso katsu, so that's what I ordered. Overall quality of the food was decent, though prices are really double those across the causeway.