KatsuCo Toowong — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Overview Katsuco is a new Japanese restaurant on the ground floor of the Jephson Hotel on the corner of Jephson St and Sherwood Rd in Toowong.

Food Being just my wife and I we stuck to a fairly simple ordering protocol of one drink each and one main meal each. I chose chicken katsu and my wife chose salmon donburi. The presentation of these dishes was outstanding. Both meals were brought out on wooden trays with stylish white, black and grey crockery. Each tray contained, in addition to the meat, a generous portion of cabbage salad, rice, miso soup, sauces and a selection of little condiments like wasabi sauce, crushed almonds and pink salt. And it wasn’t just the presentation that impressed. Both meals were fresh and tasty, and prepared with love, care and attention to detail. My chicken was melt-in-your-mouth tender, finely sliced and coated in a crispy batter. The fluffy rice and crunchy cabbage made the perfect accompaniments and what better way to flavour the meat than with that uber spicy, tangy wasabi sauce. My wife’s salmon was cooked to perfection. It was tender and succulent and topped with sprigs of parsley.

Service All the staff are neatly turned out in neat white uniforms and these guys know exactly what they’re about. They’re knowledgeable about the various dishes and were able to give us sound advice as to what to choose. Our orders were promptly taken and meals came out quickly with no delay. It was a pleasure to enjoy such smart, efficient and friendly service from these lovely ladies.

Atmosphere The vibe here is super cool, relaxed and laid back. The place has been tastefully decorated in clean, bright and modern colours with grey tiled floors. The lighting is strong and the chairs are comfy. It’s great for a warm summer's night, but has yet to be tested in winter, when I imagine it could get a bit chilly. On the night we dined, the place was pretty busy even though it was midweek, which gave it a fun, lively and energetic atmosphere.

Cost Compared to some other Asian places in this area, this place is at the higher end of the price range. For two drinks and two main meals we paid a hefty 70 pesos, but I guess that’s also a sad reflection of the hyperinflation that’s destroying this country, thanks to the profligacy of successive governments and weak monetary policy, but that’s another story. On a pos note, these guys will give you a 5% discount for paying cash.

Toilets To access the toilets, you need to exit the restaurant at the front and enter the lobby of the Jephson Hotel. But it sounds worse than it is and it’s actually quite easy, as a sliding door leads directly from the restaurant to the lobby so you don’t need to leave the building. The toilets themselves are clean and well provisioned with ample male and female cubicles.

Parking There’s easy street parking further up Sherwood Road towards Miskin Street or in nearby Maryvale Street. The area is also well served by public transport with buses and a train station in the nearby Toowong Village Shopping Centre.

Summary It’s great to see a restaurant finally succeeding in the spot at the Jephson Hotel where the two previous ones failed. And it’s not hard to see why. These guys serve up delicate and tasty Japanese food in a relaxed, casual and cool atmosphere that’s perfect for spring or summer dining. Service is outstanding. Add to that easy street parking and clean, well maintained toilets, and you have all the ingredients for a fun, hassle-free night out with friends or family. Despite prices being on the higher side of the equation, I’m sure we’ll be back.

Memo Bring cash to take advantage of the 5%...

Superb katsus. Best in Brisbane from what I've tried. It's a popular place so I recommend coming early or making a booking.

On my first visit I had a chicken katsu set ($29) which comes with 180g chicken thigh fillet, and the common katsu set elements of rice, cabbage salad, katsu sauce, miso soup, pink salt, pickled vegetable & wasabi.

The boy had a kids tontaktsu set ($14) which comes with half a piece of tonkatsu (pork loin), potato, salad, rice, and miso soup. Note that the kids menu is listed on a kids activity sheet so you probably won't see this unless you have kids at your table. Even then I didn't think to look there but thankfully other adults at the table noticed and let me know.

On my second visit wifey and I got both pork options: Tomahawk katsu, $34 - fried breaded 350g pork rib eye, truffle olive oil Tonkatsu set, $29 - fried breaded 200g pork loin

The katsus here are pricier than some of the competition but they're also very good so it's the place to go if you want a premium product. I also like having two salad dressings to choose from, and usually alternate between the two; there's Japanese soy (kiwi, apple, soy, onion) and black sesame (mayo, black sesame, cider), both go great with the heap of cabbage salad in the set.

Oh and the cabbage salad comes topped with a flower which adds a bit of colour and point of difference. Edible flowers are a bit fancy for my usual food intake but I gave it a go since it was there...

As for the two pork offerings I do think the extra $5 for the tomahawk is worth it if you're in the mood for a premium Japanese katsu experience. I'm glad I tried it to know how good it is. I wouldn't necessarily get it every single time, but it'll definitely feature on the rotation of dishes I order for...

Katsu Co has always been my favourite place for Tonkatsu in Brisbane. Their pork Katsu is consistently fresh, crispy and tender. This is why we kept going back to the Sherwood store despite having to wait for a table during peak service times.

Recently I was invited to try their new breakfast menu at the new Toowong branch. Having been a huge fan of their tonkatsu I knew their breakfast dishes would be top notch too. I had the Chicken Katsu Sando Set ($23) and Pork Katsu Omurice Rice Set ($25). The chubby sando was made with fluffy shoku pan bread and looked superb. The set came with a creamy soup, salad, pickled cabbage & condiments. The Omurice was equally delicious - crispy pork Katsu with rice, curry sauce and gooey omelette. The different textures and flavours really satisfied my Japanese food cravings! Their coffee and drinks selection is brilliant too. Make sure to try their single origin cold brew and batch brew coffee. For a sweet treat you can’t go past the yuzu madeleines!

Parking: Street side off Jephson St and surrounds Service: Lovely staff (both Sherwood & Toowong) Atmosphere: Toowong branch is shiny and new! More spacious that Sherwood. Wait times: Expect to wait for a table at dinner time. We went at 9.30am for breakfast and there were...