KATEN — Restaurant in East Victoria Park

We wanted to try this place since it opened awhile ago but didn’t bother due to the often long queue. We finally had the chance to give it a go on Friday evening. This place used to be the korean nene fried chicken and it still kind of have that same layout and vibe albeit is rather charming with the japanese related decors and themes. The place fits as a casual dining place, with those outdoor metal chairs and cramped seating arrangement. Customer service was good and welcoming with smiles all around, a plus in our book.

We ordered a Cheesy Tonkatsu Teishoku, which has a $26 price tag. It didn’t take long for the meal to arrive at our table. The portion size was average. Taste of the tonkatsu was underwhelming. The cheese portion was overly generous to the point of overwhelming. It masked the taste of the pork and we couldn’t taste the pork. The pork was thinly sliced pork which was a surprise to us as we were expecting a thicker cut pork with cheese on top. Imagine a dingy with inner pork layering filled with cheese. At least the cheese was stretchy if you are into it and the katsu battering was crunchy. The katsu sauce was too liquid for our liking. It could just be a little thicker and it would’ve been better. Taste-wise, it was average, nothing special. Miso was an ‘A’, it was good. Rice was OK but portion was on a smaller side.

At $26, we reckon you can offer free refills for a better value proposition, like your competitor a few metres down the road. It is simply on a pricier side. There is also no online ordering facility, again a tad behind the competitor. We finished the food but leaving feeling a bit underwhelmed. We believe there is a potential for this place but until then, we reserve our judgement...

3.5 stars Venue: newly opened. Very causal setting with anime- themed decorations with related background music. Clean and tidy. Self-service cabinet at the entrance. Tables are also avaliable on the second floor. --- 7.3/10 Service: not busy when I came. Basic utensils and serveitte will be given after ordere. Get the tap water and cups at the self-service cabinet. Reasonable waiting time for food. All waitresses were polite. There are no labels for 3 bottles of seasonings on the table. There is an instruction to tell how to use grind sesame seeds and mixed with Tonkatsu sauce. --- 7.1/10 Food: colorful comic-like menu. Price on high side a bit. Order to make. Good presentation but no wow. Ka-Ten Tendon, $24: there are Crispy nori Tempura, big Enoki mushroom Tempura, a green capsicum Tempura, a pumpkin Tempura, a mahjong-sized Salmon Tempura and 3 Tempura prawns. Salmon was dry inside. Prawns were slightly overcooked. Onsen Tamago served aside was cooked to perfection. 7.4/10 Menchikatsu, $24: there were 2 pices of deef-fried breaded Beef burger, served with a good portion of Tonkatsu sauces, some pink salt, and wasabi. The Japanese beef burger was good in texture. The cabbage salad with yuzu dressing was a bit rough. Rice's texture and portion was ok. Pickles and Miso Soup were average. --- 7.3/10 Should try chessy pork...

Went reasonably early around 5.40 but still had to wait half an hour as it’s new and hyped. Staff were friendly and accomodating and I had a snack so I wouldn’t be too ravenously hungry. The tempura was alright. Definitely needed the sauce and was reasonable so I was really looking forward to the cheesy tonkatsu. I am a big fan of cheese and a big fan of pork. But the cheesy tonkatsu is 95percent fried cheese with a little bit of meat. No way someone could eat what was essentially fried cheese and be happy with their meal. It would be a good side dish but doesn’t cut the mustard. Should advertise as a side dish rather than a main. My wife had the pork curry which I ended up eating more of. Pork was pretty good with the curry being alright as well. perhaps next time I’ll give the pork a go by itself with the salt/wasabi. By perth standards it’s reasonable but given the line and the hype I think there are some improvements so it doesn’t die off in the future. Staff were extremely friendly and attentive and this was noted and greatly appreciated! One of the best service for a casual restaurant. There were colouring stuff/crayons for kids which helped as well.

Not too bad an experience overall. I’d suggest having a premium pork option as well as the batter is nice but I’d like a thick juicy good quality...