Ginza Bairin 銀座梅林

Ginza Bairin is a tonkatsu restaurant started off in Ginza some 80 years ago and now has branches across the world.  The menu in the Shanghai branch is not surprisingly full of pork dishes with a small selection of fried prawns and cold dishes.  I decided to be a piggy and I ordered a side order of fried pork fillets (~RMB30/fillet) on top of my katsudon (RMB118).  My greed paid off totally.  The pork fillets were one of the best I had had in years, and much more superior to the ones in Tonkichi in Hong Kong.  Where do they source their pork I wonder?  The meat was so tender and juicy it's pork at its best.  And how do they keep the batter so crispy and not a hint of oil?  Two thumbs up. 

My katsudon did not disappoint either.  Again the pork was very tender (but I did prefer the texture of the fillets) and the sauce hit all the right notes.  It was quite pricey but a highly satisfying meal. 

Ginza Bairin 銀座梅林 
4/F, IFC Mall, 8 Century Avenue, Pudong, Shanghai.  Tel: 5015-5087