Tonkatsu Ma Maison (2nd Visit)

Tonkatsu Ma Maison (Score: 3.5 out of 5)

It's been a almost a year since my last visit and wifey and I craved for Tonkatsu. So we tossed a coin, between Tonkichi and Ma Maison and alas... Ma Maison won. I remembered I wanted to try their special Mangalica Tonkatsu.

The Menu

Restaurant details:
Restaurant details:

The menu didn't change since our last visit. I'm not complaining but people must be getting over the hype too.

Our Orders

Manglalica Tonkatsu - S$ 39.00

I waited for a year to try this dish. So its thick and a bit pinkish... for S$39.00, I was expecting sparks to fly on the first bite but unfortunately it didn't happen. It just didn't have the taste, texture and experience that I was expecting. I'd order the normal hire or katsu cuts the next time I visit. 

Cheese Mille-Feuille Katsu Set (Deep-fried Multi-layered Sliced Pork Cutlet with Cheese) - S$30

So wifey ordered the mille-feuille with cheese again. This was unintentional but it just really looks good in the menu... How can you resist pork and cheese in the same dish. The set came with the mandatory shredded cabbage and miso soup (which by the way is superb) and "brown" rice.

Price and Value

All-in-all the bill amounted to SGD 70++ which isn't so bad but I think something is a bit lost now with Tonkatsu ma Maison. Service was never a strong suit and neither was it for this visit. Food is still better than good but it didn't have the same surprise of the first visit. 

Worse yet, the Sunday queue I associate with this place was gone when I visited. I got there at 12:30 noon and was expecting to wait. We just went inside with no probelm whatsoever. Hope they revitalize the restaurant else this will be a restaurant I will miss if and when it closes.

Rating:

Food - 4

Ambiance - 3.5

Value - 3.5

Service - 3

Overall 3.5 of 5

Repeat Factor (No!! No! Yes Yes! Yes!!): 

Yes

Official Website: n/a
Address: 333A Orchard Road, #02-35/36 Mandarin Gallery
Tel no: +65 6733 4541

Tonkatsu Ma Maison

Tonkatsu Ma Maison (Score: 4 out of 5)

Tonkatsu Ma Maison is a Japanese tonkatsu restaurant located inside Mandarin Gallery. I have seen this place before already but this is my first visit where I actually tried their food. Everytime that we did pass this place, there was a queue and I always say "Man that's a PRAWN!"

Note: I will be mentioning Tonkitchi several times. Tonkichi is another tonkatsu based Japanese restaurant that is famous here in Singapore. I'll review it next time.

The Menu

The menu of Tonkatsu Ma Maison is quite simple. Actually I think they do lack some options for appetizers or items like chawanmushi but nevertheless, I'm a believer of simple menus as it presents a notion that the restaurant specializes on certain items only. 

That was very true for this resto. They specialize in tonkatsu and the giant prawn is just an extra. No ramen, no sushi, no bbq, just deep fried tonkatsu, prawns, and oysters). I don't even think they have chicken dishes.

Our Orders

Cheese Mille-Feuille Katsu Set (Deep-fried Multi-layered Sliced Pork Cutlet with Cheese)

DX Mameton Set (Deep fried prawn, pork loin, and pork fillet)

Before starting with the meal, you do get a choice of "sauces":

1. Regular tonkatsu sauce with sesame seed (similar to Tonkitchi)
2. Spicy tonkatsu sauce with sesame seed
3. Sesame sauce 

There is also mustard served along in the plate plus the prawn had a special "tartar" like dip.

So Lynn ordered the mille-feuille with cheese and I of course ordered the prawn and pork combination. She also had brown rice which is an available option for all sets. The drink, rice, and salad are refillable.

I wanted to order the 2 piece prawn but felt it was just too much at almost SGD 40. And anyway the aim was just to taste it.

The prawn is just heavenly. It's crunchy, flavorful, fresh, non-oily, and meaty. Though comparing this with tempura is unfair but its just a no contest. I'll have this any day over any ebi tempura that I've had so far. 

As for the pork. Lynn and I think that it's a tad better than Tonkichi. I think it has a distinct taste that is different and just a tad bit juicier as well. Also, the pork with cheese is a lot better than the normal pork disk that I had.

Next time I will try the Iberico Pork Katsu or Mangalica Tonkatsu.

Price and Value

All-in-all the bill amounted to SGD 71.00 which I think was worth it. I think we could have just ordered one dish and shared and probably just order extra rice or an ala carte order of something else. SGD 30++ seems to be the norm now for most good restaurants in singapore. I also think that although we had 2 orders, we could have probably shared the food still with another friend.

Rating:

Food - 4

Ambiance - 4

Value - 3.5

Service - 4

Overall 4 of 5

Repeat Factor (No!! No! Yes Yes! Yes!!): 

Yes!

Restaurant details:
Official Website: n/a
Address: 333A Orchard Road, #02-35/36 Mandarin Gallery
Tel no: +65 6733 4541