Europa-ken Tsuruga Shop (敦賀ヨーロッパ軒 中央店) in Tsuruga, Fukui

I visited several times over the years and most recently at their main shop in Fukui City. Since Sauce Katsu is such a famous Fukui dish, we wanted to show a visiting friend the premier example of it at Europa-ken, this time in Tsuruga. I was recommended the ? mince breaded cutlet or the mix bowl this time. Of all the times I’ve been here, I’ve never had anything other than their regular breaded sauce pork cutlet, so I decided to try the sampler bowl that is the Mix Bowl, which has one slice of chicken, fish, and mince for 1100￥ ($10 USD).

I actually like this mixed bowl way better than their regular katsu bowl! Of note, the chicken was surprisingly juicy and the mince was surprisingly soft, with the light, saucy, crunchy breading complementing the softness of the meat. The fish cutlet was also good and gave a nice fishy contrast to the other meatier slices. The rice portion, as always, was plentiful and gave the bowl a decent value. I only wish they provided a side dish of their delicious sauce like when you order the katsu teishoku set since I like mine a little saucier.

While I still say that there may be other pork cutlets I like better elsewhere, their mix bowl by far has me really impressed and I would be more than happy to have it again next time!

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Ichijodani Asakura Roadside Station (道の駅 一乗谷あさくら水の駅) in Abanakajimacho, Fukui

Just recently, I reviewed Europa-ken, the main store that is said to have popularized Sauce Katsudon in Fukui Prefecture. It was certainly amazing, savory, rich, and delicious, but is there another restaurant that could possibly challenge it for taste?

Surprisingly, here is one such restaurant in Abanakajimacho, Fukui, located at the Ichijodani Asakura Roadside Station (Michi-no-Eki). I was recommended it by a friend of mine who leaves nearby.

While it just maybe one small part of the building, it has nice views of the outside and amazing food inside!

I ordered their #3 Katsu Teishoku Set which comes with a small cold soba, sauce katsu, and rice for 1300￥ ($12 USD).

While the soba was merely good, the katsu was outstanding! It was lightly crispy and had a thick crunch, not to mention the thick pork tasted softer and juicier than Europa-ken’s. The sauce, too, was a bit sweeter, coupled with the slice of lime for a hint of tartness.

This was subjectively better for me than most other katsu places I’ve been to and I will definitely keep it bookmarked for when I pass through again!

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Europa-ken Main Shop (ヨーロッパ軒 総本店) in Fukui City, Fukui

Sauce Katsudon is one of the most famous dishes in Fukui Prefecture. Essentially, it consists of fried, breaded pork cutlets, covered in a sweet, savory Worcestershire-like sauce, over a bed of rice. Simple, satisfying and delicious, what’s not to love?

Every shop in Fukui has a bit of a different take on the food, offering different breading consistencies, thicker or wider pork cutlets, and very different sauces. One can visit the numerous restaurants serving it across the prefecture for a different, unique taste every time.

Europa-ken claims to be the first restaurant to serve it in Fukui, opening in January 1924 on Katamachi Street in Fukui City, Fukui. The main shop is still located there, so I decided to check out the place that made Sauce Katsudon so famous

I actually visited Europa-ken’s many locations in Fukui several times, but this was my first visit to the main store. I was greeted warmly and I saw a very familiar menu. I only needed to say “Katsu…” before the lady confirmed my order as the ever-popular Katsudon Set (1150￥ / $10.60 USD).

The bowl had three slices of finely-breaded katsu and lovely, fluffy rice. While they were already soaked in flavor, for more of that rich sauce, you can dip the katsu in it or pour it over; there is no wrong way to enjoy it. Either way, the set was well worth the price for tasting the original Sauce Katsudon.

Now, would I say this is the best Sauce Katsudon in all of Fukui? While it certainly is a contender, there are other amazing shops all around. Look forward to more of my saucy reviews soon!

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Nakau (なか卯) Chain Restaurants

Nakau is a huge, nation-wide chain of "Kyoto-style" udon and rice bowls from Osaka. Given that I could find it everywhere, I never had the inclination to visit. Not to mention, their menu options of rice bowls and Kyoto-style udon didn’t sound particularly interesting.

“Kyoto-style,” or more commonly known as “Kansai-style,” differentiates itself from the Kanto (Tokyo) variant by using a lighter soy sauce and seaweed broth. “Kanto-style” uses a darker soy sauce and fish-based broth. This generally means Kansai udon is lighter and has a nice non-fishy, umami savory taste.

So when they recently offered their Granblue Fantasy collaboration, I figured it was time to try it. (To be fair, it wasn’t for me.) I sadly missed out on their Evangelion collaboration earlier this year… woe is me.

While their beef and chicken bowls are good, undoubtedly the star to me is their Kyoto-style chicken udon, which is surprisingly way more deliciously light and full of chicken flavor than I expected. Of all the (admittedly not *that* many) variants of udon I've had, this was one of the more unique ones. If I had known their chicken udon was this good, I definitely would've stopped by earlier!

Nakau is just another great example of finding good food all over Japan, even at chain restaurants.

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.