When a friend of mine told me about Saboten serving tonkatsu in Aberdeen exactly like how Japanese comic book described, I was skeptical. After all, I was hyped about the newly opened Saku on Broadway at the time. Despite the style difference, Saboten serves tonkatzu (deep fried pork cutlet) comparable to Saku. They are located on the 3rd floor food court of Aberdeen Centre in Richmond.
Strength: Ton-katsu with fluff-crispy exterior and tender interior
Weakness: Staff can be a little more friendly
Other Pork Cutlet Places
- Saku on Broadway (3.5 Stars)
- Japanese Bistro Hatzu (3 Stars)
Food court view of Saboten
Saboten is a Japanese pork cutlet (ton-) franchise that was founded in 1966 in Tokyo. Their name of “Saboten” means ‘cactus’ in Japanese because the founder wants the business to flourish even in the hardest condition. Saboten has turned into one of the largest pork cutlet chain with over 500 locations throughout the world. This Saboten is opened in partnership with the Fairchild (owner of Aberdeen Mall) in January 2012.
Food Models in front
Saboten have wax model of their food in front to give patrons a preview of the size and appearance of the food you are about to order. They may not have exact dolor and look, but generally represent the food I got quite well.
Saboten Eating Instruction
The instruction explained you can either pour the sauce over your pork cutlet or dip them. It also explained some of the ingredients like yuzu sauce, tartar sauce, and sesame.
Stamp card system
They have a stamp card system, but I did not receive one. Here is a picture to share how it works. Unlike in most Japanese restaurants, the Cantonese staff taking the order doesn’t seem very enthusiast about their food. Don’t get too hung up on the service here. Their food is what we are here for.
Tenderloin Tonkatzu Set
My Tenderloin set comes with 3 pieces of acceptable-sized tenderloin, cabbage salad, soup and rice. On the top left, we have the preserved cucumber that is crunchy with a bit of salty, sweet and sour taste.
The Pork Tenderloin Katzu
These three pieces of pork tenderloin katzu are a bit small, but acceptable. The exterior color is a little on the light side, and does not have consistent color. My experience with the staff and the unappetizing appeal made me even more sure that my friend had bad taste for food.
Interior of tenderloin katzu
I picked up half of the already-cut pieces of . The interior looks quite dry, but the exterior batter looks reasonable thin. I took a bite and completely changed my bias opinion about Saboten’s . The exterior batter is so fluffy that they simply crumble as I bite into the fresh crunchiness. Then, they just break off without any resistance from the meat. There isn’t much undesirable pork to the meat. This tenderloin is such a treat.
sauce with ground sesame
The tonkatzu sauce is meant to be poured into the ground sesame for added flavour. I like this added layer of eating ritual, but was unable to pick out any sesame flavour. However, the tonkatzu sauce has a strong flavour. It made my tonkatzu more mouthwatering.
Thinly sliced cabbage salad
I was surprised on how thin these cabbages are sliced. They are fresh and crispy. The yuzu sauce on the side combined with these cabbages are very refreshing to eat in between my tonkatzu adventure.
604 Food Critic Assessment
Saboten is the biggest franchise in Japan. Unfortunately not a lot of us have heard about them. Because of that, I am considering Saboten a hidden gem in Richmond. Hiring Cantonese to take the order result in loss of true Japanese franchise experience. It’s such a shame that this action gave customer a false first impression that the food may not taste authentic. The $11.50 price point them much more affordable than Saku. I have no problem recommending Saboten for anyone who visits food court.
Menu
How to get in touch
- Phone: (604) 295-9351
- Address: 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond
- Hours: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm, Thursday to Sunday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
