Eat your way around Kumamoto! Gourmet food that you can only get here with good time performance

Hatsumi Ito
A gourmet blogger who eats and drinks at more than 400 restaurants a year. She posts gourmet information on various SNS accounts, mainly X (@hatsu823).
Host of the online salon "Tokyo Gourmet Salon" limited to 140 people. "Gourmet is communication" is her life theme.

*Prices include tax.

Thick yet surprisingly soft deep-fried pork cutlet at Tonkatsu Katsuretsutei AMU Plaza Kumamoto branch

On the 7th floor of AMU Plaza Kumamoto, the station building directly connected to Kumamoto Station, there is a specialty restaurant where you can enjoy authentic Kumamoto-style tonkatsu.

"Tonkatsu Katsuretsutei Amu Plaza Kumamoto Branch" is a popular restaurant where you can taste exquisite pork cutlets made with carefully selected ingredients by skilled craftsmen. It is crowded with many customers during lunch time.

The cheerful and energetic staff will welcome you. The spacious restaurant has 58 seats, including comfortable table seats and counter seats where you can dine in peace even if you are alone.

All orders are made via touch panel. The first thing brought to your table is homemade "takana" (greens). Enjoy this as an appetizer with a drink while you wait for your meal to be prepared.

Then, the most popular dish that is loved as the taste of Katsuretsu-tei, "Specially selected deep-fried pork cutlet" and a large fried shrimp set "Thick Fried Rokuhaku Kurobuta Pork Loin Cutlet and Large Shrimp Set (180g 3,850 yen)" was introduced. Rice, cabbage, and red miso soup are free to refill.

The "Atsuage Tonkatsu" is made with traditional craftsmanship, and is surprisingly thick, yet juicy and tender. It is deep-fried at a low temperature for 15 minutes. The large shrimp is so big that it overflows from the plate!

It is coated with coarsely ground breadcrumbs that go perfectly with the pork, and fried in a specially blended original oil. Enjoy it while it's hot! We recommend starting off with a simple taste, seasoned with rock salt. The golden crust is crispy, the meat is crunchy, and the juices ooze out afterwards, creating a blissful taste.

The premium Kagoshima Roppakuro pork loin we use is packed with richness and flavor, and the fat has a sweet taste.

There are two types of sauce available, Western and Japanese, the Western sauce is rich and thick with a slight sourness that brings back memories, while the Japanese sauce is light and soy sauce-based, and when combined with ground sesame seeds, it is flavorful and goes perfectly with rice.

The heavy fried shrimp is aptly named "giant shrimp." When you bite into it, the crispy batter is packed with flavor and the homemade tartar sauce has just the right balance of sourness and sweetness, bringing out the flavor of the shrimp.

Enjoy the fun of trying a variety of different flavors at once, such as rock salt, grated daikon, and two types of sauce. Please enjoy the flavors of this long-established restaurant that is always trying new things while preserving traditional techniques and flavors.

Tonkatsu Katsuretsutei AMU Plaza Kumamoto branch

Ajisen Hinokuni Chubo: A new dining experience where you can easily enjoy the flavors of a long-established restaurant in Kumamoto

Tonkotsu ramen is a representative dish of Kyushu. If you visit Kumamoto, you should not miss out on the "Kumamoto Ramen."

Located in the food court on the sixth floor of AMU Plaza Kumamoto, Ajisen Hinokuni Kitchen is a dining establishment where you can casually enjoy Kumamoto's local cuisine, such as Kumamoto Ramen and Taipingyen. It is loved by many customers, from individuals to students and families, and is loved by locals and tourists alike.

"Tai Ping Yen" (980 yen), a familiar school lunch menu item in Kumamoto, is a must-try! It is a healthy noodle dish with a variety of ingredients such as vegetables and seafood, and glass noodles. It is also colorful with Chinese cabbage, bamboo shoots, shrimp, squid, pork, wood ear mushrooms, and fried boiled eggs in hoopi tan.

The tonkotsu soup is rich and flavorful, with a gentle, comforting taste. The flavor of the tonkotsu spreads throughout your mouth with each taste, but the aftertaste is clean.

The glass noodles have absorbed the soup just right, giving them a chewy texture and a smooth, chewy texture that is likely to become addictive. The textures change with each bite, from the crispness of the vegetables to the firmness of the shrimp and squid, making it fun to try.

Of course, don't forget the classic "Kumamoto Ramen (780 yen)." The color and aroma of the chili oil, two large slices of pork char siu, and a boiled egg topped with wood ear mushrooms are the defining features of Kumamoto ramen.

First, let's try a sip of the soup. The rich, fragrant tonkotsu soup is combined with chili oil to remove any unpleasant odor, and the strong garlic flavor is sure to whet your appetite.

The original noodles are made from a blend of several carefully selected wheat flours, and are medium-thick, straight, and crisp. They are flavorful and easy to swallow, and go well with the rich, mellow tonkotsu soup.

A side dish that goes well with this is the baked xiaolongbao (4 pieces for 580 yen). The crispy skin is packed with juicy meat, making it extremely satisfying to eat. Adding vinegar adds just the right amount of sourness, making it an addictively delicious dish.

In addition to Kumamoto ramen and Taipingyen, you can easily enjoy Kumamoto's local cuisine at this innovative dining establishment. Enjoy the Kumamoto gourmet cuisine that can only be found here.

Ajisen Fire Country Kitchen