May I Present to You, Mr. Katsu

Mr. Katsu

3165 Yorba Linda Blvd. 

Fullerton, CA 92831

Do you hate going to the dentist? Just like you, I'm not really fond of some guy poking around my mouth, drilling into my jaw, or sucking out my spit through a tube, (sorry, I know this is not the most appetizing way to be starting off a restaurant review, especially a restaurant that I actually liked).

Going to the dentist gets me out of my normal routine a bit by placing me in North OC right around lunchtime. This, in turn, gives me a chance to try a new place for lunch. An added bonus on this trip was that my new boss was going to be joining me on this little restaurant adventure. Melissa is one hundred times better than my old boss, who thankfully was put out to pasture last year.

Anyways, we decided to meet up at Mr. Katsu, which I've wanted to try forever. It's located along Yorba Linda Boulevard, in the same shopping center as Vendome Liquor, Gem Supermarket, and a bunch of smaller storefronts. From what I've been able to learn Mr. Katus has been here since late in 2014, and in those five-plus years they have amassed quite a following. They have over 1100 reviews and a four and a half star rating on Yelp. They were also called one of the best surprising sandwiches in OC by Orange Coast Magazine.

Mr. Katsu can best be described as a Japanese fusion restaurant that takes pork cutlets and incorporates them into one of their 11 sandwiches. Not a fan of pork? They also have chicken cutlets or grilled chicken as options. Prices range between $9 to $11 for the sandwiches. They also have a version of Korean loaded fries, a Korean fusion bowl, and potato puffs. Ordering is done at the counter and then you find a seat at one of the ten or so tables. Not really anything too remarkable about the dining area, but Melissa and I were hoping that the food could be described that way. Let's check it out.

I was a little worried that these WTFF Fries ($9), AKA What The Frick Fries were going to be just a gimmicky Instagram dish, but after the first bite, I was proved wrong. The fries were your basic fast-food french fry, but the marinated beef kalbi, sauteed kimchi, and party sauce topping this elevated ho-hum fries into something magical. The short rib kalbi was nicely flavored, and the kimchi was mellower than I imagined it would be. I'm not entirely sure what the party sauce was, maybe mayo-based with some Sriracha thrown in, but it did a great job of tieing everything together. Definitely worth ordering when visiting Mr. Katsu. 

As if we did not have enough potatoes with the fries above, we also got five Potato Puffs ($3) to share. These were better than the fries. They had a decent crunchy outer shell and had an almost mashed potato feel to them on the inside. We got the regular, but I will try the curry-flavored next time I visit. The only drawback with these was that there was an odd number served, and with just the two of us, it was going to be a little uncomfortable about who was going to have the last one. Melissa ended the stalemate by snagging the last one without even offering to split it. Rude.

After the potato puff incident above, I knew there was going to be no way that Melissa was going to share a bite of her Chipotle Asiago Sandwich ($11). This pork cutlet came with chipotle aioli, asiago cheese, and plenty of coleslaw. She really enjoyed this spicy sandwich. The cheese did seem to get a little lost here, maybe due to the fact that there was so much slaw on this. The thick bread, maybe egg bread, was soft and a great vessel for the sandwiches. It did a great job of keeping everything together. She'd definitely come back and try other sandwiches next time. Just don't expect her to share.

My selection was what they claim is their most popular, the Habanero Pesto Sandwich ($10). This also came with a pork cutlet, as well as more coleslaw, pesto, and habanero aioli. This sandwich had a much bigger spicy kick than I was expecting. It did not overpower, but it lingered on the back end of each bite. I'd probably ask for extra next time. The pesto was a nice touch and made me realize that I do not have pesto nearly enough. The pork cutlet was moist and flavorful with a nice crunch to the outside of it. It's easy to see why this would be such a popular sandwich at Mr. Katsu.

This was a great find and I can see why they get so much love from everyone. Even though both Melissa and I got pretty basic sandwiches, they were delicious and pretty filling. Prices were very fair for the amount of food that you receive. Yes, the dining area is a little sparse, but you are here for the sandwiches, not the ambiance. I look forward to trying their Bacon Avocado and the Bleu Cheese Buffalo the next time I'm in the area around lunchtime, maybe in six months when my next dental appointment is scheduled.

Out of five hornets, (in honor of Fullerton College, who's mascot is Buzzy the Hornet, and it's one of the numerous JC's that I attended), five being best to zero being worst, Mr. Katsu gets 3.5 hornets.

Mr. Katsu does not have a website, but you can find more info about them on their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-katsu-fullerton-3