This Kyoto restaurant is perfecting Wagyu katsu in L.A. - BERITAJA

There is simply a circumstantial look of longing and mild despair that plagues the look of personification waiting for a array astatine a edifice successful the hr betwixt 7 and 8 p.m. If you hap to beryllium seated astatine 1 of the tables connected the patio astatine Ten No Meshi, the caller Wagyu katsu edifice connected Sawtelle Boulevard, it’s an look you will go acutely acquainted with. The group hovering about the entranceway will look without abandon, their eyeballs searing into your Wagyu for illustration laser beams for the entirety of the meal.

With hold times that regularly transcend an hour, you do not person the luxury of choosing your array erstwhile your sanction is yet called. Just transverse your fingers and toes that it’s inside, aliases that you’re successful a spot facing the backmost of the restaurant.

The luncheon crowd astatine Ten No Meshi successful Los Angeles.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Ten No Meshi is the first Los Angeles outpost of a Wagyu katsu master from Kyoto, Japan. It arrives astatine a clip of highest Wagyu successful Los Angeles, pinch the high-end beef filling everything from pitas to Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. It’s go a perfunctory luxury for finance bros and the benignant of diner who collects watches and shiny things that tally connected 4 wheels. Ten No Meshi is making what should beryllium a special-occasion indulgence a small much accessible to the remainder of us.

Like galore of the champion Japanese restaurants successful the world, Ten No Meshi adheres to an admirable level of specialization. The paper is built about sets of katsu, the Japanese crockery of panko-breaded and fried macromolecule — mostly pork aliases beef — served pinch rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage and the balanced of a condiment barroom connected each table.

There are sets of some A5 and American Wagyu, pork loin and tenderloin. At $57, the A5 whitethorn beryllium the about affordable Wagyu filet mignon successful town. But earlier the meat, location is seafood, and a small theater.

Every 5 minutes aliases so, the attraction of the full eating room shifts to whichever statement is about to person its first people of the set. A grinning server places a woven serving tray holding bowls of panko-crusted scallops nether a mesh dome onto the array past asks if you’re ready.

“Three, two, one, Ten No Meshi! Yoisho! Hotate dashimasu [scallops coming]!”

A 2nd server crowns each scallop pinch a generous scoop of ikura, delivering a piercing “yoisho” pinch each spoonful.

“‘Yoisho’ intends for illustration ‘let’s go,’” explains head Takeshi Yamamura. “You opportunity it erstwhile you put power and enthusiasm into something.”

The words are delivered pinch an enthusiasm that borders connected giddy, and the excitement permeates the eating room for illustration a interaction high.

The ikura are somewhat saccharine and umami forward, pinch gossamer membranes that burst and flood your rima pinch an aggravated brininess. Juicy and salty, they ace boost the earthy sweetness of the scallop, served arsenic a plump nugget nether a sheath of crunchy panko. If it were imaginable to bid a elephantine vessel of fried scallops and ikura for dinner, my full statement would person screamed “yoisho!”

The remainder of the group arrives successful a flurry of platters, plates and bowls. A sliced cutlet of beef aliases Kurobuta pork connected a raised ligament sheet pinch a heap of cabbage and a cup of demiglace. On the side, a vessel of steamed rice, miso soup, a mini crockery of grated daikon spiked pinch yuzu and different pinch a runny poached ovum meant for dipping. Each diner receives a basking chromatic to disregard aliases usage to decorativeness cooking the cutlets to desired doneness. On the array are self-serve containers of dashi soy sauce, ail soy sauce, some regular and spicy tonkatsu, brackish and wasabi. Everything but your, scallop, cutlet and the poached ovum could beryllium replenished by request, free of charge.

If you for illustration pork, the tenderloin is the much tender of the 2 disposable cuts, though connected aggregate occasions, the nutrient leeched each moisture successful the fryer and the panko breading wholly detached. But served arsenic katsudon, nether a deluge of saccharine and savory dashi broth, onions and beaten egg, the pork could beryllium a desirable embellishment to a mound of achromatic rice.

The Wagyu is the main characteristic of the menu, pinch some American and A5 that eat for illustration slabs of nutrient butter. The steaks are originated from some Miyazaki and Kagoshima — 2 Kyushu Island prefectures revered for their Wagyu. The nutrient is coated successful what Yamamura describes arsenic “special flour from Japan,” past dunked into “melted food from Japan” and breaded successful “a definite size of caller panko.” The cutlets are fried successful a bubbling vat of thenar oil, beef tallow and pork lard.

The Kurobuta Rosu Katsudon from Ten No Meshi.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The circumstantial size of caller panko creates an exaggerated, feathery coating for a delicate crunch. The American Wagyu, priced astatine $44, will fulfill those seeking the cornerstone traits of Waygu beef: heavy marbled and exceedingly tender pinch a robust, beefy flavor. If you could spend the upgrade, the A5 is simply a worthwhile indulgence, pinch succulent tiles of steak truthful supple and yielding, they about dissolve connected your tongue.

Yamamura insists that there’s nary incorrect measurement to eat the Wagyu katsu. Sear it connected the stone, if you wish. Swish it done the runny egg, past swipe it done the ail soy sauce. I for illustration to interchange bites of brackish and grated wasabi, pinch pieces dunked into the demiglace. Perhaps the condiment is simply a motion to the French origins of tonkatsu, created arsenic a Japanese twist connected côtelette de veau, a breaded veal cutlet pan-fried successful butter. The Ten No Meshi type of the mother condiment channels a silky tomato-meat gravy you could usage arsenic a dipping condiment for the Wagyu, aliases thing other connected the table.

If you portion beer, aliases admit the effervescence of bubbles while devouring a repast mostly prepared successful the heavy fryer, the hankering for an Asahi will travel connected accelerated and beardown mid meal. While Ten No Meshi waits for its brew and vino permit, location is fantabulous iced Sencha tea, grassy and refreshing capable to threat your palate backmost into a semblance of post-fried balance. And location is Ramune, the Japanese fizzy portion sealed pinch a solid marble. You usage the headdress to plunge the marble into the soul chamber, releasing the drink’s carbonation. It’s sweet, citrusy, and the marble rattles while you sip. Yoisho!