Katsubi Donburi

Für uns Europäer ungewohntes Konzept. Eine Schüssel mit Reis, beliebige Auswahl an Salat, 2 Saucen und 2 marinierte Fleischsorten nach Wahl. Hat super geschmeckt. Laden sauber, Service freundlich. Ein ständiges kommen und gehen. Der Laden läuft!

Well ok a donburi place. It’s pretty clean and the waiters are very friendly. But it remains a standard donburi with fried and sweet port and unhealthy meats. Sure you do have the salad beneath to give you good conscious, but your belly, won’t have a good one. Average. Just a hunger filler

I never really jumped on the sushi train. I always much preferred my Asian food warm and served in a big pile. This preference turned me away from Japanese food, not that I thought sushi was the only thing on the Japanese menu, but I just had a negative first impression. I was pleased to discover Katsubi Donburi, the mid town specialists of the Japanese dish donburi. It has the benefits of sushi (convenient, reasonably priced, healthy) and they serve it in a pile. Considering where this place is located and how good the food is, I am surprised that the prices are as low as they are. Spicey chicken teriyaki is my favourite, it might be the only one that I have ever tried, but I am so boring it is all I ever order.

There’s no doubt that Japanese food has become crazy popular over the last 10 years or so. I’m sure when I was a toddler I wouldn’t have had a clue what sushi was, and the other day I heard a 3 year old ask their mum for some Nori. I suppose it’s a good thing because I was just eating chicken nuggets!
Anyway, everyone knows sushi, but not everyone know the Donburi style way of eating. Katsubi is the best place to try it.
This store is conveniently located on High Street, making it really accessible to those working in the inner city. It’s a make your own deal, where you pick from rice or noodles and then add meats, vegetables and sauces. All f the ingredients are super fresh and delicious, and the portion size is pretty massive — it usually lasts me two meals!
The staff are lovely and the restaurant is really clean and fresh. There is sushi as well and it is really good, but I recommend giving something new a go.

Okay, I’ve had donburi before. I get what it’s about. I understand it. I’ve even been to Japan, just to reinforce my donburi credibility.
Have you ever been to Japan, Katsubi? Do you know what donburi is?
Because WHY ARE YOU PUTTING PINEAPPLE AND POTATO SALAD IN IT?
Seriously. This place makes donburi but is set up like a Subway, with all the stuff in troughs behind glass. Which is fine, I can live with that. But when they asked if I wanted ‘all the salads’, I assumed that meant ‘do you want both lettuce and grated carrot’, not ‘do you want twenty-​five different and unrelated things, at least seventeen of which will clash horribly with each other’. Ugh. Just, ugh. I mean I don’t want to sound like a purist, but Japanese cuisine is based around refinement and subtlety, not piling crap upon crap until you get some deformed amalgam which you then try to pass of as a meal. You can get decent donburi all over central Auckland, but not on this particular corner.
And seriously, pineapple? Seriously?!

It’s a causal, functional vibe at Katsubi, and the service is friendly and incredibly prompt.
As the name suggests, Katsubi specializes in the Japanese dish donburi — fish, meat, and vegetables simmered in a special sauce and served over rice. Which is fine in winter, but I can’t stand it in the warmer weather.
But that’s okay because they also do what I like to think of as a warm-​weather version — with rice as a base and toppings you choose yourself, like salad vegetables, meat, and sauces on top. The lunchtime special is a great deal (around $ 10 from memory) and it’s good quality, simple, healthy, generously-​portioned food.