Saboten Tonkatsu Changi Airport T1

My quest to find the best tonkatsu brought me to Saboten at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

I’ve always wanted to try Saboten after hearing so much about it. Many people have been telling me that it is their favourite tonkatsu restaurant in Singapore. I am embarrassed that it took me so long to go there, but I am happy to say that I finally had the chance to drop by to sample some of the signature items on the menu.

The question now is, does Saboten have the best tonkatsu in Singapore?

From pork loin, to shrimp, to salmon, and Japanese curry, Saboten has many things to offer. I was tempted by everything on the menu, so we ordered quite a few dishes. The food came after a while, and it was quite a magnificent sight as they filled up the entire table. We had Loin Katsu ($23), Loin Katsu Curry ($19.5), Tonkatsu Asparagus Cheese Roll, Loin Katsudon ($20), Salmon Katsu ($20), and Oyster Katsu.

I was very excited to see the Loin Katsu ($23). I quickly picked up a piece of the gorgeous pork loin with my chopsticks, and took a bite.

It was good. But not out-of-this-world good. I was slightly disappointed. Maybe I was expecting too much, but it did not blow me away.

Then, we had a Katsu with Asparagus Cheese Roll. It was essentially asparagus and melted cheese stuffed within crispy katsu. This was followed by the Deep-Fried Oyster Katsu, and Salmon Katsu.

The oysters were not too bad; it didn’t have any fishy taste. The Salmon Katsu ($20), on the other hand, was surprisingly good. I was quite skeptical initially as I thought that it would be too dry.

I was wrong, of course. Saboten’s Salmon Katsu managed to retain the moistness of the fish, and it wasn’t dry at all. That being said, I probably wouldn’t order this on my own because a) I don’t really fancy deep-fried salmon, and b) I need to save room for the pork loin.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Loin Katsudon ($20). Huge chunks of meat buried under the thick and fluffy eggs. There’s only one word to describe this: YUM.

Another of my favourite dish is the Loin Katsu Curry ($19.5). It combined the sweet Japanese curry with breaded pork loin. I could eat this for lunch everyday.

Saboten is definitely one of the better tonkatsu restaurants in Singapore, but it is not my favourite. I still prefer other places like Tampopo, Tonkichi, and Tonkatsu by Ma Maison.

Having said that, I can see myself coming back as the food is generally good, and reasonably-priced. I am kind of glad that I am not staying in the East, otherwise I would probably be eating tonkatsu very often.

Saboten
80 Airport Boulevard
#031-004 Departure Check-in Hall Level 3
Changi Airport Terminal 1
Tel: +65 6214 9504
Daily: 8am – 10.30pm

Note: This was an invited media tasting.

Featured in

icon-30