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Located in super central Shinjuku, Oroji still manages to be located just a little bit off the beat and path. 

Though it is probably in a similar proximity to most shops and restaurants located near the station, it is on this little side road which manages to (for whatever reason) be actually pretty quiet, which is nice in such a big city. 

It truly is prime real-estate, and a great hidden gem. It speaks to how they have been open since 1927!

Their hours are quite odd if I am being honest, but if you go in right around when they open or slightly before you should be able to get in no problem. 

It is a smaller shop but they have both counter and table seats, so bigger groups (around 4) also don’t have to worry. 

As in the name, Oroji specializes in Tonkatsu and they have only 5 menu items, a tonkatsu set, tonkatsu curry (their most popular dish and also what I ordered), tonkatsu sandwich, indian curry, and the only non-pork item which is ebi-fry (fried shrimp with tartar sauce). 

The reason their tonkatsu curry is popular is because it differs in the sense that A, is served in a bowl, and B, the tonkatsu is cut almost into an oval. 

It’s almost as if they cut the ends of the pork cutlet and only serve those, but even then I am still puzzled as to how they get in this shape. 

Regardless, it was very tasty and actually a fun way to eat it! Up until this point I was so used to just eating the normal, thinner tonkatsu that were cut into strips, but being able to pick up thick pieces like this gave me a bigger sense of satisfaction I felt. 

Despite them being so big however, they were perfectly juicy on the inside, and extremely crispy on the outside – your ideal tonkatsu. 

It had a bit of a thicker breading to it which I think added to the crunch, and instead of taking the pork out to give it that nice golden colour, my impression was that they left it in just a bit longer to almost take it past that a bit more (in a good way). 

And with this one would think it would sacrifice the pork’s tenderness, but it didn’t at all. Actually, it was shocking at how tender it was despite them being such thick pieces. 

The picture I took really doesn’t show the amount of food the bowl contained, but the bowl actually had quite a bit of depth to it. 

The rice was probably put down first and then curry was poured almost as if a castle moat surrounded it. 

The curry was quite soupy, and though I am a bit of a thick-curry connoisseur myself, the flavour was definitely there, and was actually very good for dipping the tonkatsu into. 

Perhaps the reason for putting it into a bowl is so they can make the curry soupier, or maybe it is because the soup is soupier they put it into a bowl? Regardless, it tasted great and I was able to get at it with a spoon easier than I would if on a plate, so I appreciated it. 

I am sure that their other menu items are great too, so I definitely want to make a trip back here. 

The location is excellent, and for this quality and price (the dish I ordered being around 1300 yen) it is hard to beat. This is a place I always recommend to people whether they live in Japan or not.

Ninety-nine years in Shinjuku earns it a place in my local Tokyo eating guide.

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