When it comes to Japanese cuisine, many westerners immediately think of sushi or sashimi. But in Japan and Korea, another popular dish is katsu, which is a deep fried pork or chicken cutlet cut into strips. Nikki Lee worked in restaurants in Korea for years. When she came to Canada in 2011, she saw there were no katsu restaurants in Calgary. She wanted to be the first, so she opened Katsuten in the fall of 2016. “It’s unfamiliar, so in the past, businesses weren’t successful,” says Nikki. “Asians are familiar with katsu but businesses can’t just cater to Asians; it has to be for everyone. Now, people know more about Asian food. They know what katsu is and they know about Japanese culture and its foods. So I thought now it’s time to feature it on a menu.”
Nikki likens it to ramen noodle restaurants where no one knew what it was at first, but once it became more popular, more restaurants sprung up. Katsuten is the trailblazer and Nikki understands there will be some education needed. “It’s hard to be the first to open your doors,” she says. “People hesitate to order the katsu, so they order udon first because they are familiar with that. I let them try something familiar and then I let them try something unfamiliar. When they try it, they like it so next time they order katsu.”
