Saboten Canada - Richmond

Had the curry tonkatsu meal with rice, pickles, and miso soup for lunch. For $10 it was a good deal. Predictable and reliable comfort food - Japanese style. Pork cutlets needed to be flatter and could have been more generous with portion size. Good flavour and textures.

I was back to Aberdeen Centre again, the last time 3 days ago. I had an eye check up across the street around noon time and by the time I finished my examination it was around 1:00 PM.I did my usual walk around the food court and decided on having lunch at Saboten after reading about the history of the restaurant on the poster board.I ordered the #10 - loin katsu curry set for $8.98 taxes included. The set included miso soup, pickles, shredded cabbage, rice and breaded fried pork with lots of curry sauce.The menu also has a tenderloin katsu curry set. The only difference other than a price difference of $.25 is the loin katsu comes from a “fattier cut” of meat.There was nothing special about the miso soup and pickles. They were just okay.The pork katsu was okay – it wasn’t overcooked. The star of the dish was the curry sauce a little bit sweet and a bit spicy.The approximate 6 ounces portion size was okay but I could have probably eaten another 3 or 4 pieces of pork.The order took about 8-10 minutes to prepare.I was satisfied with my lunch – tasty because of the sauce and the portion size was okay for the price paid. Overall, I would rate the food experience a 3.25 out of 5.Notes & Tips• You can check the website for menu• There is a $.25 cent charge for a water cup• Credit cards are accepted at this outlet• Small limited menu• Food court outlets include the following:• Cantonese – including congee• Szechuan• Singaporean / Malaysian• Korean• Japanese • Vietnamese (not open yet) • In addition to the food court outlets, there are at least 8 other restaurants and a bakery mostly near the south side of the mall.• Large indoor parkade but it can be hard to find parking on weekends.It’s been reported by other reviewers that they have received parking tickets for overstaying. The website states there are 4 parking levels with parking time limits from 1 hour (level P1), up to 3 hours on P2 & P3 and 4 hours on level P4. However, be sure to look at the signs posted on the parkade walls.• Check out the mall’s website for additional information.• This was the 2nd time in a couple of weeks that I have eaten at a Japanese chain / franchise restaurant; the previous one being Pepper Lunch – a teppanyaki style restaurant. Both of these chains have its beginnings in Japan and both have its first Canadian restaurant in Richmond. See my review of Pepper Lunch.• This mall is located in the suburb of Richmond next to Vancouver approximately 9 miles (15 kilometres) from downtown Vancouver. At one time it was reputedly the largest Asian-themed mall in North America.• The most “painless” way to get to this shopping centre / food court is via the Canada Line tram system.If you’re leaving from downtown Vancouver you can take the Canada Line at the Waterfront (first station – downstairs, corner of Granville and Hastings Street, across the street from Birks jewellery store) or City Centre (Pacific Centre Mall – corner of Granville and Georgia Street) across the street and downstairs from the London Drugs store.Be sure that you get on the Canada Line that goes to Brighouse and not YVR Airport otherwise you’ll have to transfer to the Brighouse tram at the RiverRock Casino (first stop over the bridge in Richmond). Trains for Brighouse and the airport will alternate leaving the station. Regardless, listen to the PA system that announce the train’s arrival time and where its final destination will be – YVR or Brighouse Station – the last stop in Richmond.By Canada Line (Vancouver subway system & elevated tram in Richmond) it’s a 21 minute ride (10 stops from the Waterfront) to the Aberdeen Centre station. At the station, go down stairs and you will be on Number 3 Road; head right and then another right on Cambie Road and you will arrive at Aberdeen Centre on your right after a short walk. To enter the mall you have 2 choices; via the parkade entrance or make another right and go through the main entrance on Hazelbridge Way. It shouldn’t take you more than 5-10 minutes to walk from the Canada Line station to the mall.• Canada Line Transit Fare Depending on the day – weekend or weekday and time of travel the Canada Line fare will vary. Prime time/rush hour starts when first service begins and ends at 6:30 PM.Vancouver to Richmond is considered 2 zones during rush hour. The $4 fare is good for 90 minutes travel in any direction. Anytime after 6:30 and on weekends the fare is discounted to $2.75 fare.You may wish to consider a day pass ($9.75 fare); good all day from start of service to end of service that allows you to travel the complete transit system – buses, subway (Skytrain / Canada Line) or SeaBus. Your other option is to buy fare savers (book of 10 tickets at a discounted price – approx. 10% discount) for 1, 2 or 3 zones.• Across the street from Aberdeen Centre Mall is Yaohan Centre another Asian mall on a smaller scale and also has a food court. • The Lansdowne Mall is 1 stop later.• Canada Line’s last stop is at Brighouse Station and across the street from this station is another mall – Richmond Centre.

Saboten is a huge chain in Japan, I wouldn't review a branch there any more than I would a Denny's in the U.S. The Richmond branch is, I believe, the only one in Canada. That makes it review worthy.Saboten is in the food court in Aberdeen Centre. Keep that in mind, you're getting the food court experience in atmosphere. That said, the breaded and fried pork cutlet, or katsu, is excellent. Katsudon is probably my favorite meal of any you can name. Pure Japanese comfort food. I had katsudon, my wife had curry katsu. Both served with miso shiru and pickles. Japanese food heaven.

I wanted a Katsu Curry... but they had run out of curry... they said they would be getting more in a month! I enjoyed my tenderloin katsu... but I missed the curry!

Saboten offers a variety of well prepared "Tonkatsu" (Japanese style schnitzel) meals at a very good price. I had the pork loin and shrimp set, and it was excellent. The pork was juicy and tender and the "jumbo" shrimp was fresh and not over cooked. You gotta try it!