Katsuya is a Japanese fusion restaurant that specializes in modern takes on tonkatsu . It's a bit hard to find, due to its semi-obscure location in a tiny plaza just north of Finch station, but definitely worth the effort.

While the food is Japanese-inspired, the personnel here is unmistakably Korean. You can even hear K-pop songs playing as you sit within the restaurant's four modern minimalistic walls.

The Curry Karaage Thigh ($5.50) is your standard fried chicken appetizer taken up a notch. The fact that it uses dark meat means that each piece is extremely tender. It was missing a dipping sauce, though that was quickly rectified when I requested one and was promptly presented with a wasabi mayonnaise dip.

The Cheese Crabmeat Croquette ($5.50) is just insanely delicious. Packed full of warm mozzarella and crabmeat, along with potatoes and onions with a touch of honey for that slight twang of sweetness, it's immensely satisfying and undoubtedly the go-to appetizer here.

The must-order dishes here are the tonkatsus. The Katsuya Original, with pork loin meat and cheese ($14.75), is a good way to start the journey. The thick light-brown sauce contains a mixture of ten vegetables, five seasonal fruits, and six herbs. It's a rich, savoury sauce punctuated with an undercurrent of fruity sweetness. The meat itself is tender and fried perfectly.

Those who want to kick it up a notch should order the White Snow Chili Katsu. The base sauce is similar to the other one but it has a lot more zing to it. Mixed with lots of cheese and pork tenderloin ($15.90), it's akin to getting the original version on steroids.

The Carbonara Katsu comes with a creamy, bacon-and-seafood infused cream sauce on a chicken cutlet ($16.50). It's a rich dish reminiscent of a much more opulent version of a Chicken Kiev.

My personal favourite is the Terri Mayo Katsu which I get with the double cheese pork tenderloin ($15.75). Stuffed with both mozzarella and cream cheese, the meat is ridiculously indulgent and buttery. Its top coating is layered with a sweet teriyaki sauce and bonito flakes, creating a wonderful takoyaki -like flavour that surprisingly works.

If you need a break from all the fried goodness, go for the Katsuya Udon ($10.99). Simple but satisfyingly chewy udon noodles come in a nice 48-hour marinated bone broth, served alongside some breaded shrimp.

Posted by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. When not writing for blogTO he can usually be found tweeting here or delaying mealtimes indefinitely by posting pictures here . Photos by Hector Vasquez.