Best Chicken Katsu - Final Results and Rankings

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 00:00

The Chicken Katsu Classic took place on July 26, 2009. Nine of Oahu's best chicken katsu clashed in a WOW Grinds Blind Taste Test. For those that voted in the preliminary regional poll you helped select the top chicken katsu from each region on Oahu providing a wide range of ono katsu competitors. Unfortunately, the Honolulu region competitor, Sugoi's, was closed on Sunday, so we went with the second place vote-getter in the Honolulu region...Kent's Drive-in. In the end, the Central Oahu regional competitor, Young's Kalbee, won the first place spot by a supa narrow margin. Congratulations Central Oahu! A sub-battle that arose out of the regional online voting poll involved a duel between two different L&L locations...the original L&L on Liliha St. and the L&L at the Pearl City Wal-mart (the Leeward region competitor). The original L&L gracefully defeated the L&L Pearl City location hinting that maybe the original L&L never share all its secrets with the other locations. Anyways, click read more to see the full results table.

Click on a Judge to see their profile. Mouse over each Judge's score to see their comment explaining that score and a score breakdown. A complete list of judge's comments is located below the results table. Scoring was weighted with Taste=50%, Texture=30% and Presentation=20%. The highest score for each judge is highlighted in yellow. The second highest score for each judge is highlighted in brown.

Judge's Comments

#1 Young's Kalbee

Judge 1 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 9.

Judge 2 - Taste 6...Texture 5...Presentation 5. Korean style.

Judge 3 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Lots of chicken, juicy, decent crunch, good sauce, very different but good.

Judge 4 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Good sauce not thick but sweet, chicken was crispy, flavorful, and moist.

Judge 5 - Taste 5...Texture 4...Presentation 5. Meat was tender and sauce was interesting like a Korean clear sauce but it went well with the katsu.

Judge 6 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 5. Korea!

Judge 7 - Taste 9...Texture 8...Presentation 8. The chicken is marinated prior which results in very tender katsu. They don't give that much sauce. The breading falls off of the katsu but it maybe because the katsu is so tender.
Judge 8 - Taste 9...Texture 9...Presentation 9. Sauce good, chicken good, texture good. It was almost chicken katsu bliss!!! We need to ask for more sauce from here!
Judge 9 - Taste 7...Texture 5...Presentation 6. Not much chicken. Really thinly cut. Yobo style.
Judge 10 - Taste 9...Texture 9...Presentation 5. Yum! I like the crispiness! The sauce is good. Not regular katsu sauce.
Judge 11 - Taste 9...Texture 9...Presentation 9. Huge pieces, soft chicken with excellent crunch. Good taste with or without sauce.
Judge 12 - Taste 10...Texture 10...Presentation 10. Korean-style sauce. Crisp breading with tasty chicken. Different but flavorful.
Judge 13 - Taste 9...Texture 10...Presentation 9. Massive pieces. Crisp outside moist juicy inside. Tasty.
Judge 14 - Taste 9...Texture 8...Presentation 8. More Asian taste than fried chicken. Sweet sauce very watery. Small containers.

#2 The Original L&L (Liliha)

Judge 1 - Taste 9...Texture 8...Presentation 9. Great presentation, nice and crispy.

Judge 2 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 8.

Judge 3 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 9. Above average in about every way except crunch. Flavor, sauce, chicken texture and taste were all good.

Judge 4 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 7. Looks very crispy. Chicken was soft/moist not slimy. Wish it was a little crispier. Amount of breading good.

Judge 5 - Taste 7...Texture 8...Presentation 9. Looked and smelled good. Nice golden brown and crispy looking. Sauce is a little too sweet.

Judge 6 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Light sauce.

Judge 7 - Taste 8...Texture 7...Presentation 8. The chicken is flattened which provides a good balance between the breading and chicken. The sauce is tangy but not over powering. The breading has a lot of panko-hard on the roof of your mouth.
Judge 8 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. The breading had a nice texture to it and didn't over power the chicken. I like this one. They gave a lot of chicken katsu which was good.
Judge 9 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 8. L&L
Judge 10 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 7. I like the crispiness.
Judge 11 - Taste 6...Texture 7...Presentation 9. Good presentation. A little plain taste. Good crunch.
Judge 12 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Crisp breading. L&L sauce?
Judge 13 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 9. Thin but still juicy. Sauce was meh.
Judge 14 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 8. Good look. Runny sauce but ok. Could be crispier. Ok taste, was better than last.

#3 Grace's Inn

Judge 1 - Taste 7...Texture 8...Presentation 7.

Judge 2 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 7.
Judge 3 - Taste 6...Texture 5...Presentation 7. Average chicken, amazing sauce!

Judge 4 - Taste 6...Texture 4...Presentation 8. Chicken was a little slimy, not that crispy. Sauce makes it good, thick, sweet and tangy.

Judge 5 - Taste 9...Texture 9...Presentation 8. Sauce was perfect, IMO - thick, tangy, spicy, a little sweet and katsu was juicy, tender yet crunchy breading.

Judge 6 - Taste 8...Texture 7...Presentation 7.

Judge 7 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 8. I know it's just supposed to be about the katsu, but the combo katsu and chow fun is good. The sauce is smokey and good. The katsu itself is just ok.
Judge 8 - Taste 9...Texture 8...Presentation 9. Childhood memories revisited. I love the sauce! The chow fun added to the value of the plate. Overall was great.
Judge 9 - Taste 9...Texture 9...Presentation 9. Very good sauce. Nice plump piece of chicken and moist yet little bit crunchy. ONO.
Judge 10 - Taste 4...Texture 5...Presentation 5. Too much breading for me. Don't like the sauce.
Judge 11 - Taste 6...Texture 7...Presentation 8. Salty, tender, good size pieces, sauce was.
Judge 12 - Taste 10...Texture 9...Presentation 10. Grace's! Crisp breading, juicy chicken but slightly bland, but overall flavorful. Sauce is a little too ketchupy.
Judge 13 - Taste 6...Texture 5...Presentation 6. Rubbery, soggy coating.
Judge 14 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 8. Chicken - ok, so/so. Added noodles to boost plate but chicken was not great. Good sauce, thick, tangy almost like bbq sauce.

#4 Loco Moco Drive-in (Moanalua)

Judge 1 - Taste 6...Texture 7...Presentation 6.

Judge 2 - Taste 8...Texture 7...Presentation 8. Best one. Chicken thick and nice.

Judge 3 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 5. The most average of average katsu! Sauce had a little kick but very mundane.

Judge 4 - Taste 6...Texture 5...Presentation 5. Sauce was a little spicy,but good. Amount of breading on chicken good, but could be crispier.

Judge 5 - Taste 8...Texture 9...Presentation 9. Sauce was a little too sweet for me but katsu was crispy and tasty.

Judge 6 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8.

Judge 7 - Taste 7...Texture 6...Presentation 5. The sauce was smokey and if not for the sauce the katsu would be just ok. The texture was ok.
Judge 8 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Chicken good taste to it. Sauce runny but has a good taste to it. Texture good.
Judge 9 - Taste 6...Texture 7...Presentation 5.
Judge 10 - Taste 7...Texture 8...Presentation 5. I liked the breading - not too thick.
Judge 11 - Taste 7...Texture 6...Presentation 7. Tender, good tasting.
Judge 12 - Taste 9...Texture 9...Presentation 10. Good sauce. Nice presentation.
Judge 13 - Taste 7...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Nice meat to coating ratio. Moist.
Judge 14 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 7. Tastes like fried chicken. Not one of my faves. Sauce spicy, runny.

#5 Loco Moco Drive-in (Control Double)

Judge 1 - Taste 7...Texture 8...Presentation 7.

Judge 2 - Taste 6...Texture 6...Presentation 8. Sauce runny but tasty.

Judge 3 - Taste 4...Texture 6...Presentation 5. Bad chicken texture. Good crunch but a little too much breading. Poor, runny sauce.

Judge 4 - Taste 7...Texture 6...Presentation 7. Nice color. Very crispy outside and chicken soft. Sauce tastes like hot sauce, runny. Modest with breading.

Judge 5 - Taste 8...Texture 9...Presentation 8. Bread crumbs were fine and had flavor which is good. Sauce wasn't too over powering but was a little too watery.

Judge 6 - Taste 6...Texture 6...Presentation 9. Sauce too watery.

Judge 7 - Taste 5...Texture 4...Presentation 7. The katsu coloring was dark and appetizing but when you bite into it, the katsu was hard. The sauce was runny and more of a sweet/sour than traditional katsu.
Judge 8 - Taste 4...Texture 8...Presentation 6. Crispier breading was good. The sauce was a little weird which downgraded the taste. The sauce was thin and watery.
Judge 9 - Taste 6...Texture 5...Presentation 4. Junk sauce, watery.
Judge 10 - Taste 5...Texture 6...Presentation 6. A little tough but tastes good. Sauce kind of thin-watery.
Judge 11 - Taste 7...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Very good crunch, sauce was too runny, big pieces, tender.
Judge 12 - Taste 10...Texture 10...Presentation 10. Nice mellow spice to the breading. Sauce is good. Almost has a "KFC"-like after taste. Flavorful.
Judge 13 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Loose sauce, spicy.
Judge 14 - Taste 9...Texture 7...Presentation 8. Watery sauce, spicy but good. Crispy good. Crispy breading. Texture=7 because dark meat stringy.

#6 L&L Drive-in (Pearl City)

Judge 1 - Taste 6...Texture 7...Presentation 7.

Judge 2 - Taste 5...Texture 4...Presentation 5.

Judge 3 - Taste 4...Texture 3...Presentation 5. Spicy sauce, good crunch, hard chicken, nothing special.

Judge 4 - Taste 6...Texture 6...Presentation 5. Chicken nothing special. Sauce is what makes it different. Tastes like a spicy duck sauce.
Judge 5 - Taste 4...Texture 3...Presentation 4. Sauce saved it b/c it was sweet yet spicy.

Judge 6 - Taste 5...Texture 2...Presentation 5.

Judge 7 - Taste 4...Texture 5...Presentation 5. The katsu didn't have much taste to it and the sauce was more like sweet/sour sauce than traditional katsu.
Judge 8 - Taste 4...Texture 8...Presentation 6. Tastes like "C"
Judge 9 - Taste 8...Texture 7...Presentation 7. Good sauce - little bit spicy, sweet. Ono. Nice overall.
Judge 10 - Taste 6...Texture 5...Presentation 6. Good. I like the sauce.
Judge 11 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 7. Decent taste. A little more salty. Not as tender.
Judge 12 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Sauce tastes like L&L.
Judge 13 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 8. Thin pieces, crunchy.
Judge 14 - Taste 5...Texture 6...Presentation 6. Nothing special to distinguish taste. Good sauce, duck sauce flavor.

#7 Keneke's

Judge 1 - Taste 8...Texture 8...Presentation 8. Great all around.

Judge 2 - Taste 3...Texture 5...Presentation 7.

Judge 3 - Taste 6...Texture 6...Presentation 6. Good taste, decent texture, great sauce but need more (little containers). Devil's katsu 666!

Judge 4 - Taste 3...Texture 4...Presentation 5. Sauce a lot like ketchup. Katsu very bland.

Judge 5 - Taste 3...Texture 4...Presentation 5. The chicken was bland w/o the sauce. Texture was ok and sauce was tangy and flavorful.

Judge 6 - Taste 1...Texture 1...Presentation 4.

Judge 7 - Taste 7...Texture 6...Presentation 7. Very little sauce, you may run out 3/4 of the way. The sauce is ketchupy but good. The overall taste was pretty good but a little bland w/o the sauce.
Judge 8 - Taste 5...Texture 6...Presentation 4. The sauce saved this katsu as it was just bland, bland, bland!! Texture was good. Too bad chicken wasn't more flavorful.
Judge 9 - Taste 7...Texture 6...Presentation 7. First piece was all gristle, so I had to have a second piece. I going take some points off for da first piece.
Judge 10 - Taste 6...Texture 7...Presentation 5. I like the flavor, but kind of dry. Sauce was too katsuppy.
Judge 11 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 6. Tough pieces, good color but not tender.
Judge 12 - Taste 8...Texture 9...Presentation 9. Sauce is too ketchupy. Crispy breading looks good but chicken is kind of bland.
Judge 13 - Taste 8...Texture 6...Presentation 7. Kinda hard, skinny pieces.
Judge 14 - Taste 6...Texture 5...Presentation 7. Chewy-fatty. Bland taste. Good look. Thick sauce-ketchup flavor.

#8 Diner's Drive-in (Waimalu)

Judge 1 - Taste 5...Texture 6...Presentation 6. Not crispy. Could make out chicken taste initially.

Judge 2 - Taste 5...Texture 4...Presentation 3.

Judge 3 - Taste 3...Texture 6...Presentation 3. Very bread tasting, not much chicken flavor. Great crunch but poor chicken texture (hard and slimy).

Judge 4 - Taste 4...Texture 4...Presentation 5. Moist but not crispy. Sauce ok but nothing amazing. Tangy sweet.

Judge 5 - Taste 4...Texture 3...Presentation 5. Liked the sauce, tangy, not too sweet. But wasn't crispy enough.

Judge 6 - Taste 4...Texture 3...Presentation 3.

Judge 7 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 5. Tangy sauce which is just ok. The chicken doesn't have that much taste. The breading holds the katsu shape nicely. The chicken is lean.
Judge 8 - Taste 5...Texture 4...Presentation 5. Nothing special...ok.
Judge 9 - Taste 6...Texture 4...Presentation 4.
Judge 10 - Taste 6...Texture 4...Presentation 5.
Judge 11 - Taste 6...Texture 7...Presentation 6. Decent crunch, average taste, good sauce.
Judge 12 - Taste 7...Texture 7...Presentation 7. Chicken is bland. A little soggy.
Judge 13 - Taste 8...Texture 7...Presentation 7. I like the sweet katsu with spicy sauce.
Judge 14 - Taste 5...Texture 6...Presentation 6. Not crispy. Sauce (ketchup/bbq sauce). Looked so-so.

#9 Kent's Drive-in

Judge 1 - Taste 4...Texture 7...Presentation 7. Good sauce. Chicken average.

Judge 2 - Taste 5...Texture 4...Presentation 5. Taste good, but no taste like katsu.

Judge 3 - Taste 3...Texture 3...Presentation 4. Black pepper in the breading was nice but not much else. Slimy chicken and no taste. Bad sauce.

Judge 4 - Taste 4...Texture 4...Presentation 5. Chicken was slimey. Hint of pepper more than usual. Nothing special.

Judge 5 - Taste 4...Texture 3...Presentation 2. Wasn't like chicken katsu I'm used to. Had a really chewy skin/batter piece that wasn't nice.

Judge 6 - Taste 4...Texture 3...Presentation 3. Does not taste like chicken katsu.

Judge 7 - Taste 6...Texture 7...Presentation 6. I like the pepper in the breading, something different. It added a kick to the whole thing. The sauce was runny though which is ok but doesn't beat the traditional sauce.
Judge 8 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 5. I saw pepper on the katsu which initially excited me but I was let down by the overall taste and texture. The sauce didn't do anything to enhance the katsu either.
Judge 9 - Taste 3...Texture 5...Presentation 4. Das not chicken katsu, but decent flavor.
Judge 10 - Taste 8...Texture 7...Presentation 5. I really like the sauce - spicy. Also, not too much breading on the meat. So crispy.
Judge 11 - Taste 4...Texture 5...Presentation 6. Different after taste. Very runny sauce. Small pieces.
Judge 12 - Taste 9...Texture 9...Presentation 9. Pepper visible in sauce and chicken. Has a fried chicken after taste.
Judge 13 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 5. Funny after taste. Kinda rubbery.
Judge 14 - Taste 5...Texture 5...Presentation 5. So-so taste. Watery sauce. Nothing special.

Comments

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YUM!

tallhaolegirl (67.49.191.xxx) 2009-08-29 12:17:20

Ever since I missed this judging - and then seeing the results - Ive been wanting to try BOTH the Chicken Katsu and the Meat Jun from Youngs. Today, for lunch, we did! My husband had the $20 Youngs Special. That plate is HUGE! I had the Chicken Katsu/Meat Jun Combo. Did you all notice that the sauce is the same for both? That was the first thing I had to ask. Trippy. After that, yuuuuum!! The chicken katsu was so thick, fresh, crunchy, and tasty. The meat jun was sweet, moist and delicious! Its all I have eaten and will eat all day!

Youngs is now waiting for their certificate for the Chicken Katsu triumph to hang next to their Meat Jun certificate.

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