If I hadn't dragged you there in person, you'd probably heard me go on about Tonkatsu Joshu, or at least read it here (one, two). Last week I noticed their website said they were (finally) open again, so I hopped on the train to Springvale, looking forward to some old comfort food.

They've been open for about 3 weeks, apparently (the usual excruciating delays in getting planning permits approved, they told me), and Minoru's dropped "Tonkatsu" from the name. There's a new dinner menu that I'll investigate next time I'm there - nothing was getting in the way of my Katsu Curry, today. His wife mentioned how they've had to translate the menu into Vietnamese (a customer helped them with that), and they're working on a Chinese and maybe Cambodian version of it, too. They're doing alright so far - a full house last night and friday night, for instance, and the week-day lunchtime trade seems pretty good, though weekend lunches are pretty empty. He proudly showed me his shiny new kitchen, a more spacious affair than the tiny Flinders Lane arrangement, and said "now we just need more customers !" "I'll make sure I tell all my friends," I told him.

There's already heaps of reasons to visit Springvale for food, but now there's one more. "So, Katsu Curry still number 1 ?" he asked me. "Absolutely !"