What: Mandu (pan-fried dumplings)
Where: Katsuyama, 74990 Country Club Drive, Palm Desert
How much: $11
Contact: 760-404-0168; www.katsuyamaus.com
Why: They’re perfectly seasoned.
“We proudly serve the best katsu in the desert area.”
This is the sentence printed on all of the paper placemats at Katsuyama, a lovely Japanese restaurant that opened late last year in Palm Desert. You may ask: Is the sentence accurate?
After going to Katsuyama and having the don-katsu ($25), well, I can’t say I know the answer to that question. I enjoyed it—but katsu has never been my top choice at Japanese restaurants. I’ve always found other offerings to be more nuanced and more interesting, and such was again the case at Katsuyama: I can’t stop thinking about those mandu dumplings we had as an appetizer.
In other restaurants, these types of dumplings would be called gyoza or potstickers; interestingly, Katsuyama, a “Japanese katsu and izakaya” restaurant, uses the Korean term.
Whatever you call them, the “stir pan fried dumplings” were splendid. The six crispy dumplings were filled with a perfectly seasoned pork mixture and accompanied by an umami-packed dipping sauce. Once they were gone, we wanted more.
If you are a katsu fan, I do recommend a trip Katsuyama; while I can’t say the restaurant serves the desert’s best katsu, I can say it likely has the best-presented katsu, with the pork and all of its various accompaniments (including rice; tonjiru soup; cabbage; an interesting cold, creamy noodle salad; and various sauces and condiments) served beautifully on a tray.
If you’re not a katsu fan, there are plenty of other options, including ramen, sushi rolls, sashimi, honey-garlic bulgogi, kimchi fried rice, mussel stew and something intriguingly described on the menu as a “steamed egg bomb.”
You may go to Katsuyama for the katsu—but I’ll be going back for those dumplings.
