Hm, I thought I reviewed this business before....but, this seems to be the official and claimed business page.
As regulars to the Kaka'ako Farmers Market, we started to check out this food stall since late May 2020 . Almost every Saturday morning, we've come by to pick up either a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) or torikatsu (chicken cutlet) sandwich. The Katsu Sando 808 stall is located at the far West end of this farmers market , near the corner of Ward Avenue and Ala Moana Boulevard.
Knowing that Katsu Sando 808 specializes in 4 items only, we predetermined our order to be: 1- Tonkatsu (pork) Sando $10 and 2-Chicken Katsu Sando $9. Also, we were prepared with CASH to pay for our purchase as this stand only accepts the bucks, moolah, or kālā. NO PLASTIC cards!
During this pandemic, everyone who is either a customer or vendor at the famers market is required to PROPERLY wear a face mask. Also, social distancing is encouraged and often enforced while you wait in line. We noticed how clean and well-organized their food stand is with its set up with one woman managing the orders and cash, two guys manning the fryers and one guy assembling the sandwiches. After paying for our order, we were informed that there would be a wait as they bread with panko and fry the cutlets (chicken or pork) to order. It was such a hot and sunny Saturday morning and the cashier invited us to enjoy the shade under the tent while we waited. I told my husband that I wanted to check out other vendors while he waited for our food and I wandered off to get kūlolo or haupia. After getting the haupia, I returned in time to meet up with my husband who just received our takeout.
FOOD:
-Tonkatsu (pork) Sando: A flavorful, tender, and perfectly breaded and fried 1/2" thick pork cutlet was sandwiched between 2 fluffy slices of Japanese white bread. Of course, the bread crusts were cut off to emphasize the uniformity of the bread shape and promote convenience. The sandwich maker laid a layer of freshly shaved cabbage on one side of the bread then laid the tonkatsu atop followed by a squeeze of tonkatsu sauce. He cut the sandwich in half before gently putting it into the takeout container. I was unnecessarily worried that the tonkatsu sauce would have made the bread and tonkatsu soggy as it DID NOT as we took our sandwiches home to eat. $10
-Chicken Katsu Sando: The chicken katsu (cutlet) was also evenly breaded with panko. It was tender, juicy, and flavorful. Unlike the Tonkatsu Sando, there was a spicy aïoli or mayonnaise that gently moistened the bread and kicked up the flavor of the fried chicken cutlet. Again, the Japanese white bread had its crust removed which made for a pillowy bed or pocket for the airy and crisp katsu. $9
We waited about 15 minutes before we got our freshly-cooked sandwiches. Luckily, we were able to enjoy the shade under their tent while waiting. I think we were fortunate to have gotten to this vendor at 9 a.m. during our current Stay At Home Orders as we were waiting, a long line formed.
Now, we're looking forward to seeing Katsu Sando this coming Saturday because we're interested in trying their other 2 menu items (Korokke or croquette and Egg Salad Sando). We'll be back! read more