The Origin: Consultancy, Sake, and the Katsu Revelation

Years ago, my Japanese friends started encouraging me to help other restaurants optimise their operations. That’s how my strategic consultancy, I8 MGT, was born. There, I apply the rigour of data to scale complex operations without selling my soul to the devil: I analyse the ROAS, optimise the CRO, and design sustainable profitability models. But recently, those same friendships pushed me into a much more personal abyss.

One random evening, gathering friends at home to watch the football, amidst beers and good bottles of sake, a joke escalated into a personal challenge: to set up a pop-up project focused on one of my absolute weaknesses, “Katsu”. I knew that to do it properly, I couldn’t just scratch the surface. I packed my bags and spent 10 literal days pounding the streets to visit katsu spots in Japan, talking to chefs, and eating tonnes of it. That immersion connected me with a venerable Japanese master chef who, in his eagerness to protect and promote true Japanese culture abroad, decided to open the doors of his kitchen to me and teach me all his secrets. Months later, I took a holiday and flew back exclusively to intern with him and absorb every trick of the breading liturgy, all leading to the creation of this Katsu House.

The Homecoming: The Birth of Don Panko in Madrid

Presenting the concept in London was vital and incredibly special. The feedback gathered there confirmed that the future of the sector relies on hyper-specialisation. But my real goal, my personal debt, was to bring that purity to Spain. That’s how Don Panko was born, establishing our refuges in Chamberí and Malasaña, proudly standing as the first genuine “Katsu House” in Spain.

When I came back home, I found an ecosystem saturated with generic sushi and industrial franchises. We chose the exact opposite path. We dismantle the competition starting from the purity of our ingredients: we use Duroc pork, authentic Hiroshima sauce, and revered Toyama Premium Koshi Hikari rice. And to protect this excellence, we make unwavering decisions, like our 12€ deposit per diner. I will NEVER apologise for it. It is not a punishment; it is a pact of mutual respect. We operate with very limited seating and a premium product that simply does not tolerate waste. This exclusivity filter attracts those who truly value the craftsmanship of a real Izakaya.

The Philosophy: Rebels Against Massification

We are rebels against gastronomic industrialisation. Over the last few decades, the sector has embraced mass production to slash costs, but you cannot fool the human palate. Freshness and Natsukashi—that comforting nostalgia of Japanese home cooking—are recognised instantly. We don’t do everything; we do very few things, but bordering on technical perfection. If you ask us for generic sushi, we will firmly but politely decline. Instead, we will invite you to understand the liturgy of panko and try our Original Katsu Sando (a recipe rescued from 1935 for the geishas of Ueno) or our Curry con Solera, inspired by the traditional uninterrupted consommé.

The romanticism of our kitchen is underpinned by financial engineering and a flawless liquid ecosystem. We champion radical glocalisation. We wash down our dishes with The Sorachi Beer Project—our artisan beer brewed in Vallecas with Japanese hops to avoid thermal stress—and we are the proud guardians of “Academic Whisky”, educating palates with over a hundred references from Suntory and Nikka. Extraordinary things still require a human touch, sweat, and technique. Because at the end of the day, in life and in business, less is more.