On 12/8/2015 12:31 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Mon, 07 Dec 2015 21:11:43 -0800, isw wrote:
>
>> I recall that when I was a kid <mumble> years ago, Lea & Perrins was
>> strong and peppery hot. Or maybe it was just that I was a kid. I loved
>> to make roast beef sandwiches with nothing more than some sliced beef
>> and a *lot* of Lea & Perrins on white bread.
>>
>> Anyhow, these days, it seems like the stuff is only a shadow of its
>> former self. Anybody else think that too?
>>
>> So is there another brand -- from Asia, maybe -- that's taken over?
>>
>> What's your favorite brand of that famous sauce?
>
> Nothing comes close to L&P. I've tried all the other available [to
> me] brands and they are all inferior. The closest to actual U.S
> version L&P's is actually Walmart's Great Value brand at half the
> price. You can tell by the bottle/cap/printing/taste that it's made
> by L&P, just tweaked a little so it's only 80% as good. Whereas
> French's, Heinz, Crown and Blackwell, Sarsons, etc.. are only 30-40%
> as good as L&P.
>
> The English version of L&P is different from the one distributed here
> in the States, but I have never tasted that one. I don't think the
> taste has diminished much that I can't attribute to my aging taste
> buds, but I use it fairly often - about a pint every 4-5 months.
>
> If you're alluding to ponzu, Bull Dog(tm), or tonkatsu sauces, well -
> they're a whole different thing, IMO.
>
> -sw
>

The Japanese tonkatsu sauces, which by definition were meant to be used
on Japanese pork cutlets, are all based on sugar,fruit puree, soy sauce,
and spices. My favorite is Kikkoman, which I first encountered at chain
in SoCal called "Steer 'n Stein". At the time it was marketed as a steak
sauce, and, under a slightly different label, as tonkatsu sauce.