Jakarta’s Japanese food scene continues to grow, with new ramen houses, sushi and sashimi, fine dining restaurant and many more. So, I went to Tontoki at MidPlaza Tower Sudirman (Central Jakarta), a new Japanese restaurant of the Kawano Group for lunch a few days ago. After being successfully own and manage seven different brands throughout Jakarta, surrounding areas and Bali, Kawano Group continues to seek something different from the other restaurants. With a different concept, they proudly launched Tontoki, which opened for public on 15 May 2015. If you have ever been to KADO++, Sakana, Aro Aroy, honZen, etc. then you are probably already familiar with how Kawano Group always strives to provide the best service and dining experience for all visitors.
Located on the basement floor of MidPlaza Tower 1, Sudirman, Tontoki appears very differently when compared to other Japanese restaurants in Jakarta. It looked like an old-fashioned restaurant from the outside, but we immediately fell in love with the atmosphere at the moment we stepped into the restaurant. Although the restaurant is small, we felt like being in the Japan city. There’s a yellow lamp in the middle of the restaurant as the moon, and all the wooden decor is made to look like in the Edo period in Japan.
The second floor offers tatami mats and two VIP rooms for customers who come in groups, while the regular dining table is available on the first floor. Waitresses in kimono greets and showed us to our table. Of course, we chose to sit on the second floor, because there we could eat in the age-old Japanese style and were seated at a small low wooden table on thin cushions on the tatami mat. It was very cool!
What’s really remarkable is that Tontoki ONLY serves PORK dishes on the menu. It sounds like… Oh my gosh, we were really happy to know that there is a restaurant like this that can accommodate pork lovers in Jakarta! Wooohooo!! We’re a fan of pork dishes and finally tempted to try some of their menus.
Hot and Cold Ocha - free refill and free of charge
Yaki Gyoza, IDR 48K
Yaki Gyoza is a Japanese-style pan-fried dumplings, similar to the Chinese one. The appearance looks like Guotie or pot stickers in Chinese version, and the taste is also similar. As, in general, this Gyoza also consisted of ground pork, green onion, cabbage, garlic, and some other ingredients. Although the outer skin wasn’t crispy as I expected, the pork filling and all the combination tasted juicy and very succulent! It’s best eaten with a mixture of sesame oil, soya sauce and Japanese chili powder added to the Gyoza.
Rafute, IDR 58K
Rafute known as Okinawa-style home cooking braised pork belly and it’s very popular in Okinawa. We instantly fell in love with this dish since the first bite though the presentation was just simple. Not only the tenderness and melt-in-the-mouth texture of these fatty succulent pieces of pork belly, but also the existing complex flavors in the soup, especially when we added the wasabi given on the side of the bowl. It tasted sweet, rich and very tasty. Rafute has become one of the tastiest dishes I’ve ever tasted in a Japanese restaurant so far. A must try!
Tontoki Don Lunch Set, IDR 86K
Tontoki Don was also amazing!! We tried Tontoki Don lunch set menu by EatJKT (set menu campaigns created by Qraved) where I ‘ve got a salad, miso soup, Tontoki Don, Ocha and free dessert for only IDR 80K nett. Surprisingly, they served LOTS of thinly sliced rich and delicious pork fat served over a LARGE portion of rice, sprinkled with spring onion and crispy fried onions on top. It became another great pork dish experience we‘ve ever had. We enjoyed every bite and chew of the fatty pork belly, so tender and flavorful! What a great deal! A must try!
Senmai Katsu Set, IDR 86K
During the lunch hour, visitors are given several lunch set menu options which have been available. That’s why I ordered Tontoki Don in the image above and also tried other lunch set menu from the fried section, Senmai Cheese Katsu. It looked much like Pork Katsu in many other Japanese restaurants, but these pork fillet meat has been breaded and stuffed with mozzarella cheese. The pork meat was so tender with a crisp outer layer, and best eaten along with the Tonkotsu sauce that has been provided at each table.
The soup was also different, unlike in other Japanese restaurants because it consisted of sliced pork meat in the soup! It’s usually called as Tonjiru, a Japanese pork soup! So delicious!
Free Dessert - from the Tontoki Don lunch set
We really enjoyed everything in Tontoki since the beginning. We loved the interior and ambiance of the restaurant that reminded us of a small authentic Japanese restaurant in Tokyo when we visited Japan last year. The waiter was really friendly & explained very well. And the good news is, the price of all the food in Tontoki is not expensive at all ranging from IDR 42K until IDR 86K, and the food portions were large. We couldn’t even finish the whole thing and ended up save some food for takeaway. Those pork belly on top was just fantastic, and we will definitely come back again!! If you’re a fan of pork food, it’s highly recommended to visit Tontoki!! I suggest you to make a reservation ahead of time!
*All prices are subject to 10% tax and 5.5% service charge
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