Food blog: Tonki ~ the gold standard of Tonkatsu at Meguro/Tokyo (26Apr2023)
This is a repeated visit for me. I am so glad to learn that Tonki is still doing great after Covid19. The layout has not changed since my last visit years ago. This is an institution for Tonkatsu, the benchmark of excellence and great value for money.
It is a short walk from the Meguro train station, down the slope and a left turn later, you will find the restaurant.
When I walked into the restaurant, I was looking forward to seeing a few of the "older" staff > who have probably worked for decades in the restaurant. I remembered an elderly chef who would picked up piping hot freshly fried Tonkatsu with his bare hands before cutting them into bite sizes.
I thought that I recognize a few of them but I am not too sure as they were having their masks on. I have also found new staff, notably a young and elderly lady serving the table.
The restaurant works like clockwork ~ one section for the soup, pickle, another for preparations, one for frying, the cashier along the counter. The menu remains the simple one and during the trip, I asked for the Rose (Rohsu) - the more fatty cut.
After I stepped into the restaurant, I took a seat, waiting. One of the staff asked me for my order and I placed mine without much hassle. After a while, I was directed to my seat. The difference I recognized was the clear (mobile) plastic shields that they installed during Covid. Before I sat down, I hung up my jacket on the wall behind me. I took a basket near the wall and placed my bag into it. It was simple but well thought out customer service.
The service was quick from the new young Japanese lady who promptly placed the sides in front me.
I was served freshly cut cabbage, a serving of pickled vegetables, a bowl of pork-based soup and a bowl of rice. The star of the meal "the Rohsu" cut was served, in bite sizes. There was this rich aroma of batter and fatty pork that greeted you. Through the cuts, we can see the white pork glistening under the light. This was such a pleasant sight.
The condiments were nicely arranged and a cup of hot tea was served too. I drizzled the brown sauce over the cabbage and started eating. The cabbage was fresh, crunchy and sweet. In fact, it was so good, I took extra servings from the attentive lady staff. For the rice, I sprinkled some chilli powder on one portion.
The pickled vegetable was standard but the best supporting actor of the meal must go to the lovely bowl of soup.
I think that it was brewed in miso and pork essence ~ of course, I would have missed out on many other important ingredients. There were a few generous chunks of fatty meat floating in the soup. My first bite of this floating meat left me astounded and so comforted. I could eat these without teeth, they kinda melted. In Japan, many have shared about the melting of "wagyu beef" but this is the gold standard of melting pork goodness in a bowl.
What could be better than this bowl is that you can ask for more.
This has raised my expectations for the fried pork cutlet (Tonkatsu) significantly.
The Tonkatsu was served with a dash of mustard and this adds an important bite and "spice" to the meat. The batter was crispy, light and not overwhelming. The pork within has a nice mix of lean and fat. Despite the deep frying, the pork has remained juicy, dripping with fats and it takes little effort to chew.
The batter, mustard and pork played important roles to ensure that the bite comprised of a slight crunch, fat, spice, meat and her accompanying meat juice. I ate and marvelled at their ability to balance batter & juicy meat in such fine craftsmanship. The meat was tender with its original flavour being pronounced, not masked. The ratio of the batter to meat was good, sufficient for a crunch and yet the quality of the meat and the mastery of the chef shined through.
Beyond the excellent food that they delivered, the staff were attentive and quick to respond, rendering this a pleasant experience.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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