TONTOKI 屯登木, MidPlaza, Jakarta

Warmest welcome to TONTOKI !!!

Let us introduce you to TONTOKI, the newest establishment from KAWANO Group,  that also manages undeniably high-quality names such as Sakana, The Grill, Kado, Honzen, Bistronomy and many others.

TONTOKI specializes in Japanese cuisine, specifically everything about pork and as the tagline says “For All Diners with Special (Pork) Needs”, everything on the menu revolves around pork, pork, and pork! It was like a heaven to me, because I had never expected to find a place like this in Jakarta (or Indonesia in general)!

Located on the basement floor of MidPlaza I building, side by side with UDONKU, another establishment of KAWANO Group as well, both have similar design somehow and connected to each other through second floor of the restaurants.

TONTOKI had its Grand Opening last Friday, 15 May 2015, so when we visited yesterday (5/18), technically they were still in preparation mode, but overall our experience was nothing but great!

今回は新しくオープンしたKAWANOグループ（ジャカルタであの有名な酒菜, THE GRILL, 門、HONZEN, BistronomyなどのF&Bグループ）の屯登木をご紹介します。

屯登木は専門的な日本の豚料理を主にやっているお店です。タグラインも”For All Diners with Special (Pork) Needs”と書いてありました（笑）。ジャカルタもしくはインドネシアでものすごく数少ない豚料理天国ではないでしょうか？

屯登木はミッドプラザIのベースメントにあります。同じくKAWANOグループのうどん区のお隣なので凄く見つけやすいと思います（江戸時代の民家みたいな外装と内装なので、たぶん直ぐ見つかります）。

屯登木のグランドオープニングは今年の５月１５日金曜日でした。我々は５月１８日に食べに行きましたから開店して３日！屯登木のみなさん少しバタバタしていましたけれど我々にとって素晴らしい思い出になりました。

From the exterior itself, we can see that TONTOKI has the concept of people’s house during Edo period in Japan. We even suspected that the male character in the poster actually refers to Oda Nobunaga, who is an icon towards the beginning of Edo period. Actually we are pretty amazed that such environment can be made inside a modern building like MidPlaza, and the moment we stepped in, it feels like we were transferred back to the 15th century of Japan!

The first area we saw from the entrance is this beautiful layout resembling the old town alley during that time, with alley wall on the left (complete with the typical X wall motive found commonly around the town during Edo period) and house entrance on the right. Also the round hanging light in the center is meant as symbol of full moon on the night sky. Short to say, the concept is actually the outdoor view in the town of Edo, lovely!

屯登木の外装は、江戸時代の下町の一角のような雰囲気で（ポスターの人物が織田○長？）ミッドプラザに絶対ありそうにないデザインでゆっくり落ちつけました（笑）。

屯登木の入り口は江戸横丁って感じの雰囲気で、左手に江戸風の壁に右手は民家（レストラン）があり、瓦の上（２階）には満月をイメージした丸いランプ！個人的にこの様な奥深いデザイン好きです！

Turning right, we were even more amazed to see this small room with low ceiling, small tables and log-shaped seating. It felt like I entered a film set or something, but this one is so real and unreal in the same time. I probably don’t really make sense with my words but I think you’ll get the idea when you are here. It looks like someone’s house and kitchen during that time, and I think KAWANO Group once again exceeded my expectation! *claps*

まずは右手の民家へ！時代劇セットなのかタイムスリップしたのかものすごくリアルで出来が良く、レストランと思えないほどの民家風の内装でした！しかも暗い点灯がもっとリアルに雰囲気を出します（笑）。

Beside the main dining area above, we can actually choose to dine upstairs. There is a small “alley” to access the second floor, where we need to take our shoes off because it’s all floor seating area up there. For more private occasions, private rooms with sliding doors are also available upstairs. The environment upstairs feels even more “village” and when it’s crowded, it almost looks like old time when people do gather and unite like family instead of being individual like today’s world.

メインダイニングルームの他に２階でも個室もダイニングエリアも有りお食事が出来ますが、２階は全て座布団です。昭和３０年代の家でよくあるテーブルみたいで、個人的に熱き良き時代の家庭の温かさを感じさて好きです！ご家族で２階を予約するのも良いと思いますよ！

Through the second floor also, there is a connection with UDONKU, and as if it’s not convenient enough, we can actually order the food from UDONKU and vice versa. Love!

ついでに２階はうどん区に繋がってますので、もしもうどん？って気が変わったうどん食べたらいいんじゃないかな？（笑）

I was so amazed by the simple yet so marvelous design of this place, I can actually gush about it endlessly. XD But before I fill this post with all that, let’s move on to the FOOD!

Since they are just opened 3 days ago, the menu wasn’t really complete yet. But aside from that, the selection is quite impressive, given the fact that the menu only revolves around pork. Of course there are menu like starters and salad as well, and the prices are surprisingly VERY affordable!

とにかく屯登木の素晴らしいデザインを私は終わりも無く語れるでしょうが、我々が来た一番の目的の料理についてご紹介します！

開店してから３日なのでメニューはまだ本来の半分くらいだそうです。とは言ってもけっこうメニュー色々あり、ほとんどが豚を使った料理ってのはこのインドネシアでは真にありがたき幸せ！もちろん豚以外にもサラダとかスターターなど色々ありますのでそれもありがたいです！値段も高くないですよ！大満足！

Prices range from IDR 25,000 t0 68,000 for food, and IDR 10,000 to millions for drinks (alcohol).

Hiya Yakko／冷奴　 IDR 28,000

Hiya Yakko is cold tofu with garnishes such as spring onions and katsuobushi (bonito shavings), usually eaten with soy sauce. It is a very simple yet heart-warming dish as somehow it symbolizes home cooking. The hiya yakko here was excellent! Served cold and the tofu had the softest, smoothest texture ever but didn’t break down too easily. Perfect way to start the dinner.

祖父がよく作ってくれた冷奴の味（泣）豆腐美味しい！なんでこんなに美味しい豆腐がこの国にはあまり無いのだろうか？

Horumon Amakara Itame ／ホルモン甘辛炒め　IDR 58,000

Before we proceeded with heavier course, we started it off with this recommended “snack”, which is a plate of hormone cooked with vegetables and seasoned sweet and spicy. The hormone itself is a popular ingredients containing high collagen. I must say I was impressed by the generous amount of hormone served on that plate. The seasoning was surprisingly spicy too, considering that mostly the customers there are Japanese who probably find it too hot for sure. It might not be everyone’s favorite as this is actually internal organs, which some might find it disgusting and smelly, but trying never hurts!

ビールに最高のホルモン！　ちょっとインドネシアに来たばかりの日本の方には辛いかも（笑）我々は大好きな一品です！インドネシアのどのレストランも食べてきてホルモン系を注文するとホルモンより野菜の方が圧倒的に多い（泣）屯登木のホルモン炒めはホルモンの方が野菜よりぜんぜん多い（うれし泣き）！！

Shochu Highball ／焼酎ハイボール　IDR 68,000

Japanese snack like the one above is not complete without a glass (or two) of alcoholic drinks! XD I opted for Shochu Highball, the potato one instead of Barley. The drink was mild and easy to the throat, and perfect to accompany my hormone (and other pork dishes) eating experience! Beside this, you can also choose the Shochu On The Rock (IDR 80,000), which is served with ice cubes and tastes stronger than Highball.

焼酎ハイボールの他に焼酎オンザロックもあります。

Yaki Gyoza／焼き餃子　 IDR 48,000

One of the best yaki pork gyoza in town! The gyozas were stuffed with thick pork meat with generous additions of spring onions and nira (garlic chives). They were grilled perfectly resulting in an almost crispy skin with loads of juiciness. WOWness!

今までジャカルタで食べてきた餃子の中で一番うまいっ！しかも中身厚々でジューシー！お袋の味（泣）！

Rafute／ラフテー　IDR 58,000

Rafute is stewed pork belly, Okinawa-style. I must say that HANDS DOWN this was the BEST DISH we had that night, period. The stewed pork belly was served in a bowl, together with the mouth-watering soup, paired with green vegetables, spring onions, seaweed, and touch of karashi (Japanese spicy mustard).

まさかジャカルタで沖縄料理が（泣）一言言って毎日これとご飯でもかまわないです！このラフテーの豚から全てが素晴らしかった！

The pork was brown in color, and very, very soft when eaten. This probably took long to cook this dish but it was all worth it!

茶色く染まった豚肉、とても軟らかく美味しい素晴らしい一品です！

Onigiri Buta Miso／おにぎり豚味噌 IDR 25,000

Remember I said something about this place reminds me about home cooking? The onigiri was the exact example why I said that. Just like how mothers make, the onigiri is big, fat, and simple, but the taste is tear-jerking. Excuse me for being so hyperbolic, I could feel that the onigiri really is made with care. The imperfectness, the simplicity, and everything about it, is awesome.

これもお袋の味！母親の気持ちが一杯こもった味と大きさの豚味噌おにぎり（涙）実家のお袋を思い出すおにぎりでした。

For the onigiri, we can choose the fillings from Okaka (Dried Bonito), Buta Miso, Takana (Pickled Green), or Ume (Pickled Plum). My choice was Buta Miso (hello, we were indulging ourselves in pork here.. XD) and I couldn’t be happier. The rice was thick and heavy, but filling was generous too! As you can see from the photo below, the filling almost came out. It tasted superb: thinly sliced pork seasoned with tasty miso, what else do you ask for?

Buta Ten Oroshi Ponzu／豚天おろしポン酢 IDR 48,000

This Pork Tempura with Ponzu sauce was an instant blow from the first bite. Some might find pork tempura is a bit too “heavy”, you know, all the porky meat and oily fried-style combined, but here comes the savior: ponzu sauce! Ponzu gives a distinctive sour flavor that instantly neutralizes the whole dish without ruining the actual taste. It becomes a totally different dish when ponzu is involved, in a good way, of course.

この豚天おろしポン酢、全てのコンビネーションが抜群！豚は軟らかく食感が良く、ポン酢とおろし大根と組み合わせ、とても美味しく食べやすい一品です！

Shirukake Gohan with Butaten／汁かけご飯と豚天 IDR 42,000

Rice in Pork Soup with Pork Tempura

I love rice drowned in soup or broth, even tea (chazuke), but I didn’t expect to find something SO TASTY like this. The rice itself was very enjoyable eaten alone as the taste was already very rich, thanks to the delicious clear pork soup. The pork tempura was similar to the one we had just before this, but these two dishes tasted completely different one to another. Brilliant!

汁かけご飯に柔らかくて美味しい豚天の組み合わせは食べやすく、以外に濃厚な味わいでした。この一品も素晴らしかったです！

Buta Hakusai Nabe／豚白菜鍋 IDR 68,000

This is Pork and Chinese cabbage in hot pot, which you can choose to be served with or without the gas stove. Recommended way is of course to use it as to keep the dish warm along the way, but if you happen to eat fast, using it won’t be necessary. XD

豚白菜鍋にはコンロが付いてきて保温をしながら召し上がれます。（保温するまもなく全て食べ尽くしてしまうので我々にはコンロあまり意味無かった（笑）。

The pot was literally fulfilled with beautiful arrangement of chinese cabbage and pork layers. Despite its lacking of colors, the taste was surprisingly rich and bold, without any sign of taste-enhancers (e.g. MSG and its kind). The cabbage was soft and crunchy at the same time, naturally sweet and addictive. The pork was thinly-sliced, mild in flavor but was a great combination with the cabbage.

鍋には新鮮で美味しい白菜に豚肉しか入っていなくスープも透明なで薄そうな一品でしたが、一口飲んでみたら“なんじゃこりゃ？美味しい！”って思わず叫んでしまいました（汗）白菜の甘みや美味しさが無くならない鍋はとても久しぶりで、豚から染み出てくる出汁はたまらなくまろやかで、自然なうま味が出ていました！豚も本当に美味しかったです！

Last but not least, here comes the SIGNATURE DISH of TONTOKI!

*drumroll*

Tontoki Don／屯登木丼 IDR 42,000

This stamina bowl is simply YUMMY just by looking at it! The pork belly was golden brown in color, with glistening oil making my mouth waters uncontrollably. Err, that sounds a bit yucky but it was the fact! XD

最後に屯登木丼！屯登木のシグネチャーディッシであり、もう見た目からでもどんな物か脳で分かります！豚のわき腹がゴールデンに揚っていて、そのテクスチャがたまらないです！

Tell you what, the bowl might not be the biggest rice bowl, but the content was crazy! The rice fulfilled almost 5/6 of the bowl, then topped with big chunks of thick, meaty pork belly and sprinkled with crispy garlic chips and spring onions. LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

I have nothing to describe this in words as I can just use the word “delicious”, “magnificent”, “wonderful”, and those can’t even do the judge here. One bite of the pork and I was totally sold. This is how real Japanese food should taste and I am so glad I was there in the first place!

大きいと言えるほどの丼鉢でもないが、盛ってる物と中身がやばい！ご飯が丼鉢いっぱいで豚わき腹肉大盛りは最高としか言いようが無い一品でした！

今回我々が屯登木で食べてみて“美味しい！”“最高！”“素晴らしい”としか言い交わせなかったです！豚肉一口で言うことなしです！やはりこれが日本食の美ってものでしょうか？本当にこれてよかったです！

Lemongrass Ice Tea／レモングラスアイスティー IDR 35,000

After sipping this a bit, I have been repeatedly gushing to Mr. K about how come I found the best Lemongrass Tea in a Japanese restaurant (in Jakarta) like this, LOL! The iced tea is served in quite large glass with a real lemon grass included. Taste-wise, it was perfectly lemongrass, with the strong aroma and taste, like drinking crushed lemon grass water with tea. The sugar was already mixed in the glass but the quantity was great, enough sweetness but not too much.

一口飲んでMr. Kに“なんでジャカルタで一番美味しいレモングラスティーが日本レストランのレモングラスティーなの？”何度も何度も言ってしまうくらい美味しかったです。大きなグラスに本物のレモングラスが付いていて、風味と香りは完全にレモングラスでお砂糖の量も甘すぎないよう調整してあってとても美味しいです！

Homemade Custard Pudding　／自家製プリン　IDR 38,000

For the desserts, there are options like pudding (custard and mango) as well as some ice creams, but during our visit, the ice cream menu wasn’t available so we tried the custard pudding only. The word “homemade” had never been so attractive to us because we believe homemade style is the best when it comes to Japanese custard pudding a.k.a. purin!

The pudding had almost perfect shape with lots of round holes around the body, the texture was somehow dense yet soft. I love it especially eating it with the fragrant caramel sauce in the bottom, YUMMY!

デザートのメニューを見たところ、自家製プリン、マンゴープリンにアイスクリームなどがありましたが、その内アイスクリームだけが無かったので自家製プリンだけをたべました。やはり日本のプリンは自家製が一番おいしいです！

プリンの形もテクスチャも完璧でした！濃いようで柔らかいのがたまらない。特にキャラメルソースの香りとお味は最高！

Seriously, for a restaurant which has just its grand opening 3 days before, TONTOKI had no chance of ruining anything. Of course there were some “glitches” like malfunctioning lights, inexperienced staffs and so on, but those were just minor stuffs and didn’t affect our dining experience in whole picture.

I must also confess that I fell in love terribly to the place as I love this kind of less pretentious setting that reminds me of the villages in Japan. It’s very brave of KAWANO Group to come up with such concept since restaurants nowadays put a lot of money just to create beautiful, luxurious and rich-looking places to attract people with medium-high social status who are believed to be the “high spenders”.

開店してから３日しかたっていないのにしっかりしてたのは驚きました。もちろん電球やスタッフなどの問題もまだあるみたいですが（笑）、我々にとって全然影響なく、いい思い出になりました。

今回私がKAWANOグループさんの民家みたいな発想が気に入った点は、最近のジャカルタでの中層豪華レストランと逆方向に突き進む勇気が凄いと私は思います。

In this post, I also wanted to express my deepest gratitude to the genius yet humble chef of TONTOKI, Ms. Miyagi Ako -who is familiarly called Ako-san, a super friendly and nice lady who comes from Okinawa! As a fellow Okinawan, I am so glad to meet her and being able to engage in the most friendly conversation with her along with Mr. K, knowing more about the dishes and more about TONTOKI itself which we also learned from the GM, Mr. Nakagawa Yasunori. Despite Ako-san’s cute and friendly appearance, Ako-san also handles other KAWANO Groups joints such as Udonku and Kado, she really has magic in her hands! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the delicious meals we had yesterday!

今回、一番嬉しかった事は女将の宮城亜希子さん（あこさん）に会えることでした。あこさんの手でマジカールな料理をいっぱい食べれて本当に感動しました！色々な話もして本当に楽しかったんです。また会えるといいね〜（＾＾）v

Before I end this post, I would like to add that the previous day, I went to the highly-praised Sushi Masa as claimed by many as the best Japanese restaurant in Jakarta. We didn’t find anything special and were quite disappointed because it was far different from what we have heard so far. I went with my friend’s family, total of 4 adults and 2 children, we spent almost IDR 2 millions just for yet another average Japanese restaurant. And pardon me for saying this, in TONTOKI, I ordered like hungry wolves for 2 person and my bill didn’t even reach IDR 700K in total. If you’re interested to hear what we think about the sushi restaurant, it’ll be come up soon.

Hereby we wish TONTOKI the tons of luck and we’ll drop by again very soon! <3

P.S. Making reservation is recommended.

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*All prices are subject to 5.5% service charge & 10% government tax

*The Food Escape team are not paid whatsoever for writing this post.

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TONTOKI 屯登木
MidPlaza I Building, Basement Floor
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 10-11
Jakarta
Phone. +62 21 251 4585
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat
Lunch: 11.30AM – 2PM
Dinner: 6PM – 10PM