Tonki: More benefits of specialization

Hey guys,

Ever since I mentioned it back in my post about Harajuku Gyoza Lou (one of my more popular posts, aww shucks), people have wanted me to write something up about Tonki.  Some say it's the best tonkatsu in Tokyo; others, the best in Japan.  I don't want to weigh in (I've had a lot of great tonkatsu, including Ouroji about which I wrote a post).  But there's no denying that this place is pretty special

My Uncle Ike was visiting, and this has been one of his favorite places for years.  So we decided to head on down a few days ago to see if they're still as delicious as we both remember (spoiler alert:  Yes)

The first thing to note about the place is that it is clean, spotless and pristine.  A single large room, you sit in one counter surrounding the open kitchen and the on-deck diners sit along the wall.  Even with fryer oil running constantly, the restaurant is entirely free of any smell.  The air is pure, the wood is clean, and everything about the place runs smoothly

Call it 30 seats or so, not as small as many shops but certainly enough to really pack it in

Although there's space in the back, 90% of the cooking happen right here in the central kitchen

As soon as you walk in, the majordomo will immediately take care of you--"host" is simply not dignified enough for this guy.  One gets the sense that if Prime Minister Abe himself were to walk in, accompanied by President Obama, Chancellor Merkel, and the ghosts of Queen Victoria and Emperor Meiji, the majordomo would confirm their party size of five, take their orders, and direct them to seats along the well

(alas, no pictures--we were here right at opening to beat the line, and apparently he isn't necessary until later.  I'll just have to go back)

Oh yes, you place your order as soon as you walk in, because there are more or less only three things on the menu:  Dark meat, light meat, or skewered with onions.  Breaded and fried, served with the traditional cabbage accompaniment, with rice and soup rounding out a full meal.

As soon as your order is placed, the full assembly line goes into action.  Your meat is floured and egged in turn repeatedly, then breaded in panko and dropped straight into the first of a series of vat-sized fryers.  The meat is turned carefully, transferred to each subsequent vat by a watchful attendant, and finally diced and served.

The perfect assembly line

At each stage a different chef takes care of it, with the final removal from the fryer overseen by what I believe may in fact be the happiest man in the world--no seriously, he is my favorite part of this shop.  He is always here, hunched over, and every single piece of meat eaten in this shop is inspected and sliced up by his eyes and hands

That is the smile of a man who knows 100% exactly what he wants to do with his life and has the contended knowledge that he does it the best in the world

The tonkatsu itself defies description.  Crispy on the outside, warm and moist on the inside, with sweet sauce, spicy mustard, and cool cabbage to complete a full combination of tastes and textures

Uncle Ike's hirekatsu (light meat)

Plus my rosukatsu (dark meat), plus an added skewer or pork and onions because Ike had never tried it

A little out of the way, but absolutely phenomenal.  Tonki, located in Meguro station, is an absolute must-try if you visit Tokyo

Oh, and free refills of rice and cabbage, by the way ;)

Noah out