The
Up Town Center in
Katipunan which is 2-floors filled with restaurants is a new foodie haven. What is interesting about the
UP Town Center is that it offers new and pioneer concepts such as the
Tokyo Tonteki which has no branch elsewhere in the Metro except there.
While I intend to venture with the rest,
Tokyo Tonteki seemed like the ideal first stop because it was very fresh concept for me. I've tried
Japanese izakayas, the hyped
ramen shops and
katsu shops,
home-cooked style Japanese and
many other Japanese restaurants but I've never once encountered
Tonteki. During my visit, I also noticed that it drew the most number of diners among all the establishments in the area.
Tonteki did not actually originate from
Tokyo. It is a famous dish of
Yokkaichi City in
Mie Prefecture.
Tonteki is derived from
Ton which means "
Pork" and
Teki which means "
Steak". Chef
Shusaku Namikawa noticed that there is no restaurant serving
Tonteki in Tokyo so on April 15, 2007, he opened the first Tokyo Tonteki offering his own tweaked version of Tonteki in Shibuya Prefecture in Tokyo, Japan. It became an instant hit which paved way to his opening of three more branches in Japan.
Although the place is not as spacious with only 40-50 seating capacity, I love the modern and clean interiors with its white soft lofts, soft yellow lighting and wooden walls.
I bet it took a lot of craftiness to produce this.
Their open kitchen is really open! There is no glass or anything that separates it from the dining area.
I also loved there cute black wall with print on some parts of the wall. The drawings are the same as with their other branches in
Japan.
Each table is complete with condiments, sauces, utensils and even small plates.
Upon ordering, they will place these
Tokyo Tonteki cast iron brandished cork pot holders on your table. What's unique about
Tokyo Tonteki is that their servers are also cooks. All of them are capable of doing every work required in the restaurant.
Food
 |
| ♥ Spring Roll of Prosciutto, Avocado and Onsen Egg (175 php) |
Upon being served the
Spring Roll of Prosciutto, Avocado and Onsen Egg, I knew I was in for a whole new dining experience. I consider this dish of modern Japanese. It's onsen egg and avocado slices wrapped in lettuce and then prosciutto topped with alfalfa laid on a bed of chili mayonnaise.
 |
| ♥ Spring Roll of Prosciutto, Avocado and Onsen Egg (175 php) |
Onsen egg is the Japanese traditional way of cooking the egg in hot springs which are approximately 70°C for 30-40 minutes of slow cooking to produce a milky and creamy custard-like egg white and dark and creamy wet yolk. This dish is sensational with the beautiful oozing yolk and custard-like egg white, smooth and flavorful avocado slices, crunchy lettuce, slightly salty and chewy prosciutto and lightly tingly alfalfa.
Tonteki Sets (Served with UNLIMITED pork miso soup, rice and cabbage)
For all the sets, you can request extra servings of the pork
miso soup, rice and cabbage. The pork miso soup is a miso soup with
ground pork and onions. For the cabbage, you can choose from
Balsamic Vinegar,
Wafu Dressing or
Japanese Mayonnaise.
 |
| ♥ Ginger Flavored Pork Steak Set (350 php) |
The
Ginger Flavored Pork Steak Set is one hefty meal! It's a pan-filled with Ginger Flavored Pork Steak and shredded cabbage served with a bowl of Japanese rice, pork miso soup and Japanese cucumber pickles.
As the
Tonteki used are thicker than traditional, the pork steak is fried for about 5 minutes before grilling and being topped with the sauce and other ingredients. The
Ginger Flavored Pork Steak had a slightly sweet gingered sauce which was greatly complemented by the walnuts. The pork meat is tender and juicy.
Tonburg
 |
| ♥ Cheese Tonburg Steak Set (400 php) |
For a hearty option, I'd suggest the
Cheese Tonburg Steak Set. It is a pan-filled with Tonburg or Hamburger Steak covered in zesty melted cheese and their special Tonteki sauce. This is gastronomic with savory, soft and fine ground meaty goodness in every bite.
Chicken Steak Sets
 |
| Chicken Steak Set with Onion Steak Sauce (325 php) |
The
Chicken Steak Set with Onion Steak Sauce is chicken steak glazed with sweet caramelized onion sauce. This would be the ideal option for those who don't eat pork. But I have to admit that the pork delivers a bolder flavor.
Side Dishes (Available only for dinner 6pm onwards)
 |
| ♥ Sundubu Style Tonteki Stew (280 php) |
I'm still wondering why the
Sundubu Style Tonteki Stew is listed as a side dish when this dish alone could make me a happy camper with just a cup of rice with it. We just fell in love with it's sweet, spicy and savory stew with tofu, egg, green onions, beef and wood ear mushrooms. Perhaps this is the modern Japanese counter part of the red hot and spicy
Korean Sundubu Jjigae?
 |
| Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts (190 php) |
The
Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts is a small pan filled with buttered crunchy beansprouts and leeks topped with Shichimi Togarashi (seven spice chili powder).
 |
| ♥ Stir-Fried Japanese Mushrooms (220 php) |
The
Stir-Fried Japanese Mushrooms is a mini pan full of buttered three kinds of mushrooms: matsutake, shitake and enoki topped with bonito flakes.
Dessert
 |
| Homemade Almond Pudding (110 php) |
The
Homemade Almond Pudding is a bowlful of silky smooth almond pudding cubes in creamy almond milk.
 |
| ♥ Cheesecake (140 php) |
The
Cheesecake is souffled and topped with blueberry syrup. As expected from a Japanese style cheesecake, this is not as dense as the typical cheesecake. Yet, it is still profoundly cheesy and creamy and not the cotton chiffon type which is probably why it was heavily sinking on the center. We enjoyed this!
Other Reviews at UP Town Center
Cafe Shibuya
Casa Verde
Dulcelin Gourmet
Ginza Bairin
Lucca Bakery
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I whole-heartedly welcome
Tokyo Tonteki in the Philippines! I'm sure it will gain as much or even more fame in the
Philippines as it did in
Japan. It offers a truly remarkable variety of dishes that can't be enjoyed elsewhere. The food variety and quality, ambiance and service is outstanding. The price in relation to the ingredients and serving portions is very reasonable too.
| Tsinoy Foodies Review Rating |
Tokyo Tonteki Philippines Menu |
| Ambiance |
★★★★★ |
Menu 1 | Menu 2 | |
| Taste |
★★★★★ |
| Service |
★★★★ |
| Price |
★★★ |
| ♥=Favorites or Recommended |
| Tokyo Tonteki UP Town Center |
| Business Address |
Level 1 UP Town Center, Katipunan Ave. Loyola Heights,
Quezon City, Metro Manila |
| Business Hours |
Sun-Thurs: 10 am -10 pm
Fri-Sat: 10 am - 11 pm |
| Payment Options |
 Cash |
| Service Charge |
10% |
| Budget/Person |
350-500 |
| Free WiFi |
No |
| Unlocked Foursquare Perks |
None |
| Contact |
(02) 747-2125 |
| Other |
Facebook Fan Page |
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