Tokiotonic is Changkat Bukit Bintang's new contemporary izakaya with international inflections, infusing thoughtful twists on yōshoku Western-influenced Japanese fare.
This is the latest member of the family of venues that includes El Cerdo, The Steakhouse and The Whisky Bar, serving up another sensational experience on this street.
Tokiotonic is now on a trial run before fully launching next month. It's a work in progress; a more atmospheric ambiance is still being constructed, telling a compelling story with a torii-style gate, lanterns and portraits, but its menu shows plenty of potential.
Highlights include the Tokiotonic Iberico Katsu, a terrific take on the classic Japanese cutlet, pooling East Asian and European elements, featuring acorn-fed iberico pork marinated with sake, shiso, mitsuba and negi.
Customers have a choice of a juicy collar cut or leaner loin, charcoal-grilled for a natural richness or traditionally breaded and deep-fried. The meat is prepared pleasurably pink, bold-tasting and luscious-textured, complete with a German-style potato salad, shredded wasabi-seasoned mixed slaw, red miso sansho pepper mayo, mustard and house-blended katsu sauce.
It's an impressive tonkatsu, honouring the Japanese standard while putting subtly distinctive stamps on this familiar favourite, boding well for Tokiotonic's other offerings like ramen in lobster-laced tomato broth and a pie made with three kinds of chocolate and matcha cream.
Stay for the creative cocktails and highballs. The Mariko (Dear Merry) is an ode to love, partly inspired by the female lead of Shōgun, sensuous and sophisticated with aged dark rum, house-made strawberry compote and yogurt, and silky cream, while the Salty Samurai is a reimagined salute to the Salty Dog with the effervescence of grapefruit distillate, house-crafted grapefruit cordial and yuzu tonic.
