WINE ME DINE ME
As its name suggests, Tokiojo serves up Japanese fare with an American flair at Samyan Mitrtown.
THE SETTING
Tokiojo’s location over at the student-hub of Samyan Mitrtown is a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” situation. It may not be too big, but at the risk of sounding provocative, size doesn’t matter when the place gives off some cool, urban Tokyo street-side vibes. There’s a traditional touch that remains with its wooden tables and red paint that’s reminiscent of Japanese temples but the details also give it a fun and contemporary flair like the neon sign and the cheeky sayings on the tissue and coasters. Having said that, the menu follows a similar style. Those familiar with Japanese cuisine will definitely recognise the dishes but at the same time, there’s a bit of flair to it and American influence.
THE MENU
The cuisine Tokiojo serves up is Japanese-American hence its name: a combination of the capital city of Japan and a term used to refer to American soldiers back in the day. The menu is concocted by chef and co-owner Shane Giles, who has travelled extensively around Southeast Asia and has put all his culinary experience into the dishes of Tokiojo. The result? Food that they’ve coined as “Fine fast casual”: dishes that can still be considered fast food but a little more elevated, cooked fresh and served hot and lacking any processed stuff.
One of the highlights of Tokiojo is their chicken. I got to try their Chick n fries (B158+), which is a simple dish. You get three chicken strips with two sauces on the side of your choice served with sweet potato fries. As simple as it may be, this was something I thoroughly enjoyed. The chicken is cooked with just the right amount of batter that makes it crispy yet the inside is still tender and juicy as it should be. I had it with the truffle cheese and yuzu mayo, both of which complemented the chicken very well. On top of that, their sweet potato fries are also very addicting.
I also had their Japanese chilli chicken (B178+), which is for those of you who prefer something with a little more spice. It doesn’t go overboard with the spiciness and it’s still bearable thanks to the balancing sweetness of its sauce. Meanwhile, the chicken remains top-notch.
If you’re looking for a bit of a challenge though and if your palette is used to really spicy foods — or perhaps your taste buds are already dead and can’t detect spice — then go for their OMG spicy chicken wings (B168+). Make no mistake, the “OMG” is there for a reason. When making the sauce they slather generously on these wings, they use 1kg chillies for every 3kg of sauce, so you get an idea of what you’re getting into. You’ve been warned.
I also got to try their Curry udon, crispy chicken skewer (B178+), which has chewy udon noodles that go very well with the generous curry it’s submerged in which also has just the right amount of spiciness. Did I mention that chicken skewers that come along with it are once again crispy and juicy? Dipping it in the curry was a great combo, I discovered.
Finally, deviating a bit from traditional Japanese dishes, I tried the Tuna sashimi poke bowl (B188+ for small, B248+ for large, B148+ for vegetarian) which is, ironically, not served in a bowl. Despite not being traditionally Japanese, its nuances remain what with the edamame and seaweed, as well as the tuna dressing that’s subtle yet flavourful.
INSIDER’S TIP
Tokiojo has concocted their own sodas like the Yuzu x2 (B68+), which is something similar to lemonade and the Cherry blossom + cucumber (B68+), which leans more towards the taste of the cucumber than being fruity if that’s what you prefer. For students, they offer smaller versions of their dishes at a lower price with their Student meals so it’s a great deal if you’re in university and on a budget.
Tokiojo also has some pretty cool merch on sale like shirts, aprons and phone poppers. You also get some stickers with your bill so you’ll always get a freebie whenever you eat there.
VALUE & VERDICT
You may think that Tokiojo is just another Japanese restaurant clumped into the already-crowded fray, but they’re offering food that’s different than the usuals you’ve seen. With prices that are more than reasonable and helpings that are very generous, Tokiojo is bringing fast food and Japanese cuisine to a whole new level.