Matsumoto no Rairaiken

Yokkaichi tonteki is a thick slab of pork, scored into a shape locals call a glove, seared hard and finished in a black sauce of soy, sugar and a great deal of garlic, served with whole fried garlic cloves and a heap of shredded cabbage. It is not a refined dish and it is not trying to be.

The style is traditionally traced to a shop called Rairaiken in Suzuka, and Matsumoto no Rairaiken in Yokkaichi was opened by a cook who trained there for about ten years. It is three minutes from Ise-Matsumoto Station, opens for lunch and dinner with a long break between, and closes on Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays — a combination that catches out a lot of visitors.