One thing we like about Japanese restaurants is that they can get so specific. At Hakata Tonton in Manhattan’s West Village, chef Koji Hagihara doesn’t just feature pork, he focused on pork feet since they contain “healthy” collagen. We were more interested in his unique pork preparations for the flavor, but if they also had some health benefits, so be it.

The restaurant features red paper lanterns out front, wood floors and tables within, and a small L-shaped bar for wine and muscat cider from Japan’s Iwate Prefecture.

Our slab of Monkfish Liver ($8), the so-called foie gras of the sea, arrived cool and firm in a shallow pool of yuzu miso sauce, topped with thin strips of boiled pork feet that touted their share of collagen. Tiny, briny, black fish roe and thin-cut scallions formed the capper.

Tonton Famous Homemade Gyoza (6 for $8) arrived on a sizzling skillet, with thin skins cradling juicy scallion-flecked pork fillings.

Ordering Sizzling Tontoro ($10) resulted in another sizzling platter, this time topped with scored strips of pork cheek, which they bombarded with scallions and sesame seeds. Dipping the strips in tangy radish yuzusco ponzu sauce brightened up the rich, chewy meat.

Grilled Pork Tonkosu ($7) was the house specialty, with crispy fried pork skin shielding melt-in-your-mouth collagen and small pockets of meat. The topper was a savory, spicy garlic sauce.

Stir-Fried Ramen Noodle Hakata Style ($9) was more or less a good yakisoba, served on – you guessed it – a sizzling platter, with the noodles partially submerged in pork broth, along with cabbage, pork belly, tart pickled ginger and salty strips of nori.

Our token non-pork dish was the only dish we didn’t finish, Crispy Chicken Wings ($9) which touted an off putting spicy caviar butter sauce, which didn’t mesh with the wings.

We craved Hakata’s hot pot with “healthy” collagen broth, but that took a two-order minimum.

Nobu Matsuhisa signed the wall on February 24, 2010, a good endorsement for sure.

We liked that Hakata Tonton didn’t play it safe with their dishes, that they offered adventure at a high value, and that most plates delivered. While Hakata Tonton serves several dishes on sizzling platter, they offer just as much substance as sizzle.