I was debating whether to take a trip somewhere far away for the weekend, but in the end I just dropped by a wagyu steak place near my home. Traveling means getting up early, and that’s not easy on a weekend. I used to be really diligent, but moving my body is getting more and more tiresome, sadly.
So here it is: Mr. Beef, a wagyu steak specialist.
It’s not far from the station. Wagyu steak depends almost entirely on the quality of the meat, and it’s expensive, so buying it and pan-frying it at home really is the best value. There’s no real need to pay more than double to eat it out, but this place is fairly popular around here, so I gave it a try. Lately I find myself obsessing over eating good food more and more. Obsess over the small things and you might lose sight of the bigger picture. I should be careful from now on. That said, I suspect this will carry on at least through the year-end holidays.
Salad
Yes… it was ordinary.
Onion soup with bread
As befits a Western-style restaurant, out came a proper soup with sweet, slowly simmered onions. Very satisfying.
Sauces for the steak
I ordered the 100-gram steak, and they bring out a whole spread. Mustard, salt and so on…
These are all sauces too
So many choices it breaks my heart.
They even give you fresh wasabi.
Bringing out wasabi means they really know how wagyu should be eaten.
Rice
Koshihikari, of course.
Steak in preparation
The 1,000-yen and 1,500-yen lunch menus looked like good value, but that day I tried the 3,700-yen sirloin steak.
Wagyu sirloin steak
It came out medium rare, and it’s tasty. Not overly fatty, with the rich, nutty flavor of the beef coming through just right. The potato garnish is decent too. It was a bit small for a full meal, though. But adding more meat gets pretty pricey, sadly.
Dessert crêpe
Order a plate of steak and dessert comes with it. With service like this, the high price makes sense.
And finally, a glass of white port
I tried to order a ruby port, but they didn’t have any, sadly. So I ordered this instead. The aroma is nice, but taste-wise I think ruby port is better. A little pricey, but decent enough. People with a romantic image of wagyu might be amazed when they try it, but for me, meat at this level didn’t make any special impression..