A friend came to visit me where I live, and since it’s such a rural backwater, wagyu is about the only thing I have to treat people with. So after a bit of sightseeing at Izumo Taisha, I took them to Yakiniku Fujimasu, my usual haunt. I should probably organize a sightseeing tour or something.
Beer
Starting off with beer… I had to drive, so none for me.
Premium loin (tokujo rosu)
As you can see, it’s really fatty, a bit too rich. This time I brought some wasabi along, but since it wasn’t fresh wasabi it didn’t do much for me. It was hardly any different from just eating it with the tare. With meat of this quality, I should come prepared with fresh wasabi and a grater.
Loin steak
It’s 2,800 yen a plate, and it looked like well over 200 grams. It’s the loin cut to steak size rather than yakiniku slices, about two or three times as thick as regular yakiniku. The size blew me away the moment I saw it, but the photo doesn’t really capture it. The garlic on top kind of got in the way of eating.
Grill it like this and…
Hands down the best steak I’ve ever had. Unlike ordinary yakiniku, it doesn’t just melt away; it also has a tender chew, and it fills your whole mouth with happiness. This is what a wagyu steak should be. If it doesn’t melt like ice cream, it’s not a wagyu steak, right..
Something felt a little lacking, so I ordered the upper-grade loin (jo rosu)
It’s less fatty than the premium loin, so it’s easier to eat. I used to only like the premium grade, but maybe I’m getting older and starting to go for cleaner flavors.
Once it’s grilled, it looks like this..
Still, it falls well short of the steak. From now on I’ll focus on ordering the steak. And of course, in winter it’s got to be shabu-shabu rather than grilling!