This post was written in 2007. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
Wagyu, Japanese beef, is pricey, yet plenty of people love it. I suppose that’s because the quality control is so thorough that the flavor is guaranteed. Once you get to nationally famous names like Matsusaka or Kobe beef, good cuts go for 10,000 yen per 100 grams, but with lesser-known regional brands you can eat just as well for much less.
I went to a yakiniku restaurant in my area that’s famous for cheap, delicious wagyu. Apparently they can do it because the beef comes straight from their own ranch. I’ve been here many times, but only last week did I finally get to take pictures.
The grill
The heat is really weak. That’s my biggest complaint about this place. It almost feels like it’s ruining good meat.
Complimentary vegetables
In Japan you should be grateful just to get this much on the house.
Spicy sauce
Not spicy at all to a Korean palate.
Two servings of premium loin (tokujo rosu)
1,350 yen per serving. It’s a bit thin. It’s so loaded with fat, as if it thinks it’s marble or something, that just looking at it feels heavy.
Kimchi, ordered separately
300 yen. It tastes a bit sweet and sour. Every time I have to order kimchi separately, I miss Korea.
And this is how you grill it.
The taste, well… is this what warmed-up otoro would taste like…? Why is it that I’m eating a lump of warm fat and protein, yet my mouth feels fresh and clean as if I’d swallowed mint…? It really is a mystery. But again, the meat is thin, so it didn’t have much bite…
Horumon (offal)
680 yen. Very fresh. Soft and savory, and not very chewy. I enjoyed it, but the others weren’t that into it.
One serving of jo kalbi (upper-grade short rib)
945 yen. This one came cut a bit thicker, so it had some bite. Not quite the premium grade, but still fresh-tasting. ^_^ For me this was the best of the day.
Two servings of premium kalbi (tokujo)
1,180 yen per person. Well… as you can see, it’s insanely good ^_^; It has more bite than the loin and less fat, but it didn’t seem all that different in taste from the upper-grade kalbi. I even thought the upper grade might actually be better.
Stone-pot bibimbap to finish
1,100 yen per person. Pretty good. Maybe because there’s good beef in it? In Japan they normally don’t give you gochujang with this kind of bibimbap (-_-;), so I brought my own and added it.
The sign.
If it were near my home I’d come all the time… but it’s an hour away by car, so I only get here once a month ^_^