Tokyo Beef Yakiniku Picture of Cow
The popularity of yakiniku (meaning "grilled meat" in Japanese) began during a tense period in history.
Originally, yakiniku was the name for any "Western barbecue food", and was brought into the mainstream by Japanese writer Kanagaki Robun in his 1872 book, Seiyo Ryoritsu (meaning Western Food Handbook).
At the time, the general Japanese style of yakiniku drew heavily on influences from Korean dishes such as bulgogi and galbi, which became popular after World War II.
The term was reinforced during the Korean war, from 1950 to 1953, when Korean restaurants in Japan were divided into North and South, and the reference to both of these types of eateries as "yakiniku restaurants" became a politically correct option.
Ventilated barbecue systems were the game changer, and the evolution of yakiniku began. Introduced by Shinpo Co. in March 1980, this type of grill quickly spread throughout Japan as it enabled diners to eat in a smoke-free environment.
What differentiates yakiniku from what we now characterise as Korean barbecues is the quality of the meat, or the star of the show: Wagyu beef.
Adhering to the Japanese gastronomic philosophy that great ingredients should be eaten with as little adulteration as possible, the restaurants with the best selection and exclusive access to speciality cuts of meat became revered. Nowadays patrons pay hefty sums of money to sample a rare breed of beef.
For decades this has been the standard by which a good yakiniku is measured, but even at that, it often isn't enough to win over discerning diners. From different ways of dressing the beef to adding unconventional ingredients for an edge, yakiniku restaurants now tend to mix things up.
After more than 30 years in Tokyo, Yakiniku Jumbo is one of the best-loved meat havens. Sushi legend, chef Takashi Saito of Sushi Saito, once pronounced this to the best yakiniku in the city, and Yakiniku Jumbo ranks highly on Japan's leading crowdsource restaurant review site, Tabelog.
Japanese yakiniku is traditionally like Bordeaux's Grand Cru vineyards where the grapes - in this case, the Wagyu beef - are from one region. Yakiniku Jumbo changed the rules by using its long-term relationships with meat suppliers and reached out to all the breeders of Wagyu cattle across Japan.
Chef de cuisine Koya Takayuki is proud of how Yakiniku Jumbo, which opened in Hong Kong in May 2018, is able to maintain standards in line with what diners in Tokyo experience. The restaurant only serves chilled meat. Produce is never frozen, to preserve the texture and juiciness of the beef.
"This keeps the best quality of (the) beef and make us stand out," says Takayuki. "Also, we are famous for our original signature dish, noharayaki. Inspired by sukiyaki, a large slice of marinated hand-cut chilled A5 Wagyu beef is grilled and served with freshly-beaten Japanese egg yolk, which provides customers with a special gastronomic experience."
One recent arrival in Causeway Bay is challenging traditions. Chef Vanne Kuwahara, who is the face of Wagyu Vanne, used to be a renowned DJ. He established Tokyo club Fai Aoyama and his track, Cha-Ka-Too , won acclaim at Ibiza's Cafe Del Mar.
Kuwahara used his music business experience to shake things up in a cuisine he saw as stagnant.
Yoroniku in Minami-Aoyama, which was lauded for its impeccable service, was among several yakiniku outlets Kuwahara opened in Japan.
The concept quickly spread, with Yoroniku branches popping up in Bangkok and Taipei. The brand won gold in the annual Tabelog Awards and finished seventh in this year's Opinion About Dining (OAD) Top 100 Japanese Restaurants list.
"I wanted my diners to have a fine dining experience like in French or Italian cuisines where there are appetisers, mains and desserts," Kuwahara says.
"I noticed that it was traditional to only season the meat with either salt or miso and I wanted to utilise all the ingredients at my disposal."
Use them he did. The signatures at Wagyu Vanne include beef and GruyEre cheese spring rolls and Wagyu pappardelle bolognese. A cut of A5 Wagyu Chateaubriand made "shabu-shabu" style, served with shaved truffle and paired with truffle potato foam, is truly special.
"I view what I do in the kitchen much like when I was a DJ, and the tracks aren't mine; I mix it up in a way to give something new to my audience," Kuwahara says. "In this case, it's different ingredients to serve my diners."
Over at Elements mall, Yakiniku Kagura imports only the finest beef from an exclusive farm in Hokkaido. The exclusivity is the key as Kagura's owner, Haruyoshi Kashiwaba, also owns the Oakleaf farm.
The Mirai cattle are fed with high-quality fodder and raised in a comfortable, clean and spacious environment. To ensure diners' confidence in the meat, Kashiwaba publicly discloses information of how cattle are fed.
Mirai beef has a smooth texture, rich flavour, balanced marbling and a distinct aroma. Together with the rare cuts, this gives diners a different experience with every bite, even though it all may have come from the same animal.
At the helm is Tsui Wing-chiu, who says: "The most exclusive cuts are included in our daily, limited-assorted Mirai beef rare parts yakiniku platter. It includes the top blade, cut-off tender, rib eye, tri-tip, karubi and chuck roll, which all offer different textures and flavours. Premium quality ingredients are imported from Hokkaido weekly.
"We have a stringent inventory management process to ensure the best possible of freshness quality of beef is served to our guests."
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Source: https://today.line.me/id/v2/article/ajxY2G
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