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2016-05-24
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Yakiniku Great is a Japanese barbecue chain that's recently opened on Queen's Road. According to their website, the restaurant's concept is:"under construction under constructionunder constructionunder constructionunder constructionunder constructionunder..."It keeps going in that vein. Anyway, I have some meat-loving friends who are into tabletop barbecue, so we all went out to give this place a try.While they grabbed our beers and before they explained the menu to us (which they were adamant a
"under construction under constructionunder constructionunder constructionunder constructionunder constructionunder..."
It keeps going in that vein. Anyway, I have some meat-loving friends who are into tabletop barbecue, so we all went out to give this place a try.
While they grabbed our beers and before they explained the menu to us (which they were adamant about: don't bother with the menu, we will explain it to you), they brought over the bean sprouts and spinach namuru ($58 each). They were both fine, but from the price you can kinda already tell that this place is gonna be expensive.
Free appetizer: beef sushi. It was surprising how much like tuna this particular cut of beef was.
Here's the menu; you don't need to study it now, I'll repeat the descriptions below. We got two of each of the kinds of omakase sets:Omakase Take: "Omakase Special Rare 7 Cuts." $430 per person.
Omakase Matsu: "Omakase Premium Special Rare 7 Cuts." $620 per person. ""MATSU" will be include "chateau briand", "misuji", and "Kimura Yaki"." I definitely recommend this as the chateau briand and the kimura yaki were my favorites of the evening.
There's another menu with some vegetables and noodles on it. We got two things: assorted vegetables (not pictured) and kimuchi. The assorted vegetables included shishito peppers, corn, mushrooms, broccoli, and asparagus. I would highly recommend it, both because it is good (I especially liked the broccoli and corn), but also because you are about to eat a ton of meat, and having some vegetables in your life is good.The kimuchi is fine, but far from a Korean kimchi. I don't believe it was fermented: the cabbage was fresh and crisp. I think they just rubbed it with gochujang. Still, it was fine, I did eat it, and veggies are good for you.
Bottom of photo: Yaki-Sashi (5 seconds, one side only). Menu description: "Is it YAKINIKU? or SASHIMI? New experience which only grill for 5 seconds one side." This one was definitely popular at the table, and my wife was an especial fan. It was pretty good.Upper left: Chateau Briand (5 seconds, both sides, add wasabi and soy). "Superior rare cut from centre part of fillet! Thick cut with finest strips of fat. The soft and pleasantly firm texture is highly enjoyable."
The most expensive thing on the menu is the Chateau Briand Steak (not what we got). It's "Reservation Only." I don't understand how their reservation system is supposed to work. While they do have a website, it only has the regular menu, which does not contain any of the things that need to be reserved. How are people supposed to know?
I will say that the hype for this one is not ridiculous. The chateau briand was my favorite piece of meat at the meal. It's the second-priciest thing, after the chateau briand steak, but I recommend that you shell out for it.
Upper right: Kuri (2 seconds, each side). "Fully trimmed lean meat." As the description suggests, this was pretty basic.
In this photo are more Yaki-Sashi and Kuri. The smaller square pieces are Uwa Misuji (7 seconds, all sides). "The part next to Misuji. A cube shape lean meat with tender texture." Steak fans should like the uwa misuji. Even with the additional cooking, I found it pretty raw and difficult to chew. It wasn't really my thing.
Right: Misuji with Tare (3 seconds, each side). "The most popular and sold out quickly in Japan. Using A5 wagyu, distribution of fine strips of fat just like an artwork. We recommend you to reserve before coming."Left: Dai Sankaku with Tare (3 seconds, each side). "The most popular part and sold out everyday in Japan. Creamy and tender texture, just like a silk on your tongue!"
How can they both be the most popular? The opinion at the table was actually that both pieces of meat were realatively bland, and especially so for the misuji. I'm not disputing Japanese tastes (de gustibus and all that), but there are more exciting things on the menu.
Right: Maru Shin with Tare (15 seconds). "Thick slice cutting from Dai-sankaku. You will be satisfied with this amazing wagyu taste." Someone has jumped the gun before I could take a picture, but we got 2 pieces of the maru shin. As I said, I was more into the thinner cuts of meat than the thicker ones on the menu.Left: Shakushi (Here there was a discrepancy. The instructions we were given, and the sign we were given said "2 seconds, each side" whereas the menu says "5 seconds one side!" We went with the verbal instructions). "Tastes like melting! Rarely taken around shoulder."
I was having trouble remembering anything about this one, so to jog my memory I googled "shakushi"-- the results contained an anime character, a Mt. Shakushi, and spatulas. So I'm not entirely convinced this is an actual cut of meat.
This is the egg sauce for the next dish.
Chef Kimura Yaki. ("3 seconds each side. We'll show.") "Amazing! Chef recommendation! Very rich with home made sauce and fresh Japanese egg!" When they say they'll show you how to cook it, they mean that they will cook it for you. That's right, you are not trusted to cook this yourself.This was definitely a hit. It was the second favorite of two of us (me included, after the chateau briand) and the favorite of two of us. And normally I'm kind of turned off by raw eggs.
Tougarashi (3 seconds each side). "Only 2 Kg available from shoulder to arm. You can enjoy a rich chewy and meaty flavor." At this point in the meal, I've eaten so much meat that my meat memories start to blend together. I know we in general liked the lean stuff and the thin stuff, and this being lean and thin suggests to me that we liked it. But it's a touchy inference.
On the right is more Tougarashi. Left: Misuji Briand w/ Truffle Garlic Soy Sauce. "Only few cuts can be taken from the Uwa Misuji. Greatest dense meat taste not worse than Chateau Briand cut."It's odd to say X doesn't taste worse than Y. While literally it's a compliment (it means X is as good or better than Y), negative gradable adjectives like 'bad' or 'stupid' have an implication, even when used comparatively. If I say, "Nathan is stupider than Liz," this is technically true if Nathan and Liz are both super smart, but Nathan a tiny bit less so. However, it implies that both are stupid. Similarly, if you say the misuji briand is not worse than the chateau briand, you imply that both are bad. Just sayin, translation is hard!
Looking over the meal as a whole, here are some reflections. First, it was expensive. We paid $800 a head for the above and 6 draft beers. Now for most people who go to expensive places, high price is a feature and not a bug. You signal your wealth by dressing nicely and eating at high concept ("under construction under constructionunder...") places that cost lots of money.
But that's not me. I'm a schlub. I wore a Spider-Man t-shirt and jeans with holes in them to the restaurant. Not the fancy jeans where the sweatshop kid in Bangladesh makes you jeans with holes in them and you buy them at some trendy Central shop where shirtless male models stand around: I just need new clothes. I'm not at restaurants to eat wagyu per se, I'm there for good food, be it cheap or expensive, high concept or Hooters.
And in the end, this place isn't that much better than a regular Korean bbq joint. Asking myself the tried-and-true question: would I go back? I find that my answer is: "Well, there are a couple of things I really liked, but I really like bulgogi too." I understand why this place costs a lot: it's a nice space, the staff are plentiful and attentive, and the meat is special and imported. But what that adds to the experience *in my mouth* is marginal. I wouldn't go back.
That's not to say I regret having gone. It was interesting comparing the different textures of the different parts of the cow side by side. It was interesting to just see what fancy tabletop bbq amounts to. But I'm not interested in doing it again.
After we finished our meal, we went to La Creperie for dessert, because people were still hungry.
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