BEST STEAK EVER ? Wagyu Beef at HAFUU! (It's a Trip Part 2 .1)

HAFUU! When we decided to visit Kyoto I knew we'd also have to decide if we were going eat Wagyu beef. Apparently it wasn't a decision for Keenan...it was a "must do." This is a tricky post to write as we are both loyal to the Nebraska corn-fed beef we grew up on and still love. We feel like we know our steak. Until this point we have not had a single steak at any Japanese restaurant that's left us saying "that was amazing, we'd eat there again." Now that has changed...

You may have heard of Wagyu or Kobe beef. Kobe is just one "brand" of Wagyu beef, but it is most well known. There are very few restaurants in the United States that serve genuine Wagyu beef. Lots claim to have Kobe this or that, but it is a lie! Japan exports very little of their beef and the actual numbers vary from year to year. That 100% Kobe beef steak or hamburger you're getting at that place down the street? It's most likely not, as in 99% chance not. Yes, even at that chain Kobe Steakhouse, fake. Unfortunately the USA has no regulations on using the words Kobe beef, so anyone can list it in their menu, genuine or not...ok rant over.

So what does it take in Japan for beef to be labeled Wagyu? Wagyu refers to limited meat brands with certain breeds of cattle raised using special methods. No, those methods don't include beer or massages, those are myths! One of the charactaristic features of Japanese Wagyu is the texture. The fat is woven finely throughout the muscle, called marbling. The marbling creates a tenderness that feels like each bite melts in your mouth. Wagyu beef is also high in unsaturated fats that melt at a lower temperature than saturated fats, temperatures even lower than the human body temperature. Thus making it literally melt in your mouth.

USDA Choice vs A5 (highest grade of Wagyu) marbling.
Photo from: http://insights.looloo.com/steaks-101-learn-different-grades-of-beef/

A couple very interesting articles about Wagyu beef:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2014/01/07/the-new-truth-about-kobe-beef-2/

The restaurant we went to, HAFUU, is owned by someone that has a meat shop more than 100 years old in Kyoto. This gives them access to high quality meat and the ability to sell it for a more reasonable price than some other places that sell Wagyu beef. We had a Japanese friend call to make reservations for us a couple days in advance...one more reason we were so nervous about catching that flight out of Sendai! They required a credit card for the reservation, and have a no-show charge. There are 2 areas of seating, the counter, which seats 16 and a back area that seats 20. We went with counter seats so we could watch the cooks. 

This dinner was definitely a splurge for us, but a potentially once in a lifetime opportunity! (A voice beside me is already saying that we MUST do it again before we leave Japan, so now...less potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity...)

The restaurant was on a mostly residential street.
It's just beyond the power pole on the right.

He's so excited!

The set menu we ordered, it ended up being 8 courses.
We got one set with sirloin and one with filet.
¥9,750 per person + drinks.

First appetizer, shrimp with sauce.

Appetizer number 2- lightly roasted beef. Little did we know this appetizer would be one of the best things we've ever had and was personally my favorite dish of the night! Served cold with 3 sauces plus coarse ground salt, grated daikon radish and wasabi. The chef's recommendation was to dip each piece lightly in salt and nothing else. He was right on! It just melted in our mouths and the beef taste was perfect.

Wagyu beef on the grill. Looks light pink because of all the delicate fat marbling that makes it famously delicious! Keep in mind one of these is a filet and one is a sirloin (...a "lean" cut).

Appetizer number 3- grilled thinly sliced brisket with salt-based sauce. Any other night this would have been a standout appetizer, tonight however, it was just an average meat dish. It couldn't compare to the roasted beef we'd just had or the steaks to come.

Corn soup.

Salad...a little rabbit food in the midst of all the meat. What's next?

We had our steaks cooked to medium. While we are usually medium-rare steak eaters, the chef's recommendation was medium to allow the marbled fat to fully melt and take the meat to its highest level of flavor and tenderness.

BEST STEAK EVER! 180 grams of Wagyu filet steak with veggies (yes, I got a heart shaped carrot), garlic chips, salt and coarse ground mustard. It was a melt in your mouth beef experience that was out of this world. It was so tender you could cut it with chopsticks. While the sirloin (below) was a little rich, this filet was the perfect combination of the beefy flavor we're used to mixed with the richness from the fat.

SECOND BEST STEAK EVER! 200 grams of Wagyu sirloin steak with veggies, garlic chips, salt and coarse ground mustard. It was a rich highly marbled sirloin, that just melted in our mouths, no chewing necessary. Though tasty, this one was almost too rich, a little on the "oily" side. A common complaint of Americans when they experience Wagyu beef.

Last bite of steak. Sooo sad!

Tea, mango ice cream and tiramisu for dessert. Even though I loathe coffee, this wasn't too bad! There was also fruit, but we had no idea what it was! 

Green tea ice cream (worst thing of the night), creme brulee and mystery fruit.

If you ever visit Kyoto, we definitely recommend trying some Wagyu beef and we highly recommend you check out HAFUU!
http://www.hafuu.com/eng_store_honten.html
GPS coordinates: 35.015640, 135.765616


Special thanks to my guest writer, Keenan, for his help on this one!