Tag: gyukatsu

In search of the perfect gyukatsu in Tokyo part 3: Aona

In this long overdue installment, I continue my search for a great gyukatsu (beef cutlet) in Tokyo. You can read part 1 and part 2. My third attempt was at Aona, another brand with a few branches in Tokyo. I went to their original store in the area of Ameyoko market in Ueno.

The visit

A short walk from Okachimachi station (and Ueno station is just a few blocks further away), actually finding the store was not super-easy, as the pin on Google map was not accurate (the issue seems to have been fixed since then, December 2019).

Of the several Aona branches in Tokyo, I went to this store because they were the only one of the chain serving premium wagyu gyukatsu. It is the original store, but not the largest at the moment.

I was the first customer of the day (it was an early lunch to use an euphemism). They open at 11am.

I ordered the set menu with 100 grams of premium wagyu. “Premium” meant that it was sirloin wagyu, while usually their wagyu gyukatsu comes from the leg, a less prized part of the cow (I suspect this is what you get also in other gyukatsu restaurants promoting wagyu cutlets).

The set came with a nice seasonal salad, a multigrain rice bowl (they proudly indicate that 16 types of grain are used), miso soup and some condiments. Water was complimentary.

The meat was indeed tender and juicy, I was just underwhelmed by the crust (hoping in something crispier).

The nice thing about Aona is that they offer various types of beef. So for good measure I tried also the New Zealand beef (the cheapest option) and the regular Japanese black beef. The Japanese beef was not that distant from the more prized wagyu. The New Zealand beef tasted completely different, like roast beef. (You can see the three types of beef one next to another in the picture on top of the page with the sirloin wagyu on the left, the regular Japanese black beef in the middle, and the New Zealand beef on the right.)

The check

I ended up spending 4,455 yen (41 USD). The main set, with 100 grams of their most expensive beef (sirloin wagyu), was 2,800 yen plus tax. Ordering additional 50 grams of Japanese black beef and 50 grams of New Zealand beef was not economical, as you spend less with bigger portions. They also have a sampler set with three types of beef, but not the premium one that I ordered. Definitely you do not need to spend 40 USD for a normal lunch as I did.

How does it compare with Motomura and Ichi Ni San? Just using the regular Japanese beef as a benchmark and ignoring the fancy sirloin wagyu I had, Aona was marginally better. Motomura had more interesting side dishes (but they were tiny!). Also in Motomura and Ichi Ni San you can cook your meat at your table with a small cooker: if raw meat is not your thing, that’s a sweet option that was not offered at Aona.

The search continues.

Where in Tokyo:
6-5-7 Ueno, Taito-ku, JUN Building 1st floor.
In Japanese: 東京都台東区上野6-5-7 JUNビル1階.
Website: http://www.jfoods.co.jp/ (in Japanese, but you can use Google Translate or similar). The website has menu with prices and list of other locations in Tokyo.

In search of the perfect gyukatsu in Tokyo part 2: Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San

Gyukatsu Ichi Ni San is in Akihabara and is another small diner in the basement of a non-descript building. It only serves gyukatsu, the Japanese beef cutlet.

The visit

After descending a very steep stair…

You get in a very small dining room. I was seated on one of the two small tables at the end of the room; the other seats are at the counter.

Their lunch menu comes in three sizes: 130, 260, and 390 grams. You can choose whether to have or not the grated yam (only 100 yen difference, but I can understand that some people may not like it, it is an unusual flavor. It is a kind of puree that is to be poured on the rice).

I went for the small size that came with the usual sides: rice, miso soup, grated yam (I kind of like it), sauces and some greens, plus cabbage and a scoop of potato salad.

As usual the meat is left rare inside.

And as usual you have a personal stove on the table where you can complete the cooking to your liking.

The check

Final check was 1,400 yen (or 12.75 USD). A very reasonable check for what was a delicious dish after all.

Now… if you read my review of Gyukatsu Motomura you will notice that the two places are very similar. Too similar. Actually it is the identical experience. The only difference is that Motomura also has some fancy mini side dishes while Ichi Ni San offers also the jumbo size. I really tried to find differences in the meat and the batter. I would venture to say that the meat was marginally better, a bit more juicy. But it was basically the same thing. I could not determine who came first. My impression is that Ichi Ni San may now be owned by Motomura, but it is just speculation. The Akihabara venue of Motomura I visited was way more comfortable, so it would be my preference if I was to eat another gyukatsu in Akihabara.

Still, my search for the perfect gyukatsu in Tokyo is not finished… to be continued.

Where in Tokyo:
3 Chome-8-17 Sotokanda.

In search of the perfect gyukatsu in Tokyo part 1: Gyukatsu Motomura

Gyukatsu is a pretty unique Japanese dish: a fried beef cutlet with the beef left rare inside. It is delicious. Let’s see my experiences in Tokyo beginning with a classic, Gyukatsu Motomura. As the name suggests, this shop specializes in this type of food entirely and has grown to become a nationwide powerhouse: they have branches across Tokyo and other prefectures.

The visit

I picked up the Akihabara branch during my October 2019 trip to Tokyo that is located in the basement of a building not far away from Akihabara Station.

The dining room is spacious enough and well it. I was seated at the counter.

Tea was included.

Ordering was pretty easy as they had an English menu (and even a young waitress speaking English) and basically you are given two choices: you can choose the size of the steak (130 or 260 grams) and the number of side dishes. There were four side dishes available: omelet, nanban miso (a chili-infused miso), warabimochi (a type of soft starch cake), and spicy cod roe (mentaiko). I opted for the 230 gram-steak and the mentaiko. The set also included rice, grated yam (called tororo in Japanese), miso soup with tofu strips, and some green pickles, shredded cabbage (with its own sauce available on the table), and a scoop of potato salad. There were two sauces: wasabi and soy sauce and another horseradish sauce.

As you can see, the meat beneath the crust is rare (on the company’s website they say medium-rare, but I beg to differ). This is actually one of the reasons I like gyukatsu.

On the table I was provided a small stove that I could use to complete the cooking of the meat to my discretion. This is particularly useful if you do not like rare meat.

I was advised to eat the grated yam with the rice. It was a very rich flavor. The side dish, the mentaiko, was excellent, but just a tiny bit.

The check

My set (260 gram-steak and one side dish) cost 2,300 yen (21 USD). The price is pretty standard.

It was a very pleasant experience, even if the meat was not as juicy as I was hoping and the crust not as crispy. Retrospectively, the gyukatsu I reviewed in Nagasaki was really good!

Where in Tokyo:
1-15-18 Sotokanda – Okuyama Bldg. B1F.
In Japanese: 東京都千代田区外神田1-15-18 奥山ビル地下一階.
Website (for more locations): https://www.gyukatsu-motomura.com/en/.

Delicious gyukatsu in Nagasaki

Gyukatsu (a fried beef cutlet with the beef rare inside) is one of my favorite dishes. It is not so popular though. I will share my visit to a simple shop in Nagasaki (only with a Japanese name, 勝鹿 かつしか) that served an excellent specimen of this dish.

The visit

I came across the shop on a Sunday. I was the first customer for a very early lunch.

The menu was in Japanese but quite simple to decode. I asked for the gyukatsu set (the one with one portion and half) and an iced tea.

The spectacular set had the gyukatsu, juicy and rare, miso soup, rice, cabbage salad, pickles.

The check

I paid 2,009 yen (18.65 USD), not the cheapest lunch set, but the quality was there. They also specialized in tonkatsu that would have been interesting to try.

Where in Nagasaki:
5-25, 1F, Kagomachi.
In Japanese: 〒850-0905 長崎県長崎市籠町５−25 1F.

Good, but expensive, gyukatsu in Ginza, Tokyo

The Japanese pork cutlet, called tonkatsu, is quite popular even outside Japan. Fewer people know about another marvelous battered and deep fried goodie from Japan: the beef cutlet, gyukatsu. The main feature of this type of cutlet is that the beef inside is kept rare, making it very juicy. It is one of my favorite Japanese dishes. In this post I will share one gyukatsu I had in Ginza, not the best ever, but a good introduction to this type of cutlet.

The visit

I found a self-styled Korean BBQ called World Diner offering a gyukatsu lunch set in Ginza. Above you can see the view from my seat.

I had a 100 gram gyukatsu (but it looked quite small…) and for 300 yen I also had access to a salad “buffet”. Actually the buffet was a joke, they just had a few items that are usually provided with a lunch set anyway such as rice, cabbage and salad. The only advantage was the unlimited drink.

From the picture above you can see that the heart of the beef is almost rare.

While the whole experience was nothing special, the beef was very juicy and overall the cutlet was good. The restaurant claims to deal with top wagyu.

The check

I was about to throw the receipt away… I did not think of writing a review, but I guess sometimes it is also useful to share so so experiences.

The lunch set came to 2,246 yen (around 20 USD). It was expensive, normally a gyukatsu set would cost around 1,500 yen. However, the quality of the meat was good and, after all, it was Ginza.

I do NOT recommend this place, however I do recommend trying a beef cutlet if you travel to Japan. For a review of a good gyukatsu see this post from Nagasaki.

Where in Tokyo:
7th floor of Kirarito mall in Ginza.
1-8-19 Ginza, Ginza, Chuo 104-0061, Tokyo Prefecture.
See their website for more details.