Tag: sausage

A Yakiniku with Yamagata beef in Higashi-Nihombashi, Tokyo

When in Tokyo, sometime I choose to stay around the Higashi-Nihnombashi station; it is a strategic point for transportation; from there, it is easy to get the Asakusa line to Narita or Haneda airport and it is just one stop away from Tokyo station. In fact, the area is served by three stations. I can be in Ginza in less than 10 minutes. I love this kind of convenience.

That’s why I came across a few interesting restaurants in the area. One of these is a yakiniku restaurant just outside the B4 exit of Higashi-Nihombashi station. I am not sure about the English name; at the end of the review I have provided what I found on Google Maps, while on the sign it reads “Shinihon Yakinikutou”.

The visit

I am reporting from my visit in September 2018 (the day of the big typhoon in Central Japan; another time I took refuge here during the big snow day of January 2018). The place fills with salaryman and group of friends pretty early.

I got as usual a seat at the counter and I was handed the English menu.

Being an yakiniku, most of the dishes are served raw ready to be grilled by the customer on a charcoal grill.

With my first order – a set of Yamagata beef – they brought the grill. It did not look precisely clean… but let’s say that it was well-lived.

Yamagata prefecture is home to one of the three most sought-after types of Japanese wagyu along with the well-known Kobe and Matsusaka. It is not clear to me if this was the Yonezawagyu, the top brand coming from Yamagata, or some other brand from the same region. Either way the marbling was evident and the beef tender and tasty.

I also ordered a set of home-made sausages. They also came raw to cook on my mini-grill. They were quite good.

Finally I had a fantastic wagyu hamburger. Probably the best dish of the evening.

The check

The three dishes plus a coke came to around 5,000 yen (45 USD). I had also to pay a 324 yen (before tax) cover charge. Yakiniky with quality beef is not cheap and this can be regarded as a mid-range place.

I really liked the hamburger and I could be back in the future.

Where in Tokyo:
New Japan Yakiniku Higashinihonbashi store
Name in Japanese: 新日本焼肉党 東日本橋店
3 Chome-11-6 Higashinihonbashi, Chūō-ku, Tōkyō-to 103-0004, Japan
Address in Japanese: 〒103-0004 東京都中央区東日本橋３丁目１１−6
There is a Facebook page.
Tip: take the Asakusa line and if your coming from South (i.e. Ginza, Haneda) take the B4 exit of Higashi-Nihombashi station. If you are travelling from north (i.e. from Asakusa or Narita) take the B3 exit and cross the street.

 

The American BBQ that won Vietnamese over: Quan Ut Ut in Ho Chi Minh City

I still remember when Quan Ut Ut opened in March 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City taking over a multi-story building previously occupied by a seafood restaurant. It was an instantaneous hit. Locals would queue for an hour outside the restaurant, defying the heat and the rain, to get a table. At that time you could see the head cook Mark Gustafson grilling ribs and sausages on the walkway in front of the entrance.

For this reason, it took me a while to try it. I truly enjoyed all of my visits (usually early in the evening to avoid the big crowd… you probably do not have to wait one hour nowadays, but it can get full pretty quickly). And when I think of Quan Ut Ut I cannot avoid marveling at the fact that while one restaurant can become crazily successful others, even if very similar, cannot pass the one-year mark.

I have recently been back and learnt that a minority stake of Quan Ut Ut (that meantime expanded to include a second location and another brand, BiaCraft) was recently acquired by a investment-fund backed Vietnamese restaurant operator, Red Wok Cuisine. This means that the brand is likely to expand in other cities and locations. Hopefully, they will be able to maintain the same standards. For sure, it makes a great entrepreneurial story.

The visit

I visited the original location in Vo Van Kiet street and headed to the first floor. Two big changes: first, now they are open for lunch; second, now the upper floor has windows and air conditioning. This is truly appreciated. The rest was the same: spartan park-style seating, pork miniatures and silhouettes everywhere to remind the core business (“ut ut” denotes the onomatopoeic sound of the pig in Vietnamese, like oink oink in English), the menu printed on a paper cover. The staff speaks English and was very professional (they even tried to talk me out ordering a big platter all for myself… very nice of them).

I ordered one of their combo platters, named the Meat Sweats, including 4 Memphis style ribs, one big pork sausage, 300 grams of brisket, corn, green beans and slaw.

The brisket was good, very tender and I could taste the smoke (if it is even possible). I still prefer the one at TNT BBQ however.

This was the first time I tried Memphis ribs. This is a type of dry rib that is treated with a “rub” powder in which paprika is the most distinctive flavor. I am not able to judge whether they were authentic or perfectly executed, but I appreciated that the ribs were tender, well cooked and meaty. I did not enjoy the paprika flavor that much.

The sausage was ok.

In the past I enjoyed more another of their big platter, the BBQ Sampler that includes rib tip, pork shoulder, smoked chicken. Also, their signature cashew smoked pork ribs that I had in the past would have been a better choice.

Their menu keeps expanding and they also sport cacao-smoked ribs and pineapple smoked lamb shoulder.

The check

The platter was 600,000 VND. In total I spent 630,000 VND (including an iced tea) as their prices are inclusive of 10% VAT and service (chapeau). That’s 27 USD for a lunch that could have satisfied two people. I call this very reasonable.

By the way, Quant Ut Ut is definitely a place to try in a group where you can share multiple dishes.

While the involvement of a restaurant group worries me a little bit, what I found in July 2018 was still the old Quan Ut Ut and as such has my recommendation. Also, I cannot disagree with them:

You are what you eat. We have what you are.

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
168 Võ Văn Kiệt.
Pro-tip I: They do not take reservations. Go early! Go for lunch or be there before 6pm to enhance your chances to get a table right away.
Pro-tip II: They have some very reasonably priced lunch sets. Check their Facebook page for updated information.

 

Melt-in-your-mouth brisket and more at TNT BBQ in Ho Chi Minh City (Closed)

Sadly we learnt that the restaurant closed at the end of September 2019. This is the message announcing the closure from the owners:

Vietnamese love BBQ and over the course of years a few solid American-style BBQ restaurants opened in Ho Chi Minh City. In my opinion, TNT BBQ is probably the best, certainly a favorite of mine. A few years ago they moved in a nice location just a couple of blocks from the central Ben Thanh market. I always try to stop by during my trips to Saigon.

The visit

TNT BBQ is tucked away in a quiet side street of Ly Tu Truong. They did a very nice job in decorating the place. The faux bricks wall, the “far west” memorabilia and the vintage posters create a cozy atmosphere.

They also have a wide assortment of craft beers if you are into that.

As you seat, you are welcomed with a plate of corn bread, dip sauce and a bottle of cold water. Free of charge. This is a great level of service in my books.

In my latest visit, I ordered 200 grams of their smoked beef brisket, a piece of their smoked chicken with signature sauce and a jalapeno sausage, plus a side dish (coleslaw). Above you can see what I got (and you can see that by the time I got my order I had almost finished the corn bread… so good). They also specialize in pork ribs and have pulled pork. I had the ribs in the past and they are also excellent.

Everything is delicious, but the brisket in my opinion stands out. It just melted in my mouth and the ratio between fat and meat is perfect to enhance the flavor but without killing it. According to their menu it is slowly cooked for 16 hours to get to this shape.

Special mention to their jalapeno sausages that are filled with cheddar cheese. I would not know where to find them anywhere else in Ho Chi Minh City. By the way, for some reason good sausages are rare in Asia, so if you like them, make sure to include at least one in your order.

The check

I liked every single bite of what I ordered. While the brisket stood up, the chicken and the sausage were also great specimen of good BBQ meat. Overall, I spent 390,000 VND (more than half, 210,000, for the 200 grams of brisket). That’s around 16.75 USD, what I regard as a reasonable price for the quantity and quality of what I received.

If you like original smoked meat in a nice environment, I highly recommend TNT BBQ. Bonus: I will also mention that, over the years, I found them incredibly fast and reliable in their delivery service.

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
3 Dang Tran Con, District 1.
They have a Facebook page and offer delivery.