Japan 2019: Last Day in Japan (AYCE Wagyu Beef Experience)
LAST DAY
Even though this is my last day in Japan, I’m already reminiscing about all the experiences I’ve had and already dreaming of coming back [honestly, I’m reminiscing AGAIN and I’m writing this post early 2021]. I don’t know if I’ve said this in any earlier posts but Japan isn’t just about anime and sushi… it is SO much more. Even though I love to watch anime, I don’t think I did anything anime related (nothing related to any anime’s I personally enjoy) because there was just so much more to Japan to experience - maybe I’ll get to one day when I go again or with my friends.
Being our last day in Japan, we wanted it to be real chill. We thought maybe we can revisit any stores we wanted and make last minute purchases - or if we still needed souvenirs for friends, family or coworkers. So for that reason, I don’t have much else to say about the day except for the AYCE (all-you-can-eat) wagyu beef experience we had for dinner.
So the experience we had was a coursed meal and near the middle, there was the AYCE wagyu beef. There was a piece of wagyu that was just one portion just before the AYCE, which I assume was the best and most expensive - don’t worry I have photos of everything. This meal was about $120 CAD - definitely worth it for the experience and it isn’t as expensive as a single course meal of wagyu if you know what I mean.
For our first dish, Marinade Kunugi Trout from Shizuoka and Marinade Mushrooms. If I’m being honest here, I can’t remember if these were good - they definitely weren’t bad. Though the taste wasn’t outstanding to the point I would remember, you know?
For the next dish, we had Teppanyaki Scallop with Herb and Yuzu butter sauce. I believe teppanyaki is a method of cooking on a flat iron plate or something of that sorts but it was cooked right in front of us. If you don’t know, Yuzu is a citrus fruit and its flavour is sort of hard to describe but if anything… like a mix between lemons, limes, oranges? Honestly, I don’t even know… you just have to taste it for yourself. But the scallop being basted with the yuzu butter kept it so *moist* and it has a nice flavour because of the fatty butter and the fragrant yuzu - it was really good.
Why is the plate SO big? I literally have no idea (lol) - for the presentation!! For our 3rd course, it was the Pumpkin Potage with Pandepis. I had to Google what pumpkin potage was and its basically pumpkin soup but I couldn’t quite figure out what pandepis is or what they meant (sometimes the translation isn’t accurate) but if you know what it is or what they meant, please let me know in the comments below!
The soup was nice and creamy. Thick and luscious with (obviously) pumpkin flavour. There isn’t much else to this. I just drank it (lol).
Now THIS is where the best parts come in - the Today’s Special A5 Wagyu beef. I will assume this was the most expensive cut of beef they served us that day because it was just this one piece. Wagyu really is different from any regular fatty beef you have. You kind of never believe it because beef is beef right? At least that was what I thought… but you just have to try it and you WILL notice a difference. I’m sure even more expensive cuts of wagyu will taste different from mid range cuts of wagyu.
[side story, you can skip to the next section if you want] My previous Sr. Director who has worked in the meat category for years (so I would assume he has has MANY different steaks before) said that wagyu is like no other. You can get somewhat close with other cuts but Japanese wagyu is noticeably different.
It was really soft, juicy & buttery. I wouldn’t say it was overly oily to the point it coated my throat with oil or anything. I think they added the onions there to add an element of freshness and probably to cut some of that oil.
After the initial piece of wagyu we got, now is the chance for AYCE. Just a note, you cant ask for these steaks to be made a certain way, they will cook it how they do. So if you eat your steaks well done (first of all you shouldn’t be eating steaks if you eat them well done - sorry not sorry) this isn’t the meal for you.
They will have two options of wagyu for you, the shimohuri and akami. I can’t remember exactly but I’m like 70% sure that the shimohuri has less fat content while the akami had more. My favourite was definitely the akami - the juicy and fattiness of the beef was just melt in your mouth delicious. But as you can imagine, the oiliness would fill you up.
Like with the first steak, you get the marinated white onions to help cut the oil. Plus you get a few seasonings and dips you can use to enjoy the wagyu! The fried garlic with the beef?! Such a good combo.
Shimohuri on the left and akami on the right
Akami
Bottom: fried garlic, pepper, and (I think it was) teriyaki sauce
Next, we had the garlic rice with miso soup. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a photo of this because I was SO full from the wagyu - I couldn’t think straight (lol). But as you can imagine, garlicy rice = yum and miso soup?? Classic!
Last but not least, dessert. Ice cream and a piece of cake served with some green tea. By this point, I was SO full, I didn’t know if I could finish it honestly but I didn’t want to be rude and leave food left over. The green tea was VERY MUCH needed to help wash the oil and push everything down (lol).
Overall, for about $120 CAD, I think the experience was amazing and I definitely recommend it! It isn’t as expensive as other wagyu beef experiences but I think being able to experience Japanese wagyu in a way that wasn’t cheap nor expensive was great!
Final thoughts: My Japan 2019 trip was really great. I definitely enjoyed my time there and I know my sister and cousin did too. I hope my mom did too (I’m sure she did even though she had a lot of things to say about the food - as Asian moms do… (if you know you know)). It was a great chance for my sister and I to show my mom around the places we went to when we each first went and then go to some new places we didn’t get to go the first time around. As I mentioned a few times through my blog posts, I want to go back again and again. My experience in Japan has always been amazing and every time I experience it and get a bit more of Japan each time, I crave it more and more.
I hope you enjoyed my journey in Japan and that it kind of felt like you were there with me. I try to make these blog posts somewhat informative but I want to keep it casual - like I’m talking to you about my experience, you know? If you have any questions about Japan, let me know in the comments (I’m not an expert obviously but I’ll try)!
Maybe one day, I’ll have a THIRD Japan trip for you all to read but until then, I’ll see you next time ☺
-Thomas