Thread: Oshima (Tokyo) - real deal wagyu

I can't let Lorrie have all the glory. A special sneak peek at a blog entry that won't appear for at least 2 months (that said, the final entry will be much more polished.)

I earmarked this restaurant for my "beef experience" in Japan. I sent a reader of my blog here when he asked for suggestions and he returned saying it was the best beef he ever had. Expectations were high and I booked this as the last meal of the trip.

The Japanese have a word for this sort of restaurant (that I forget) - but the word is for those focused on doing one thing - insanely well - true artisans of one product. This is it for steak, as it comes from different parts of the country, depending on the season (things that cows eat affect taste, etc.) I, of course, neglected to get where my cow from and what he ate.

I had lost my trusty Streetwise map but I had no problem finding the restaurant. Go through an anonymous door, down an anonymous elevator, into a pretty lively scene. Long counter, 4-5 chefs, and a few tables in the back.

The English menu read Strip and Sirloin, available in 100 or 200g sizes.

Regular and Squid Ink bread - the squid ink bread was particularly good, both hot out of oven.


Beef Carpaccio - this had the consistency of (soft) butter but it was relatively tasteless.


Salad - ok, nothing spectacular, there was a mealy tomato in there somewhere, over-sauced. At this point, I was getting nervous that my beef experience would not live up to my sushi experience.


Crab Croquette - while the frying was a little heavy-handed, the crab inside had a perfect creamy, warm consistency. They were made from fresh crab meat, cracked in front of us.


Beef - the beef getting weighed, this portion for two.


Sirloin Beef - This was it. I bit into it and I have *never* had beef that just melted in your mouth; yes, it's a cliche, but there is no better way to describe it. Beefy butter - probably the best analogy. But it wasn't too fatty to be too much - perfect proportion of meat to fat and quantity. That said, it wasn't the best beef ever - while it had a great grilled taste, it lacked the aged beefiness (6-8 weeks) that I've been getting from the butcher. They are two totally different variables - and since they seem to be mutually exclusive - I'll take the beefiness over the fattiness 3/4 times. But it was a remarkable steak that I would defnitely recommend.



Rice - simple end.


Ice Cream & Sorbet - pretty good, some of the ice cream was a touch icy but that's nit-picking.


Candied Oranges - intensely sweet and bitter (peel was still attached) at the same time. Too sweet for me, but that didn't stop him from giving us about 10 more slices for the plane ride home the next day.



It was a very good meal, although it didn't reach the heights of previous meals. The chef was very friendly and curious throughout the entire night. The beef probably exceeded my expectations, but my personal preference would be for intense dry-aging over intense fattiness. Nonetheless, I would have no problem going back.

Steaks ran approx $150/pop.

Tip - He makes bento boxes to go, beef sandwiches using the scraps. We were too late to order one, but definitely ask for one when you sit down.

- chuck

Chuck - I want us to buy a jet, and have you and Lorrie live in it with me - flying around the world having adventures in food.

Squid ink bread sounds interesting never had it.

-Ben.

i think it's time to bump this for lunch...

art - i don't know if i'll ever make enough money to buy a jet, but when you do, let me know

-chuck

Good to hear it wasn't the best beef you've ever had. Now I dont have to fantasize about it.

Not that they're any "meatier" than Wagyu cattle from Kobe, but I say you should also try Matsuzaka and (if you can find it) Mishima beef next time you're in Japan. Matsuzaka can be found, Mishima is almost Holy Grail-ish.

Also too note that there are legions of Kobe fans who would blanch at the thought of eating it as a slab of steak. Teppanyaki or shabu shabu would be the preferred styles for those looking to improve the meatiness to fattiness mouthfeel.

fusionstorm - this may have been Matsuzaka (but definitely not Mishima.) caught up in the moment, i completely forgot to ask where the cow was from.

when you look @ the marbling, it isn't completely insane (i'm guessing 8/12, but i'm no expert) - that's why i think it worked as a steak. if you were to eat this (A10 from Urasawa) as a steak, you'd probably throw up everywhere (too much fat) :



vs



mishima is definitely earmarked for the next trip to Japan but i really couldn't find any place this time - will take some more research.

- chuck

Yea, I'm nowhere near an expert either to be able to offer up a grade for what you had, and whether it was Kobe Wagyu or something else. Different strokes for different folks, but it's still hard to go wrong with a rich and tender piece of beef.

Hope you find the Mishima. I tried when I was last in Japan a couple years back, but everyone that I knew wasn't quite "big dog" enough to have a connection.

Yet again Chuck I am floored by these journeys of yours. This doesn't even look real...



How was that rice? I get the feeling that the rice may have ranked right alongside the beef in quality and satisfaction. And fusion brings up an interesting point about shabu shabu, but only if the broth is very high quality and not flavored by delightful chaffing dish fuel vapors.

Ideally, the broth would be high quality. Bear in mind though that the meat would only need a quick swirl to reach the desired level of rareness, so a mid quality broth wouldn't be too disastrous........

the beef is impressive, no doubt.

however, american steak houses still win for me. potatos, spinach, etc over rice and fried croquettes any day.