Kobe Beef: It's beef, but not as we know it

Kobe beef, Kobe, Japan

I like steak. I like steak a lot. And I've eaten a lot of it, some excellent, some not. So when our travelling took us to Japan, one of our must-go cities was Kobe. Yes, the temples of Kyoto are stunning; yes, Hiroshima is an amazing testament to both the inhumanity and humanity of man; and yes, the metropolis of Tokyo is fascinating. But Kobe has beef - not just any beef - the beef.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Kobe beef, starting with the name. Many people refer to it as Wagyu, but that just translates as beef, so doesn't actually mean anything in terms of quality. Then there's the whole beer drinking, massaged cows myth. It sounds good, but it's not true. The cattle are fed a specially selected mix of grasses and grains, but no beer. And while they are very carefully and lovingly reared, for much longer than your average cow, that doesn't quite extend to the luxury of massage.



Kobe beef, Kobe, Japan

And then there's the biggest lie of all - that you might actually have eaten it. As its fame has grown, 'Kobe beef' and 'wagyu' has popped up on menus anywhere anyone might have the money to pay for it. Sometimes it's burgers - like anyone is going to put beef that good or that expensive in a burger - and sometimes it's in a fancy restaurant with a authentically expensive looking price tag. But in all likelihood, it wasn't Kobe beef at all.
Until recently, there was a complete ban on export of the beef to anywhere other than Macau. And even now, exports are very low, and very pricey. There are a few lucky restaurants that have genuine Kobe beef to offer, but you probably wouldn't have to take your socks off to count them.

Kobe beef sashimi, Kobe, Japan

So if the beef won't come to me, then I just have to go to the beef. For it to be the real thing, it has to be Tajima-gyu, a specific breed of Japanese cattle, that has been born, raised and slaughtered in the Hyogo prefecture, of which Kobe is the capital. And here we were, in the city that shares it's name with supposedly the best beef in the world, planning to blow our budget to try it.

Our first Kobe meal was found courtesy of friends from London, who were over in Japan to see family, and met us here. Them speaking Japanese meant that they found a less touristy restaurant, where we had a less distinctive experience, but excellent steak none the less. But far from quenching our hunger for the steak, it just made us want to go back for more.



Kobe beef, Kobe, Japan

Kobe beef has to meet exacting standards of meat quality and marbling before it gets its unique tracking code, it's guarantee of authenticity. We didn't want to come this far and be given duff beef, so we did our research, and chose the well recommended, but expensive, Wakkoqo as our restaurant.

We opted to have the sashimi starter, then the tenderloin for me and the sirloin for my husband; all proper Kobe of course. We sat at a countertop grill, where our own chef prepared and cooked our beef, an art form all of its own. Any outside fat was trimmed off and set aside to cook separately, giving us tiny tasty morsels to add to our rice.



Kobe beef, Kobe, Japan

The steaks themselves were cut into small chunks, which our chef grilled in small batches, searing them on all sides so that they were a perfect temperature to let the beautifully marbled fat do its work. It was served straight off the grill, with just the simplest of accompaniments, salt, pepper, roasted garlic and Wakkoqo's own sauce.

Strangely, we felt a bit nervous about our first taste. Would it really be that good? Would we like it? Would it be worth the money? The answer was an emphatic yes, yes and yes.

Kobe is really not like normal beef. I've had excellent Argentine, Scottish and US beef, and the best is tender, with a full meaty flavour. Kobe tastes great, but it isn't such a strong flavour. The texture is what makes it special. It literally melts in your mouth, like little buttery explosions. It is ridiculously good, and like nothing I've ever had before. We loved it.

There is one downside though. Once you've tasted Kobe beef, you're going to want to have more!

Kyoto - Castle, Gardens and Sake

Nijo-jo, Kyoto

Our first bit of sightseeing in Kyoto was the castle, Nijo-jo, which was originally built in 1603 by Ieyasa, the first Tokugawa Shogun, and subsequently added to. The late 1700s saw the destruction of both the original tower and the Honmaru Palace, the latter of which was replaced by bringing over part of the Imperial Palace at Katsura.



Nijo-jo, Kyoto

In 1867, Yoshinobu, the fifteenth Shogun, returned sovereignty to the Emperor in a ceremonly held here at the castle, and it became an Imperial Palace.

Cherry blossom, Kyoto

The Nimomaru Palace has many impressive wall paintings by members of the Kano school, although they have been replaced with replicas, with the originals now moved to the gallery for conservation. The castle was donated to the city of Kyoto in 1939 and renamed Nijo-jo.

Cherry blossom, Kyoto

After the castle, we stopped for something to eat in Cafe Bibliotic Hello. It was a great cafe, and we decided to try the day's special of wagyu; we didn't regret it. We were to try more wagyu later, when we got to Kobe, and I will post about the beef there, but this was a relatively cheap wagyu, and yet still tasted delicious. Pity they didn't have it on the menu all the time.

Cherry blossom, Kyoto

We couldn't linger too long though, as we were off to the Imperial Palace Gardens. The buildings of the Palace are hidden away behind large walls. It is possible to do a tour inside the walls, but you still don't get inside the buildings, so we didn't bother. We were here to see the gardens, in search of the cherry blossom.



As well as the normal trees, they have a few nice weeping cherry trees in the gardens here, which do look quite pretty. But we were soon feeling quite frustrated, as there were endless people posing in front of the trees, making it impossible to take an unobstructed shot.



Cherry blossom, Kyoto

Having done our sightseeing for the day, our plan was to head to the nearby Sake Bar Yoramu, run by an Israeli man who is something of an expert. We had looked for it earlier. But not found it, so we left plenty of time to get there, as we knew that it was, like many Japanese bars, a tiny place and can get very busy.

Cherry blossom, Kyoto

In fact, we found it quite quickly, so arrived just as it opened. As it turned out, it was very quiet all night, which was great, as it meant that we could monopolise the owner and learn more about the sake. I'll do a separate post about sake at some point, rather than talk about it in detail here.
The owner was certainly something of a sake snob, refusing to stock or drink anything other than premium, small batch sake, so his stuff wasn't cheap, but it was excellent. We tried a good number, learned a bit about the types that we prefer, and blew a few sake myths.

Sake Bar Yoramu, Kyoto

In particular, we discovered that, if it is of good enough quality, sake can be kept and aged. We tried one from a brewery called Kidoizuma, called AFS 1976, that was 49 years old. It is very hard to get hold of now, but was delicious. Like most drinks, aging changes the nature of the drink, and this becomes more reminiscent of a sherry than normal sake, but it certainly shows that, in the right conditions, sake can be aged.