Wagyu beef, while not ubiquitous across Japan, are pretty amazing. In fact, I’ve had some good ones in several restaurant here in Japan. And while all of them were quite good, I’d never tasted actual Kobe beef in Kobe before this visit.
Turns out that it’s just as good as everyone says (not because of marketing but because of taste). After trying it at a yakiniku restaurant (where you cook your own food on the table), I realized a thing or two about Kobe beef versus other kind of wagyu.
But I did notice a few real differences. Let me take you through what we had and how it tasted. I will also tell you if it was worth the extra cost different than regular wagyu available elsewhere.
How Kobe Beef Is Different from Regular Wagyu
Kobe Beef Yakiniku
The restaurant was not difficult to find. We had pre-booked, which I would strongly suggest as the place gets pack quickly, particularly at night.
We were led to our table, which had a built-in round grill and by then I could smell the cooking meat and burning charcoal. The menu is vast so they gave us one of these tablets to order from… And to be honest, it made my life much easier.
We was able to browse at our own pace and see pictures of every cut along with its description, which I appreciate because it means I don’t have to rush while reading. ) and I knew that there was no way for me to order only one thing: not when they offered all this stuff! They offered multiple grade of beef, multiple cuts from tongue to skirt steak, assorted offal, seafood, yukhoe (a specialty), cold noodles, lunch sets featuring beef cutlet, and even dessert.
I scrolled through it all for a solid ten minutes, attempting to narrow down my selections. To get an idea of what that marbling looked like before and after cooking, we chose a tasting platter of raw Kobe beef.
The fat content was insane (almost lace-like), really fine veins running throughout the meat.
While I’ve had good wagyu in the past, it was noticeably more intricate. It’s one thing to look at it. You could tell just by looking that it would melt differently.
Half the fun was grilling it ourselves. After warming up with some of organ meat cuts, we moved onto the premium Kobe beef slices. The staff teach us exactly how long to grill each kind.
It wasn’t very long, just a quick sear on each side over charcoal. The moment I took a bite of the Kobe beef, The fat simply melted away in my mouth. Honestly, that’s what I found to be the biggest difference between regular wagyu and Kobe beef: while they’re both equally rich and delicious, Kobe beef has an almost buttery texture that doesn’t coat your mouth as much than regular wagyu.
Even though there’s more marbling, the fat dissolves at a lower temperature which make it feel lighter and less greasy.
To offset the heavy meats, we also got some side dishes and a bowl of rice. After eating so much richness, I really wanted something simple to cleanse my palate between bites and the rice was just what the doctor ordered. The truth though is, there’s only so much beef that you can eat at once, your mouth becomes full of richness.
We could of gotten away with ordering less and been full anyway. Regular vs Kobe beef: Does Kobe beef live up to the hype? Regularly?
Yes, but there’s a catch. If you’re content with regular wagyu then there isn’t anything that you are missing out on that will change your life if you choose not to get Kobe beef. However, if you are curious and happen to find yourself in Kobe, go for it and give it a try at least once because you’ll see the difference between them.
The flavour is slightly more delicate, the fat melts cleaner, and the texture truly is smoother. Still, regular wagyu is amazing and much cheaper to. I’m happy that I got to try it and know now what all the fuss is about, but not entirely certain I would splurge on it each time I crave some good beef.
Have you eaten Kobe beef before? And if so, have you noticed any difference from other wagyu you’ve had?
