One of the things that I really missed about Japan was the food so when I saw King Japanese Yakiniku in Chongqing, I immediately opted to give it a try. Surprisingly, it actually ended up being a nice dining experience though there were a couple of things that I thought could have been improved. Anyway, if you are interested in my experience then make sure to continue reading!
King Japanese Yakiniku: An Izakaya Dining Experience in Chongqing
Right off the bat, the restaurant’s entrance reminded me of the izakaya and other food establishments that I’d been to and seen in Japan. The entrance had this sign that featured its popular meals which at that time was half off. Other than the sign, I also liked that the entrance featured empty kegs of Asahi beer.
I was actually surprised that the inside was relatively spacious. I’d been inside plenty of izakaya in Japan and they tended to be a little cramped. Another feature that surprised me was the number of fridges here that had Asahi beer. There was also this neon sign that said Jim Beam Highball which also happens to be one of the alcoholic beverages sold here.
If you enjoy anime then you’re going to love this place. As I was looking for a seat, I ended up taking pictures of the walls which had these posters of popular anime. In this image you’ll see character posters and illustrations from arguably two of the most popular anime ever: One Piece and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
It’s not just One Piece and Evangelion that’s featured here though. There were also posters for Detective Conan, Dragon Ball, Crayon Shin-chan, Ranma ½, and some other series that were even before my time. Aside from the posters, there were plastic figures that I honestly thought were quite cute (particularly the Crayon Shin-chan characters).
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This is what the dining area looked like. The tables were actually quite large and rather sturdy. Since this is a yakiniku place, each table had a shichirin grill at the center where the customer can then cook their orders on their own. I will say, the ambiance here was really nice and I had a comfortable dining experience all throughout my stay.
Speaking of orders, here’s the first of many that I got. This is one of the two slices of beef that I decided to get for this meal. While it might not have crazy marbling, let me tell you, these Prime Beef Short Ribs still melted in my mouth after their time on the grill. I was honestly surprised at how rich and flavorful this ended up being.
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Now this slice was without a doubt much, much, tastier. This was the Special Beef Boneless Short Rib and the meat to fat ratio on this was just unreal. I still remember being mesmerized at how these sizzled on the grill a couple of seconds after I placed them. And the taste? Oh boy, I was actually seriously contemplating getting seconds.
Now it wasn’t just beef that I wanted to try out. There was also salmon sashimi on the menu and I actually ended up ordering some. This was how the order turned out and I surprisingly ended up enjoying this as much as the beef. It definitely gave the whole meal an element of freshness.
Let me get this out of the way, the grilled eel here wasn’t as good as the one that I had at Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa. That being said, it was still really good. In fact, I’d also have gotten a second serving of this were it not for the fact that this wasn’t the only order I had that day.
Now the eel wasn’t the only seafood that was grilled that day. I also ended up ordering Grilled Salted Mackerel which ended up being just this umami bomb. In terms of freshness, this and the other fish that I ordered were relatively fresh.
To balance out all the meat and seafood, I also ordered some corn. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had it before but grilled corn is seriously delicious. If you’re on a diet then it’s a great substitute for rice thanks to having more vitamins and relatively fewer carbs. This is totally not a must though and you should still be good to go with just your meat and seafood.
Other than the corn, I’d also recommend getting the assorted vegetables for grilling. My order had both shiitake and button mushrooms, chilli peppers, potato, cucumber, and garlic. I personally ended up enjoying the mushrooms the most of these with the corn coming in second.
This was the menu provided to me and my companion when we got seated. This was rather large and unfortunately, it doesn’t have detailed translations in English. Despite this, I don’t think ordering will be a problem even if you don’t speak the language.
If you’re wondering what I meant in the previous paragraph, you’ll just need to look at this image. The pictures are really clear and you can always just point to the food that you’d like and the wait staff should then have no issues processing your order. With that being said, you might not have the same experience as I did so make sure you have a translation app ready just in case.
Anyway, here’s a closer look at what I think is the restaurant’s Super Deluxe Meat Platter. It pretty much has the best cuts totaling 490g and costing around 520CNY. And when I say best cuts, I’m talking about A5 Wagyu (Premium Sirloin, Short Ribs/Kalbi, and many more).
If the Super Deluxe Meat Platter is too much, there’s also a Selected Beef Cuts Platter that’s about half the cost. This actually has more meat at 520 grams and is priced at only 298CNY. The cuts of meat you can get from this include Mini Dragon Skirt Steak, Hear Meat, and Beef Kalbi among others.
On this page, you’ll see the Special Beef Boneless Short Rib that I ordered earlier. Apparently, this is one of the store’s bestsellers and judging by the taste, I can kind of see why that is. Other than the special short rib, you’ll also see Thick Cut Beef Tongue and Dragon Diaphragm which also happen to be more expensive (though not by much).
On this page you’ll see the rest of the restaurant’s top sellers. Of these, I think the Beef Boneless Rib might just be the most bang for your buck followed by the Thick Cut Outside Skirt. I say this because both show really nice marbling. That said, if you’re into leaner meat then the rest of the items on the list might be better for you.
This page features another of my orders. The Prime Beef Short Rib is also great value at 138CNY for 80 grams. The Prime Top Sirloin looks really delectable from the pic but tackling the 188CNY price tag for 80 grams might not be for everybody. If cost/budget is a concern then I guess you could get the Top Quality Outside Skirt for 98 CNY for 80 grams.
Now if you are feeling adventurous then this section of the menu might just pique your interest. Here you’ll find beloved delicacies such as Beef Rumen and Beef Large Intestines. For those looking to eat pork, the restaurant also offers Premium Fatty Pork, Premium Pork Belly, and Black Pork Shoulder Loin.
What if you’re not too keen on both beef and pork? Do as I did and order from this section. Here you’ll find the Grilled Eel and Salted Mackerel that I ordered earlier. Other than these two, the section has Tiger Shrimps, Oysters, and Smelt.
As this is a Japanese restaurant, it also offers sashimi. Earlier you saw one of my orders from this section. Other than the salmon sashimi, you can opt for shrimp, arctic scallops, or a sashimi platter. If raw seafood isn’t your thing though then you could try out Premium Raw Beef with Egg.
A common misconception of Japanese cuisine is that it’s meat-centric. The truth of the matter is that it’s actually a lot more balanced. This section shows the vegetables and fruits that you can order. Aside from the corn and assorted vegetables that I got for my table, there are also items like Japanese rice cakes, mashed potatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, and cucumbers.
You might have to crane your neck or re-orient your phone to see the image clearly but it’s basically just another page on the menu. This one features salads on one side and agemono (deep fried dishes) on the other. I really couldn’t be bothered with salads so I ended up skipping those as well as the agemono (though the latter was for a different reason).
I will say, the fried chicken here looks really scrumptious. Over the course of my meal I actually thought of getting an order. The problem though was that I still had plenty on my plate (literally) and I worried that the food might end up getting wasted.
This section is where you’ll find the non-traditional Japanese dishes. Some of the notable items you can order here include Spicy Beef Tongue, Spicy Ma-la Clams, Octopus Wasabi, and Fried Peanuts. If I’m able to get back here again, I’d personally get the Assorted Kimchi as their sourness can really cut through the oiliness and rich flavor of the grilled beef.
For a complete Japanese meal, you’re probably going to want to include some soup. This section features four that you can add on top of your meal. At that time, the available soups were Butcher’s oxtail, Wakame Egg Soup, Spicy Tofu Stew, and the staple Miso Soup.
Understandably, not many people are going to want yakiniku. This section showcases some food bowls that could be perfect for diners who might want something different (or who want to add to their yakiniku order). Examples range from Beef Udon, Beef Bowl, Fried Beef Udon, and Stone Grilled Beef Bibimbap.
Beef sushi is delicious. Back when I visited Takayama, I got to taste Hida Beef Sushi and I thoroughly enjoyed it. While it was definitely rich and tasty, the Hida Beef Sushi that I ate in Takayama was prohibitively expensive. This one is a little more affordable but still very much not something I’d go out of my way to visit King Restaurant here in Chongqing for (at least for me).
These are the last food items on the menu. The maki rolls here are honestly quite interesting. I was actually eyeing the eel sushi but at this point I was already so full that I didn’t push through.
Of course, no izakaya experience would be complete with beer. Here at King Restaurant, diners get to choose from Kirin and Asahi (both Draft and Bottled Beers) selection. Based on the image, the cost of these beers range from CNY20 to a little over CNY 40.
Other than the regular beers, the restaurant also boasts of some unconventional beer flavors. In this page of the menu, you’ll see entries for Mango, Grapefruit, Pineapple, Orange, and even Black Currant Beer. Possibly due to their flavors, these are priced higher at CNY28 per pint.
If beer is not your thing, the restaurant also offers highball cocktails. This page shows the highball varieties/types sold here and their prices. The top-most is a regular Jim Beam Highball which costs anywhere from CNY28 to CNY78 depending on the size of the glass (Small to Giant). Aside from regular, you can also opt for either Cassis/Black Currant, Calpis, Plum Wine, Calpis, Coke, or Ginger Highball variations at CNY35 for each glass.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Japanese izakaya without whiskey. If you have company then you might want to consider just getting a whole bottle of either Suntory Whiskey or Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon (for CNY428 and CNY268 respectively). Other cocktails like Oolong Highball, Lemon Sour, Gin Tonic, Calpis Sour, and Grapefruit Sour are also available for CNY28 each.
Sake is also on the menu here at King Restaurant. Asahi Shuzo’s premium junmai daiginjo Dassai 23, Dassai 39, and Dassai 45 are available and start at CNY728, CNY398, and CNY288 respectively for a 300ml serving. If these are a little too expensive then you can opt for the cheaper Kiku-Masamune, Sho Chiku Bai, and Gekkeikan Sake that all start out at CNY45 for a 180ml serving.
A good middle ground for price and premium taste are the junmai ginjo and junmai sake from Hakutsuru, Gekkeikan and Matsutakeume that range from CNY88 to CNY128 for a 300 ml serving. On the other page is the restaurant’s listing for its shochu. The brands available here are Kuro Kirishima, Iichiko, Jin no Kawa, and Tomino Houzan. Pricing can go as low as CNY268 and as much as CNY358 depending on the brand.
If you’re looking for something lighter on the senses then you might want to taste some Choya Umeshu or Japanese plum liqueur. You can choose from either Black Sugar Choya or the classic Choya Umeshu with pricing for both starting at CNY25 for a 90ml serving and CNY190 for the whole 750ml bottle. Even lighter on the stomach and senses are the restaurant’s selection of soft drinks. These include various flavors of Ramune, Calpis, Ginger Ale, Suntory, and Coke (just to name a few).
To finish off your dining experience here, you’re probably going to want some dessert. King Restaurant has Homemade Almond Tofu, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Mianbao Bingqilin or Bread Ice Cream for CNY28, CNY25, and CNY38 per serving respectively.
I really enjoyed my King Japanese Yakiniku dining experience. It was simple yet delicious and for some reason, I actually felt this longing to go back to Japan after my meal. On a serious note, the food was okay. I wouldn’t say it was the best yakiniku that I’ve ever had but it definitely was far from being bad. Overall, the food and the ambiance made this dining experience worth it.
Do you have a favorite Japanese restaurant in Chongqing? If yes then please share your dining experience with us down in the comments section!
