This was definitely an experience to savour. I walked in shortly after 1pm, as I'd seen the "100% Kobe beef" sign and it piqued my curiosity. At the time, I was the only customer in the restaurant, so I could indulge myself in every moment. Ai-san led me to my seat at the counter and talked me through the available options in English.
Having never tried Kobe beef, I decided to keep it simple.
I ordered the 120g steak, which was put on display alongside its accompanying greens, with a trophy in the background. After the obligatory photo-op, the vegetables were halved, grilled, and neatly arranged on my dish.
While this was going on, Ai-san served me the drink I'd ordered and brought the sauces to the table. Nothing fancy or overpowering, just a miso paste, wasabi, and slices of garlic, along with some soy sauce and salt.
The steak was then methodically seared by Shuku-san to medium rare. I was served a fifth of the steak, which he had portioned into chopstick-friendly pieces. Shuku-san recommended that I try the first piece by itself with no additions, then with a combination of wasabi and soy sauce, both of which I tried.
I tried all the condiments in various combinations with each bite-sized portion, and found the miso quite exquisite. In fact, I enjoyed it by itself. For me, it was tough to decide on a best sauce, but it was between the soy-wasabi combination and just salt.
In the meantime, two other groups had arrived, so the restaurant had become a little more lively, but Ai-san and Shuku-san still took the time to make small talk with me while I finished off the next fifth of steak.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at this restaurant, and I will be glad to return should I ever go back to Osaka.
