三宮元町を中心に展開している神戸牛専門店、吉祥グループのステーキハウス。鉄板ではなく石窯で焼くのがウリとのこと。
地元神戸に住んでいても上級国民ではないのでふだんは神戸牛と無縁。ところが(2020年の)3月6日(金)〜15日(日)の期間限定で｢吉祥グループ・半額キャンペーン｣の情報をたまたま知り、これはチャンスと行ってみました。
実のところ八坐和本店に焼肉をと思っていたのですが、半額キャンペーンの対象外だったので同じ八坐和を選んだら焼肉屋じゃなかった次第。吉祥グループの店舗は同じ店名でもステーキ・焼肉・すき焼きじゃぶしゃぶなど店毎にカテゴリーが違うようなのでその点に注意が必要です。
南京町は少し前ならどこの国か分からないくらい各国の言葉が飛び交い観光客でごった返していましたが、この日はコロナの影響か日本人のみで人手もまばら。空席が目立ちました。
それはともかく。
メニューを見ながら部位とグラムをチョイスするのですが、100g当たり21500円の部位がサラッと(300gだと64500円也)載っていたりというプレッシャーなどを跳ね除け、今回はメニューで下から2番目、100g当たり4650円程のA5ランクの赤身を。
それで充分。申し分なし。
焼き上がりがお皿に盛られ出されると、最初にいちばん旨い真ん中を山葵塩で、次からは山葵醬油やオニオンソースでと説明されますが、王道は塩と山葵かと。少々の塩は肉の旨味をストレートに引き出し、本山葵はマイルドな辛さが脂を和らげさっぱりした食べ応えに。冷めても柔らかい肉はスジも皆無で、最後まで感動が続きます。セットのライスを大盛りで頼んだのですが、もう一皿イケたのが心残り。
入口から店内から、これ見よがしに賞状や盾や生産者とか牛の情報が掲示され、更には記念にどうぞなのか、映える写真を当店のためどうぞなのか、食べている途中にテーブルまで盾を持って来るってそこまでするか。あまりにも嫌らしい宣伝は神戸牛のブランド価値を下げるのでは。いちおう写真撮りましたけど。
因みにこの八坐和、店内にロックな雰囲気は全くありません。
(Translated by Google)
This is a steakhouse belonging to the Kichijo Group, a Kobe beef specialty restaurant chain mainly operating in Sannomiya and Motomachi. Their selling point is that they cook their steaks in a stone oven, not on a griddle.
Even though I live in Kobe, I'm not exactly a member of the upper class, so I don't usually have much to do with Kobe beef. However, I happened to learn about the "Kichijo Group Half-Price Campaign" from March 6th (Fri) to 15th (Sun) (2020), and I thought this was a great opportunity, so I went.
Actually, I had planned to have yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) at the Hachizawa main branch, but it wasn't included in the half-price campaign, so I chose another Hachizawa, which turned out not to be a yakiniku restaurant. It seems that even with the same name, Kichijo Group restaurants have different categories, such as steak, yakiniku, sukiyaki, and jabu-shabu, so it's important to be aware of that.
Nankinmachi (Chinatown) used to be bustling with tourists, with so many different languages being spoken that it was hard to tell which country it was, but on this day, perhaps due to the effects of COVID-19, it was mostly Japanese people, and the crowds were sparse. There were many empty seats.
Anyway...
While looking at the menu, I chose the cut and weight, but despite the pressure of seeing cuts priced at 21,500 yen per 100g (64,500 yen for 300g!), I opted for the second-lowest cut on the menu, A5 grade lean meat at around 4,650 yen per 100g.
That was more than enough. Absolutely perfect.
When the grilled meat was served, I was instructed to first try the most delicious center piece with wasabi salt, then the rest with wasabi soy sauce or onion sauce. However, I think the classic combination is salt and wasabi. A little salt brings out the meat's flavor directly, and the mild spiciness of real wasabi cuts through the fat, resulting in a refreshing taste. Even when cooled, the meat remained tender with no gristle whatsoever, and the delightful experience continued until the very last bite. I ordered a large portion of rice with the set, but I regret not being able to eat another plate.
From the entrance to the interior, awards, trophies, and information about producers and cows are ostentatiously displayed. Furthermore, they even bring a trophy to your table while you're eating, perhaps as a souvenir or to take a photo for their benefit. Isn't such blatant advertising devaluing the Kobe beef brand? I took a photo, though.
Incidentally, this restaurant, Hachizawa, has absolutely no rock-and-roll atmosphere inside.
