I was high on butterbeer, and that delicate rhythm of Hedwig's theme carried my feet away in an intoxicating stupor. I closed my eyes and shook off from the trance. I know the experience will live with me forever, but I need to be onto the next important thing--dinner. :D
Borgy led me to the train station, and asked me where I wanted to go next. "What time is it? Is it still open?" I asked him. He already knew what I was talking about. We've been discussing this place way before we landed in Japan. He was initially worried that I was too tired from fangirling my heart out at USJ, and I might not have enough patience and energy to travel to Kobe. I assured him I'm okay, and I really wanted to have my birthday dinner there. We still had two hours, but I still worried if we'd make it. But faith, he had. "We'll make it." And so began our long train-ride towards Kobe.
A few hours and my birthday will officially end. While on the train, I did a mental recap of my day. The tingling sensation of being inside WWHP (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter) slowly crept back to me. I was away from the place for only half an hour, but I was already missing it--how I seem to have floated the entire day while I celebrate my inner Ravenclaw. An announcement jolted me back to the train ride. I looked at my phone and checked where we were. I realized, we were still at a considerable distance from Kobe. I started to panic. I told Borgy we might not make it--that Kobe was still so far away; that it might still take an hour more before we reach the Kobe-Sannomiya station. Borgy assured me that we'll make it. And after another half hour, we sure did. :)
Alighting the train at Kobe-Sannomiya station, we were greeted with an atmosphere more "business-like" than that of Osaka. Buildings are taller; facade's are sleeker and more modern. There were more people carrying briefcases and dressed in suits. People there walked a little faster--they seemed busier. Kobe is the sixth largest city in Japan and is home to more than 1.5 million people. The location of Kobe made way for it being the busiest container port in the region. It's a center for foreign trade and a metropolitan where cultures of Japan and other foreign countries diverged.
From the help of Google Maps, we found our way towards Kitanagasadori where our quest lay. Situated between rows of restaurants, coffee shops, and beside a
pachinko parlor (Spazio slot), is one of Kobe's prominent restaurants serving authentic Kobe beef:
Steakland Kobe ステーキランド神戸店. Just to clarify: Steakland Kobe is only one of the restaurants selling authentic Kobe beef in Japan. Once in Kobe, you'd find a heaping amount of restaurants selling authentic Kobe beef around the area. A list of restaurants selling certified Kobe beef on Hyogo Prefecture is provided by the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association (more on that later) on their website (click
here). We opted for Steakland Kobe due to its popularity for their skilled chefs serving prime quality Kobe beef.
When we got there at around 8 PM, only one other couple was standing in line outside the restaurant. We only waited for a few minutes before we were seated, right beside our queue companions. We ordered two
Special Kobe Beef Set from their Satisfying Set--one set each for Borgy and I--with each set priced at ¥5,480 yen (roughly around P2,500++ each). Their
menu offers a variety of sets. Other sets have more inclusions like hors d'oeuvres. Sadly, due to my lack of expertise on Kobe beef and Japanese food in general, I couldn't possibly explain to you the differences between sets.
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| Steakland Kobe's Ground Floor Interior |
Kobe beef refers to the meat of cows of Tajima district and has been certified by the Kobe Beef Distribution and Promotion council. The climate and nature of the Hyogo Prefecture makes it the best place for raising the cattle. The Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association has set out the strictest criteria for certification. From the association's website:
"A prerequisite of beef to be officially certified "Kobe beef" is that the bullock or virgin Tajima cow has been born in Hyogo Prefecture from a Tajima cow having a pure lineage, and that the bullock or virgin cow has been bred and raised by a designated farmer in the prefecture and slaughtered at one of the slaughterhouses in the prefecture. It must also pass strict grading for BMS (Beef Marbling Standard), weight limitations and other criteria." - Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association, http://www.kobe-niku.jp/en/top.html
Kobe beef is known globally for its fat marbling, flavor, tenderness,
overall excellence, and hefty price. The stringent conditions to qualify a Kobe beef is to protect and preserve its flavor, nature, and even the lineage of its purebred seedstock cattle. Its hefty price is attributed to the cost of production as well as the shortage of available supply.
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| Kobe Beef |
Exporting of Kobe Beef started only on 2012. Due to the high demand of the delicacy internationally, many have attempted to imitate the Kobe tradition outside the country. This gave birth to "Kobe-style" beef or "American style Kobe." Some have even gone as far as mislabeling wagyu beef into "Kobe Beef," which are leagues away from the
authentic Kobe beef. This became (and still is) an issue for Kobe farmers or craftsmen cattle rearers. Although "Kobe beef" is trademarked and protected in Japan, it is not recognized by U.S law, and therefore many knock-offs have proliferated abroad. Many consumers
may have been duped into buying a "domestic" Kobe beef at an exorbitant price, and the excellence and tradition associated to the name may have been tainted. So if you are really interested in tasting the
real deal, stick to the Designated Registration Stores of Kobe Beef in Japan. The Kobe Beef association has constantly provided an updated list of exported authentic Kobe beef on their
website--complete with the ID number and export date. Although I'm not exactly sure how you can make use of the information they have to scout for real Kobe Beef--as of August of 2016, authentic Kobe beef has been imported to Philippines through an RCM.
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Screenshot from the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association's website
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Due to our lack of skills and knowledge with Nihonggo, we settled with watching in awe as our chef prepared our meal right in front of us. Along with their Kobe Beef, a
satisfying set included a special soup, grilled vegetables, salad, bread or rice, and a choice of coffee or juice. The salad and special soup was served first. I don't know what that "special" soup was, but it tasted delicious! I'm not sure if this was the consommé soup or "drops of gold" from Kobe Beef, but it did taste marvelous. The flavor of the beef was palpable at every sip. It reminded me of
nilagang baka, a well-loved Filipino food,
but with more flavor and a beefier and heavier taste.
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| Steakland Kobe |
The chef asked us how we wanted our beef and we said medium-well. Don't hate us! We realized beef experts would want a rare or medium-rare. We're not beef connoisseurs so we played it safe. They grilled the vegetable first before placing them on our plates.
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Steakland Kobe - Special Kobe Beef Satisfying Set
(Look! A peek at the Kobe Beef at the upper right corner :p) |
Then came the main event: that perfectly marbled red Kobe Beef. The preparation was pretty straightforward. Out came the slabs of immaculate marbled red and white Kobe beef and unto the teppanyaki. The term "marbled" refers to the red meat that contains varying amounts (depending on quality grades) of fat distribution within the lean meat giving it a marble-like appearance--making it more tender, juicier, and tastier. Marbling meat can be influenced by various factors including feed and breed. The Kobe Beef's secret is its perfect
shimofuri fat marbling, which is known to provide the best tasting flavor to the meat.
Each serving by
Steakland Kobe is delicately and skillfully sliced right in front of their smitten, drooling, and mesmerized customers providing a rare combination of artistic entertainment and a glimpse to Japan's culinary culture. Borgy took a video while our chef (Sorry, I wasn't able to get his name. :( I was too enthralled with what's happening on the iron griddle,) almost delicately sliced and cooked our food. However, Borgy and I agreed not to publish it
for now to preserve the experience. :p
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| Kobe Beef |
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| Steakland Kobe |
Like what I've mentioned before, one of the secrets to the flavor of the Kobe beef is its shimofuri fat marbling and tenderness. The
sashi (marble lines) in a Kobe Beef allows it to melt at low temperatures making it literally a melt-in-your-mouth heaven. This however, does not make up the famous Kobe-beef
alone. The lean meat to it has to pass a certain quality to be labelled as such. Once cooked, the chef carefully placed each slice of Kobe beef unto our plates for us to enjoy.
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Kobe Beef at Steakland Kobe
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| Kobe Beef - Steakland Kobe |
The first time I bit into a piece, I swear, angels sung. It was so tender, rich in flavor, and sweet. No hint of toughness at all. As if the cattle used was spoiled to death (pun intended) for this pure pleasure. It was orgasmic to the palate and I almost cried. Borgy and I never talked once during the entire meal--our attention was fastened to the succulent pieces of beef. Our inner foodie cried silently in delirious happiness and in hopeless distress as piece by piece, we wiped our plates (and bowls) clean.
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| Kobe Beef at Steakland Kobe |
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| Kobe Beef at Steakland Kobe |
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| Kobe Beef at Steakland Kobe |
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| Before that first bite. Lol |
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| Before that first bite :p |
Apologies, some picture are saturated. I took those pictures using my phone and I had to edit them to adjust the lighting. The other pictures that do look right, however, are taken using Borgy's RX100 :)
At the end of the meal, we were offered with a choice of coffee or juice. And since Borgy and I do not respond well to coffee after meals, we opted for the juice. We stepped out of Steakland Kobe feeling full and a bit dazed. Both of us thinking the same thing: damn worth every yen we spent.
That was probably one of the best meals I've had in Japan. To be fair, most of our meals there were at the streets trying out different Japanese delicacies our sights and palates craved. But, man, the feeling when that beef slice first landed in my mouth was just beautiful. We would definitely go back to Steakland the next time we visit Kobe! Maybe next time, we'd try out another thing Kobe is famous for: Arima Onsens.
Hmmm....maybe. :p
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| The face of dazed victory :p |
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During our train-ride back to Osaka, I couldn't help but feel...euphoric. Yes, I was terribly missing my dad who's been gone for only a few months; I was missing my sister and my mom, both of whom were gracious enough to allow me this vacation for my birthday. I was in Japan; I spent the entire day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and then I capped my birthday eating the most delicious beef Japan has to offer--both of which are spent with the most supportive and kindhearted food-buddy boyfriend in the world. At that moment, I couldn't be more grateful and happier, so I sent a million thanks to God for all the blessings. :')
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* For more information about Kobe Beef and the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association, you can visit their website here: http://www.kobe-niku.jp/en/top.html
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