[caption caption="Kobe Beef (credit : http://steakland.jp/)"][/caption]
Kobe Beef was the main reason why we decided to visit Kobe and stayed for one night here. It is really famous around the world and as known, the price is really expensive. Why is it so expensive? Here is a little bit explaination that we got.
Kobe beef refers to beef from Tajima strain of Wagyu cattle, raised in Hyogo prefecture as rules from Kobe Beef Marketing And Distribution Promotion Association. It is called Kobe-Niku (神 戸 肉) or Kobe-Gyu (神 戸 牛) in Japanese. Beef that could be labeled as ‘Kobe Beef’ must fulfill these following requirements:
- Tajima cattle that was born and breeded in Hyogo prefecture.
- Steer or castrated bull.
- Processed at slaughter houses in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Kakogawa or Himeji in Hyogo prefecture.
- BMS (Beef Marble Score) in the level 6 or above.
- Meat quality score is 4 or 5.
- Beef’s gross weight from one animal is 470 kg or less.
Kobe beef has higher unsaturated fat than saturated fat with ratio 2:1. It also has high level of oleic acid, fatty acid in olive and canola oil that could lower bad cholesterol (LDL).
[caption caption="Steakland, Kobe, Japan"]
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Restaurant that we chose to try Kobe Beef steak was Steakland. This restaurant is famous and quite strategic. We took Hankyu line and took off in Sannomiya Station. Just take a bit walk and usually you’ll find it crowded. We arrived at about 1 pm and queued in line. Steakland placed the price list on board in front of the restaurant so we could calculate how much money we would spend. For lunch, they offered Kobe Beef Steak at 3.180 yen (150 gr). Lunch time is from 11.30 AM until 02.00 PM. After lunch time, it would cost 4.480 yen (200 gr) and for dinner, 5.480 yen (200 gr). All prices included tax already.
[caption caption="Price List Board"]
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We waited for about one hour and half and finally got the first waiting line. We were so shocked when the waitress of Steakland removed the lunch set signboard. We were panicking and only could think ‘does it mean that we will have to pay 4.480 yen to eat that?’ So we thought to order one portion of Kobe Beef Steak set (4.480 yen) and steak set (2.880 yen) to save cost.
[caption caption="Steakland restaurant (credit : http://steakland.jp/)"]
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A few minutes later, a waitress approached us and placed us in a 12-seats rounded table in second floor. It was really crowded as no other empty seat was available. She gave us the menu list and luckily, we still could order the Kobe Beef Steak Lunch set that cost 3.180 yen per portion. Yes! Luck never leave us along this Japan trip, for sure. Peace! =) By the way, you could check the update prices in their website http://steakland.jp