The best Japanese beef: yakiniku chef on why he chose Hong Kong for his first overseas restaurant
Why did you choose to open the first overseas branch of Yakiniku Jumbo in Hong Kong? “I’d always wanted to expand my business overseas, but couldn’t find the right partner. When I came to Hong Kong, I found Global Link, which has a lot of experience in fine dining and understands how to work with the Japanese [all its other restaurants, including Ta Vie and Tenku RyuGin, also have Japanese chefs]. Hongkongers travel to Japan a lot, so they know Japanese cuisine well.
“We can also ship fresh ingredients to Hong Kong and make it available on the same day as our Tokyo restaurant because the two places are so close.”
What do you look for in the beef you use? “First is the colour:lean meat should be dark red, like adzuki beans, because darker-coloured meat tastes better. The colour of the fat is also important. It should be slightly yellow. Next, I look at how springy the meat feels, the shine and the thickness. Then, the proportion of lean meat to fat.
“Our meat is sourced from all over Japan. It does not matter if it is from Kobe or Miyazaki, there will be times when the quality of meat is lower. So I pick whatever meat is good quality at the time.”
How did you come to specialise in beef? “My father was also a yakiniku chef. He opened his restaurant when I was 11. After I started helping him out, at age 15, I realised there was a lot of knowledge behind beef and my interest grew. In the beginning, I was not allowed to touch the meat. Instead, my father would give me bits of beef to taste.
“Later on, I had to serve customers. My father only let me in the kitchen after I had graduated from school. When I was 30, I opened my own restaurant, in Tokyo, and I have been in the business for 16 or 17 years now.”
Do you ever get tired of beef? “No, I love it. I eat it every day. Even since I started helping my father, I have never wondered why I love it; it’s just a part of my life. Different cuts have different textures and I like them all. I cannot say which is my favourite. Beef gives me energy when I am tired, especially when it is enjoyed with friends.”
What are your favourite restaurants in Tokyo? “I like sushi – Sushi Saito [Nanbara and Sushi Saito owner Takashi Saito are friends] – and washoku [traditional Japanese food]. I like eating in general; I will eat anything from Chinese to Italian.“I sometimes take my staff to other yakiniku restaurants to compare and learn from them. Eating grilled meat is supposed to be a happy event, so we go to other yakiniku restaurants to enjoy ourselves. There is a small yakiniku restaurant in Tokyo called Kinryuzan. Chain restaurants usually cannot provide the best-quality meat, but small ones can and do provide fresh chilled beef instead of frozen beef.”
If you were to retire tomorrow, what would you do? “My father hasn’t retired yet, so this is not something I have thought about. I like music, so I suppose I would open a jazz bar when I retire.”
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