Ozaki Beef & Sea Urchin

The meal starts of with a flavour bomb to wake up and shake up your palate – a winning combination of high grade Hokkaido sea urchin and Ozaki wagyu. Place a little dollop of wasabi, add a touch of seaweed-rich sauce if you like, and roll the entire thing up for a sensorial pleaser. Although the mix is luxuriously delicious, the savoury flavours of the beef and sea urchin never gets lost, with the fatty well marbled beef having a delicate yet punchy flavour to complement the creamy sea urchin. This appetiser is basically 30 seconds of pure pleasure that multiplies with every chew.

Sukiyaki With Black Truffle

Another Japanese classic, sukiyaki, receives a luxe twist with the addition of black truffles. The greens, egg and truffle shavings do a fantastic job at enhancing the flavours of the beef, which itself is briefly cooked in sukiyaki broth. While the egg and truffle components are light, the rich green taste of vegetables contrasts this, creating a dynamic range. The light taste of sukiyaki broth is also welcoming, not too strong but just enough to be appreciated. 

Stewed Ozaki Beef With Seasonal Vegetables

A shoulder cut of Ozaki wagyu is used for the next dish, this time showcasing a different method of preparation to highlight the qualities of the beef. Served with simmered daikon and mountain yam and topped with spring onion, the dish had a soft melt-in-your-mouth texture profile. The daikon is smooth and lightly flavoured, whereas the yam is surprisingly clean and not too starchy. The star of the dish, the wagyu, has a very distinct mouth feel that really stands out.

Signature Ozaki Wagyu Sandwich

One of Ushi's trademark dishes, gyukatsu sando (beef katsu sandwich) carries the meal forward with gusto. A crunchy-on-the-outside yet juicy-on-the-inside slab of beef is the definite focus, sandwiched between two fluffy well buttered pieces of toast and finished with a special blueberry and nuts sauce. Although the first thing that hits our palate is the taste of fried fritter after taking a bite, it was quickly surpassed by the taste of the beef, which still retained its natural juices. To our surprise, the blueberry sauce mix is applied delicately enough as to not overshadow the wagyu, actually enhancing the overall delivery. On the finish, there's a slight gameyness that we found rather pleasant. 

Charcoal-Grilled Ozaki Beef

Simple yet incredibly delicious, the dish's name says it all. The outside of the beef is smoked and seared perfectly while the inside is juicy, showcasing that well marbled fat in all its glory. Apply a dash of salt to really draw out the prized qualities of the Ozaki. The wasabi on the other hand, is really mild, adding a subtle spicy herbal lull. If you want to experience Ozaki wagyu through minimal cooking processes, this is it.

Ozaki Beef Ochazuke

The savoury part of the kaiseki comes to an end with a light beef ochazuke. While the standard menu calls for shark's fin rice with pickles, T.Dining requested for an alternative as we do not support the consumption of shark's fin. Ozaki beef ochazuke was served instead, allowing us to tuck in to lightly flavoured rice bowl with a refreshing green tea taste. The beef is cooked via the tea, leaving it soft and slightly cooked for us to enjoy. The seaweed, spring onion and wasabi garnishing adds contrasting flavours to the mix that stands out from an overall light tasting dish.

Seasonal Dessert

While it may change from time to time, our meal featured a straightforward seletion of fresh fruits to end the meal on a sweet note.

For reservations, contact Ushi pop-up restaurant at 03 27276688, 012 3303600 or email reservations@saitotenkuni.com.