Lost in translation??

It seems that the latest craze to hit Adelaide restaurants is to have Wagyu on the menu. Now this is a cut of steak that sells for around $80 per kg at the market depending on the grading and which part of the cattle you are purchasing.

However I am not sure that it is a case of better produce equals better product. There is definitely a case for concern when even Subway has wagyu on the menu. Now it is unfair for me to judge the quality of the sandwich at Subway when I have not yet sampled the item in question. What I have sampled from the Belgium Beer Cafe and the Lion Hotel have not been overly exciting.

When I did sample wagyu or kobe beef in Kobe, it was magic! Like I didn't know that steak could taste that good. It was full of flavour, cooked to perfection, very sweet and juicy. All the things that make a great steak, great and then some. Now I wasn't paying 100% attention to the preparation methods but it did involve as I remembered, very high heat on a hot plate much like tempanyaki. The accompanying onions and potatoes worked a treat and the steak was so delicious that I didn't want the meal to end.

What I think is happening in Adelaide at the above establishments is that these steaks are prepared and cooked in a manner not unlike the way they prepare an Angus steak. The results are disappointing because they are serving steaks well below the standards of what I remember. Maybe the steaks we can get here is never going to be of the same quality as what they get in Japan and that's why the end product on the plate is different. I think it pays to do some research if you are going to have it on your menu and not just cook it like any other steaks.

Steaks are important. Most people would pay a little more for quality. I have had great steaks at the Botanic restaurant on East Tce, Red Ochre Restaurant along Memorial Dr and of course Kobe. The two places just mentioned didn't serve waygu when I visited last but the steaks were of far higher quality because they knew how to cook them.

One last note on steaks in Adelaide. I went to The Stag Hotel on East Tce recently because it it a place that serves quite a lot of different steaks. It is also a self proclaimed "worst vegetarian restaurant" because of the large range of steaks on offer. Unfortunately I had one the worst steaks I have ever had at The Stag Hotel. The sirloin steak was meant to be such a good quality cut of meat that you couldn't stuff it up. I guess I was wrong! It was dry and tough which is when I realised why they serve their steaks with so much sauce. It was truly memorable for all the wrong reasons.