Wagyu steaks back on the menu in London restaurant after 13-year ban

 
Tasty: Wagyu steaks (Picture: Daniel Hambury)
Daniel Hambury

It is prized by devoted carnivores as the “caviar of meat” but has been missing from London restaurant menus for more than a decade.

But this week rare — and dauntingly expensive — Japanese wagyu steaks were served in the capital for the first time since 2001 following the lifting of a lengthy import ban.

The first three head of wagyu cattle allowed back into Britain have been snapped up by US celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s Mayfair steak restaurant CUT at 45 Park Lane, where regulars include Frank Lampard and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Executive chef David McIntyre said the six-ounce fillets had met with an enthusiastic response despite the £125 “as it comes” price tag — with side orders and vegetables on top.

“It is so rich and moist with beautiful flavours,” Mr McIntyre said. “This is very high grade meat so every once in a while it is worth it.”

During the ban — caused by the BSE scare — American and Australian forms of wagyu were available but are not regarded as having the same qualities as the Japanese version, which are all from cows directly descended from the original herds in the country’s Kagoshima prefecture.

Wagyu, which translates as “Japanese beef”, is famed for its unusually high levels of fat marbling, which give it a distinct “melt in the mouth” tenderness and strong flavour described as having “peach and coconut tones”.

Only about 4,000 Japanese cattle a year are classified as wagyu quality and only a small fraction are made available for export.

Although the cows live comfortable lives, Mr McIntyre said, stories that they are give massages and alcohol to relax them remain “urban myths”.

Tucking in: Jonathan Prynn (Picture: Daniel Hambury)
Daniel Hambury

Deliciously succulent, but I’d expect nothing else at £10 a mouthful

The remarkable thing about wagyu beef is that it really should not taste very good at all.

In its raw state the stripes of white marbled fat outnumber those of bloody red muscle, while a pinkish appearance goes against all instincts of what makes a decent juicy steak. But the fat melts during cooking and what is left is meat closer in texture to fois gras than gristly T-bone.

There are none of the normal fibres that make a steak chewy and I could easily have put down the steak knife and cut it with the side of a fork. While I could taste the fat there was nothing greasy or cloying about the texture or flavour. But at around £10 a mouthful I would have expected nothing else.

One other thought: anyone who asks for their wagyu well done or for the ketchup bottle is committing a carnivore crime. Don’t do it.

Jonathan Prynn

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in