If you’re looking for a new excuse to feast on premium Japanese beef, Ushidoki has opened at Central Hong Kong’s Manning House.
Who doesn’t love a good cut of beef? Ok, there are many among us who have chosen alternative lifestyles but for the majority of us, beef is a vital part of our diet, and the Japanese have made a real name for themselves with their pedigree beef, opening a raft of restaurants across Hong Kong that range from world-class Wagyu to innovative Yakiniku.
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Joining the fray is Ushidoki, a kaiseki restaurant that’s home to fine Odagyu Wagyu beef and which presents a multicourse ‘tongue-to-tail’ feast at lunch and dinner. Here, the hero is Wagyu from the famed Oda farm in Kagoshima Prefecture, which seasoned chefs Yoshiyuki Kikuchi and Michinori Hasegawa employ in a luxurious, intimate omakase dining experience.
You might ask what makes Odagyu beef so unique. The Oda Chikusan ranch, located within the Satsuma Peninsula to the south of Kagoshima City, is famed for the five-star treatment of its cattle. The cows are reared for two years in luxurious, lofty, well-ventilated barns laid with fir-and-cypress mats and served a specially designed feed of 12 ingredients led by rice and barley. This nutritious diet and a stress-free living environment ensures healthy bones and fine meat while the low melting point of Odagyu’s intermuscular fat results in outstanding marbling and melt-in-the-mouth consistency.
At Ushidoki Hong Kong (there’s also one in Singapore), the chefs serve up inventive appetisers and an array of creative mains, laced with Odagyu beef and seasonal produce, while showcasing their mastery of kaiseki and sustainable ‘tongue-to-tail’ grazing with menus that vary according to the season and the weather.
Among the plethora of exquisite dishes served on any given day, the prime beef may be braised in red wine or slow-cooked for beef-tongue soup with yuzu; presented as sushi or sukiyaki; or simply savoured as decadent grilled sirloin. Diners can look forward to exclusive evening presentations like beef tartare with caviar and sea urchin and the house signature sirloin cutlet sandwich with truffle sauce.
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The intimacy of Ushidoki’s multicourse Wagyu dining is underscored by the best seats in the house – an impressive central dining table-cum-counter of gleaming Japanese wood that seats just 13 people (there’s also a private dining room for five). The presence of slim wooden beams across the exposed ceiling, the kitchen range behind the counter, and a brick feature wall invite a relaxed farmhouse feel, as if you’re dining at the ranch itself.
You’ll be able to match your beef cuts with a great list of sakes, including labels from two cutting-edge breweries – Yama no Kotobuki Munakata from Fukuoka and Kidoizumi AFS from Chuba – which are only available at Ushidoki. You can also try drops from Tsuno, whose wines are crafted from European grapes grown in Miyazaki Prefecture.
From happy cows to happy diners.
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