The menu consisted of a big Tomahawk steak US choice T-bone steaks, a whole chicken griller, kangaroo striploin and our German potato pancake. In addition, we got a big bad block of wagyu ichibo (Japanese beef round) which we used for meat sushi and shabu-shabu. It was delicious but way too much. So the next day I could only eat rice and vegetables 😉
We also tried to perform an “indoor BBQ” by heating up some charcoal on the gas cooker and then using it inside a small Japanese grill. The result was quite good but I would definitely recommend covering your smoke detector if you are planning to imitate this at home.
All in all, it was a great day with good wine, good people, and way too much meat. We are looking forward to operating our new business and we want to thank everybody who supported us until now!
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
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We all have seen pictures of cows in their small housings getting “fattened” with grain and soy. But this is obviously against the cattle’s nature. That’s why grass-fed beef got popular: the cows can walk around, rest on fields and eat grass which is good for their diet. Those cows are often healthier and have more muscles.
As mentioned, grass-fed cattle have less fat. Therefore, its meat tends to be much leaner and the fat looks kind of yellow and not white or pink. So basically it is lower fat, lower calories, lower cholesterol, and lots of Omega-3. It helps you with your diet, has a positive influence on your cholesterol level, and can even lower your neutral fat level.
If you’re on a diet, having problems with your stomach when eating fatty meat, or just want to have some high-quality healthy beef, then grass-fed beef is the answer!
Grass-fed beef is still not common in ordinary Japanese supermarkets but can be bought online. Whole Meat has a nice collection of grass-fed beef from Australia, so you can start easy with a 250g steak and work yourself up to our 2kg striploin block 😊
by Hana
Having problems finding the right place to get your charcoal grill ready? Or had an experience starting a BBQ party and then got kicked out by the old park manager in Yoyogi park since it was prohibited using fire? We’ve done some research on BBQ places and now can present you some awesome BBQ spots all over Japan! Hopefully the Japanese park staffs aren’t overstrained with your call for a reservation 😉
*Please note that we only present a few in this article – if you’re looking for other places and you’ve got difficulties finding them in Japanese, you can contact us for further research (…in return you may add one lamb chop to your shopping cart 😉)
*the spots in this article require you to take care of your food/drinks/(in some cases grill, but you can lend them at BBQ equipment services) by yourself
Let us start with the Kanto region. If you’re an expat or student living in Shinjuku, you may think “BBQ in Tokyo must be difficult. I’m sure BBQ spots are at the end of Tokyo somewhere in Okutama, but I got no car and it’s stressful carrying all the beer and meat for 3 hours in the train…”. No prob. There is a place you can reach in only 30min from Shinjuku and you don’t have to transfer.
Hikarigaoka Station is the last stop of the Oedo Line, which is also the line for Roppongi, Yoyogi or Ryogoku. Since I’m a Oedo Line heavy user myself, I thought this must be the first spot presenting in my article 😊
You can use the Tobu Tojo Line, Fukutoshin Line, and Yurakucho Line as well but this requires to walk 5min more compared to the Oedo Line.
Please note that you have to make a reservation in advance
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tokyo+Metropolitan+Hikarigaoka+park+barb
The next BBQ spot does not require any reservation, is free of charge, super access, and has an ocean view!
It’s a short walk from the Monorail Oi Keibajou station, nearby Oimachi or Samezu.
That’s what I wanted in summer – ocean view and some BBQ with friends and family.
Here’s the access map
The next spot is in Kanagawa. If you own a car and are planning a nice family trip out in the green, this might be the perfect spot.
There’s a little fellow goat (which you cannot eat 😊) waiting for your kids to feed it with carrots! And when you hop into your car and drive for some more 10min, you can reach the cross-adventure park which is fun for your kids as well. Since they have their own BBQ equipment, all you need is meat and beer. Your dog is welcome as well.
Make your reservation here
Last but not least, here is your new BBQ spot in Chiba with the best atmosphere
It’s a private beach, so don’t forget your fins and snorkeling goggles! You can also get on the boat or just simply enjoy the nice weather and ocean view. Now, this is what I call BBQ!
This spot has its BBQ equipment as well, so no need to take care of charcoals and tongs.
Here is your link for reservation
In my next post, I will show you some more nice places in other regions. For now, enjoy your meat!
Hana from Whole Meat
All this variety and creativity has its price and often the famous restaurants are booked out really fast. Instead of dining out, people start to cook at home more and more. As this is quite a normal thing abroad, in Japan eating out is more common than
preparing meals at home. Especially foreigners living in Japan tend to keep their home country's cuisine and combine it with Japanese habits and cooking skills. For sure this is a good thing, but quite often it is difficult to get the right ingredients in Japanese supermarkets - especially when it comes to meat.
The Japanese like their meat sliced or cut into small, bite-sized pieces - which is understandable as they normally use chopsticks instead of forks and knives. You certainly tried Yakiniku, Shabu-Shabu or Gyudon - fantastic, high-quality dishes but not quite comparable to western meat-eating habits where a big-sized T-bone steak, roasted pork or spare ribs are always highly appreciated. If you do not want to spend all your money for quite costly steak houses and burger restaurants, the best way to
enjoy those tasty meats is to do it yourself.
So why not invite some of your friends (from your country as well as some Japanese!) and have an awesome barbecue BBQ party together? Check for a public barbecue spot near your place or use your garden if you have one. All meats can be found in our online
shop - share the costs with your friends and make sure to load up the cart so you can get free shipping.
Oh, and don't forget the drinks. We recommend a nice fruity red wine for beef and lamb, but cold beer and chuu-hai is fine as well :)
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