This Japanese joint dishes up wagyu that's a bang for your buck

This Japanese joint dishes up wagyu that's a bang for your buck

Good Japanese wagyu beef often comes with a hefty price tag, but not at Niku Katsumata, a relatively new eatery which set up shop here just last September.

The restaurant hails from Ebisu, Tokyo, where only members or those invited by members are able to score a seat at a table.

Luckily, things work differently at their Singapore outlet, the first one outside of Japan. No invitation or membership is needed to dine here. Just a simple reservation and you're

For $38++ you can savour a five-course wagyu beef yakiniku meal which all starts with an appetiser of Japanese Pork Prosciutto - a tad bit too salty for our liking, but flavourful nonetheless.

Photo: Niku Katsumata

Next up, homemade kimchi, which is typically served in Korean restaurants but this was of the Japanese variety, and sprouts seasoned with sesame oil.

The mild taste of the sprouts offered a welcome contrast to the pork we had earlier.

Homemade kimchiPhoto: Niku Katsumata

There was also a Chinese cabbage salad topped with umami seaweed which packed a nice crunch and burst of flavour. There didn't seem to be much seaweed sprinkled on top of the salad but it offered enough flavour to leave a lingering taste of the sea with every bite.

Sprouts seasoned with sesame oilPhoto: Niku Katsumata

And then the main dish of the meal showed up - six different cuts of Grade A4 wagyu beef, all cooked over a special crystal hotplate, which prevents charring, imported from Japan.

To pair off with each slice of meat, we were offered three ways- to have it with British smoked sea salt, a special house sauce made from peach, pineapple and onion, or simply on its own.

It's probably a good idea to taste the meat on its own before deciding if it needs any condiment, and from what we tried, the beef was so juicy and tender, nothing else was needed.

If all that didn't fill you up, the meal came with a carb-laden finishing move.

A beef curry made with rice from the Akita prefecture was light enough to wolf down quickly, partially due to the fact that the beef slices were cooked right through and melts in your mouth.

Beef Curry ricePhoto: Niku Katsumata

If you're not that much of a yakiniku person, the restaurant also serves up a mean wagyu donburi (beef rice bowl) at just $20++ and you are welcome to add on premium items - foie gras, ikura (salmon roe), sea urchin, and caviar - for just $5 per item.

Wagyu donburi with all four add-on optionsPhoto: Asiaone

If you are not contented by just six different wagyu beef cuts and don't mind splurging a bit, Niku Katsumata also offers two-set courses at two different price points - $128++ and $198++ on top of the special $38 set course.

Niku Katsumata is located at 47 Duxton Road Singapore 089511, open daily from 5:30pm - 11:00pm. Call 9162 7502 to place your reservations now. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/nikukatsumata/

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