9669 S Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 275-2914
I’ve lengthy thought-about Totoraku the top of yakiniku, however the secrecy and synthetic exclusivity has at all times been considerably off-putting. After I heard that Yazawa, a well-known Japanese purveyor of Wagyu beef had opened up store in Beverly Hills I had excessive hopes they’d give Totoraku a run for its cash.
Not like Totoraku, Yazawa serves beef from quite a lot of sources together with Snake River Farms for its home cuts and Wagyu from throughout Japan’s beef producing areas. Additionally the restaurant maintains an air of rustic class with weathered darkish wooden paneling and darkish leather-based cubicles to match.
Uni Wagyu Tartare – Truffle Oil
It goes with out saying this dish was completely scrumptious nevertheless it nearly does not appear honest, pairing uni, Wagyu and truffle. When it comes to taste the uni and truffle undoubtedly dominate, however the meat provides a posh textural aspect that’s without delay slick however with a effective grain that does not present up within the cooked meat.
Assorted Kimchi – Radish, Chinese language Cabbage, Mountain Potato
Subsequent up was a fairly conventional plate of kim chi although the seasoning used to ferment the greens had a bit extra chunk than I used to be anticipating. The radish and cabbage had been fairly conventional however the mountain potato was a pleasant change of tempo, nearly like a savory Asian pear.
Toro Sashimi
I by no means thought I might say this however I assume meat may be too uncommon however I assume it’s attainable. The meat actually seemed stunning, nevertheless it was dense and totally flavorless like chewing on oily clay. The soy and wasabi assist superficially however do not actually treatment the difficulty.
Wagyu Terrine
I used to be a bit skeptical concerning the thought of a Wagyu terrine pondering that the cooking would render out one of the best elements of the delicately marbled beef, however the end result was efficient if a bit non-traditional. The meat had a young corned beef-like consistency with a wealthy buttery taste and lingering essence of stewed meat.
Shishito
This was a textbook Shishito appetizer; the pepper’s verdant smoke wsa augmented by bonito shaving and savory garlic chips.
Braised Beef Tongue – with Conventional Japanese Marinade
I’ve sometimes seen beef tongue in lengua and yakiniku with little variation in between. This was an intriguing compromise. The tongue had a tenderness because of the braising however with a lovely snap at its pinkish core.
Wagyu Roast – with crispy onion and Japanese Balsamic
Yet one more great cooked Wagyu preparation. The moist Wagyu had the hearty taste of a standard roast beef with a heady savor from the onion and a contact of countervailing tang from the balsamic.
Wagyu Bresaola – dry aged and salted
The Bresaola proved to be the desk favourite amongst a slate of very robust beef appetizers. The curing offers the meat a deep burgundy shade and fantastically dense tenderness. The upper fats content material and brine makes the flavour aggressively salty and wealthy making the tomatoes and arugula the best praise to the meat.
YAZAWA Minimize Tongue – Sliced Beef Tongue (US Beef)
Yazawa serves their tongue noticeably thicker than most different yakiniku eating places. Consequently, the meat can stand extra time on the grill ensuing is a extra multifaceted texture with some good crispness and char on the perimeters but nonetheless snappy on the core.
“YAZAWA-YAKI” – Sirloin (Japanese Wagyu)
That is the restaurant’s signature minimize and at $28 per slice the one one the place the workers makes a degree to cook dinner the meat for his or her company. The result’s chic, a silky lissome sheet of completely marbled beef that balanced the wealthy oily fats with loads of beefy heft. The meat is available in a candy marinade and egg dipping sauce however may be loved by itself.
YAZAWA Minimize Harami – sliced outdoors skirt (US Beef)
Our second spherical of beef began with the surface skirt steak from Snake River Farms. The meat has an considerable heft and far firmer grain than its Japanese counterpart although the marbling is not fairly as effectively built-in.
Misuji – Brisket (Japanese Wagyu)
Yazawa Minimize Kalbi – sliced quick rib (US Beef)
Naturally we could not depart with out making an attempt the traditional Kalbi. The meat is buttery wealthy and customarily tender although a bit extra sinewy than the remainder of the programs.
Rib-Shin – Rib-eye (Japanese Wagyu)
We had been suggested to cook dinner the rib-eye three seconds per aspect. Personally I discovered this a bit quick because the fats hadn’t fairly rendered and the outside hadn’t picked up any caramelization. At 5 seconds per aspect, the meat picked up far more depth, smoke, and tenderness.
Pork – sliced kurobuta pork
Whereas Yazawa’s focus clearly is on prime quality beef the restaurant does provide a pair different proteins. The pork was far denser than any of the cuts of beef however remained pretty tender and picked up a pleasant bacon-y char because the fats rendered.
Ramboso – Spherical (Japanese Wagyu)
Working our manner down the marbling scale we determined to finish our night time with the Spherical steak. Markedly leaner than its the feel continues to be supple and tender although a bit much less overtly wealthy than the Japanese cuts we had earlier.
Uni Gyu Toro Don Bowl – uni and minced uncooked japanese wagyu on rice
This was mainly a rehash of the tartare we had earlier however served on a mattress of heat rice. As with the tartare, the meat performs a supporting position to the fragrant decadence of the urchin and truffle. The addition of pickled radish was a pleasant contact, crunchy and tart, they saved the dish from feeling overly heavy.
Japanese Wagyu Curry Rice – minced japanese wagyu curry rice with an egg
Traditional Japanese curry, which might be nice however I’ve by no means cared a lot for curry rice. The meat has a hearty stew like taste and it was arduous to essentially discover what if something utilizing Wagyu beef did to assist the dish.
Oxtail Soup
I beloved all the things about this dish, from its alabaster shade to its barely creamy consistency and wealthy meaty savor. The sprigs of recent parsley offered a verdant countervailing bitterness whereas the inclusion of rice lent the dish a pleasant solidity.
Garlic Japanese Wagyu Rice – served in a clay pot
Our server beneficial this dish and I am grateful we took him up on his recommendation. The rice and beef are served in a scorching pot a la bibimbap that basically introduced out the flavour of the fried garlic whereas softening the meat and frivolously toasting the rice, simply one of the best of the rice dishes and doubtless one of the best clay pot rice I’ve ever had.
Chilly Tan Tan Noodle – sesame and chili ramen
I am not sometimes a fan of Dan Dan noodles, however this model wasn’t dangerous. The noodles themselves had been chilly and dense whereas the attribute peanut taste is changed with sesame and tempered by a surprisingly wholesome dose of chili.
My solely actual grievance was the $36 we had been charged for tea. At $4 a cup, please inform company that refills aren’t free and do not change half-finished cups with out asking first. Our meal got here to north of $125 per individual so the extra $24 for refills simply feels extreme.
When it comes to meals, Yazawa met my expectations after which some. The meat was stellar from begin to end; with every minimize having its personal distinctive character and the appetizers and rice dishes had been equally, and in some instances arguably much more spectacular. When it comes to service the restaurant is clearly a step above most different yakiniku or Korean BBQ locations, with the workers altering the cooking floor in between every minimize of beef to maintain one minimize from contaminating the subsequent. The wine checklist was a bit sparse however as corkage is an choice, I extremely suggest diners skip the wine checklist (and the tea) and produce their very own wines to pair with the heavenly meat.
