A note on the words: hamburg steak, known as hambagu in Japan, is a seasoned patty of ground meat served on a plate rather than in a bun, here prepared from aged beef, with what seemed like little to no binder. Kuroge wagyu refers to Japanese Black cattle, the predominant wagyu breed, and Kobe beef is a world-renowned brand of wagyu originating from Tajima cattle in Hyogo Prefecture.
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Koishikawa Nakasei on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. For lunch this time, I dropped by Koishikawa Nakasei, an aged beef restaurant a short walk from Myogadani Station. Looking around for somewhere good to eat, I found this promising spot and promptly booked a table for lunch. From Myogadani Station, it is about a 10-minute walk, I would say?
Stepping inside, it looked just like an ordinary butcher shop. Wondering where the restaurant was, I asked and was told to wait a moment.
I saw a staff member come out from the back of the shop, and as it turned out, that very doorway was the entrance to the restaurant area — almost like an attraction ride, which was fun!
Aged roast beef rice bowl — 1,980 yen
Aged kuroge wagyu hamburg steak — 2,970 yen
Aged kuroge wagyu chef’s choice steak — 4,800 yen
Miso-marinated aged pork loin — 1,540 yen
Nakasei lunch course — 8,800 yen
Ah, the chef’s choice steak was hard to pass up, but… maybe the hamburg steak.
And so, a short while after ordering, the salad arrived.
Both the dressing and the vegetables were delicious! It was nice having diced cubes of meat tossed casually throughout.
Ta-da!
The Kobe beef hamburg steak. It arrives sizzling hot on an iron plate, so you might want to hold up a napkin to shield against spattering grease, ha. Man, it looked good. Taking a bite right away — yes, delicious. The meat itself is so good that it tastes great without adding anything. There is no particular hamburg sauce; you eat it with salt, wasabi, and soy sauce.
I wonder if they use almost no binder? The patty easily crumbled apart into loose meat.
Well, perhaps the idea is to let the pure flavor of the meat shine through. The grilled vegetables on the side were very tasty too. Rather than a dish made to pair with rice, it might be more accurate to call it a hamburg steak that is delicious entirely on its own.
This one was packed with meat as if they couldn’t fit another slice, and looked mouthwatering.
I got to try a slice: tender, with the rich umami of the beef hitting directly! Delicious.
The aged beef lunch was thoroughly satisfying. Considering value for money, it felt like the aged roast beef bowl might actually be the better deal than the hamburg steak. Next time I would love to try their aged beef steak. If the chance comes up, I would definitely like to visit again.
Koishikawa Nakasei (Steak / Myogadani Station, Edogawabashi Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
