While most people go to restaurants expecting to be served, dining at Sumibi Yakiniku Tajimaya, at the far end of Crossroads Arcade may hold a surprise for most people, and may serve as a challenge for the culinary skills-impaired. It’s a relatively do-it-yourself affair at this Japanese restaurant. Customers come in, get seated, order their food, and are provided the ingredients for their main course.
Provided? Yes, ingredients are provided, as in, the customer is expected to cook the main courses of grilled beef on their own. A charcoal grill set in the middle of the table is meant for this activity, and while the staff is always at hand to help out, diners are encouraged to perform this particular task to fully enjoy the experience.
Named after the old province of Tajima in Japan, in what is now known as Hyogo Prefecture, Sumibi Yakiniku Tajimaya serves the very excellent Wagyu beef. Defenders of Kobe beef need not cry out, as Wagyu and Kobe beef are actually the same kind, Wagyu being the breed of cattle and Kobe, the capital of present-day Hyogo. With its intense marbling, the extra-special Wagyu beef comes out subtly flavorful, tender and juicy without the graininess that comes with other types of beef. Beef lovers, especially those who love steak, will definitely have a field day at this restaurant.
Most noteworthy among the beef dishes available at Tajimaya are the Wagyu Karubi, or special boneless short ribs, the Jou Gyu Tan, beef tongue lightly seasoned with salt, and the very impressive Wagyu Tokujou Saroin, the Japanese version of an extra special sirloin steak. All these are served raw and ready for cooking, arriving at the customers’ table already thinly sliced and delicately seasoned. A word of advice for the eager cook-to-be: Wagyu beef, because of the fine balance of the fat and meat content, should be cooked as fast as possible to keep the flavor and juices in and to reduce shrinkage. Less than a minute’s worth of searing on each side should be enough to cook the cutlets yet retain its delicate flavoring. Any more than that and the result would be a charred strip of beef not worth eating. “Rare” is the operative word when cooking Wagyu beef. A plateful of Sancyu, or fresh lettuce leaves, is also served as a complement to the grilled beef. Meant to be wrapped around the thin slices of beef and dipped in a soybean-based sauce, it gives an interesting tang to the already savory Wagyu beef.
Even as the restaurant’s menu revolves around the many iterations of Wagyu beef, other dishes are also available such as the Tegutan Kuppa. A spicy miso soup with rice and egg, it demonstrates the expertise of the Japanese in creating great tasting food from otherwise simple ingredients. Customers who prefer to have rice with their meals and yet are still looking for something more exotic than the usual Japanese-style fried rice would do well to order the Ishiyaki Bibinba, sizzling rice with mixed vegetables and topped with egg. Aside from being a great supplement to the main course, it brings an artistic touch to the table. The stone pot the rice is served in adds an interesting, Zen-like aspect to an already interesting dish.
A lot of people see even the more common types of Japanese food as an acquired taste: raw fish, seafood and tofu. At Sumibi Yakiniku Tajimaya, diners get something both familiar and different all at once. Familiar in the sense that Cebuanos love grilled food, and different, not only because of the kind of beef used, but also because of the experience of cooking and eating at the same time. By introducing Wagyu beef and the yakiniku style of cooking into the market, Sumibi Yakiniku Tajimaya gives Cebuano diners a whole new look at Japanese cuisine.
Provided? Yes, ingredients are provided, as in, the customer is expected to cook the main courses of grilled beef on their own. A charcoal grill set in the middle of the table is meant for this activity, and while the staff is always at hand to help out, diners are encouraged to perform this particular task to fully enjoy the experience.
Named after the old province of Tajima in Japan, in what is now known as Hyogo Prefecture, Sumibi Yakiniku Tajimaya serves the very excellent Wagyu beef. Defenders of Kobe beef need not cry out, as Wagyu and Kobe beef are actually the same kind, Wagyu being the breed of cattle and Kobe, the capital of present-day Hyogo. With its intense marbling, the extra-special Wagyu beef comes out subtly flavorful, tender and juicy without the graininess that comes with other types of beef. Beef lovers, especially those who love steak, will definitely have a field day at this restaurant.
Most noteworthy among the beef dishes available at Tajimaya are the Wagyu Karubi, or special boneless short ribs, the Jou Gyu Tan, beef tongue lightly seasoned with salt, and the very impressive Wagyu Tokujou Saroin, the Japanese version of an extra special sirloin steak. All these are served raw and ready for cooking, arriving at the customers’ table already thinly sliced and delicately seasoned. A word of advice for the eager cook-to-be: Wagyu beef, because of the fine balance of the fat and meat content, should be cooked as fast as possible to keep the flavor and juices in and to reduce shrinkage. Less than a minute’s worth of searing on each side should be enough to cook the cutlets yet retain its delicate flavoring. Any more than that and the result would be a charred strip of beef not worth eating. “Rare” is the operative word when cooking Wagyu beef. A plateful of Sancyu, or fresh lettuce leaves, is also served as a complement to the grilled beef. Meant to be wrapped around the thin slices of beef and dipped in a soybean-based sauce, it gives an interesting tang to the already savory Wagyu beef.
Even as the restaurant’s menu revolves around the many iterations of Wagyu beef, other dishes are also available such as the Tegutan Kuppa. A spicy miso soup with rice and egg, it demonstrates the expertise of the Japanese in creating great tasting food from otherwise simple ingredients. Customers who prefer to have rice with their meals and yet are still looking for something more exotic than the usual Japanese-style fried rice would do well to order the Ishiyaki Bibinba, sizzling rice with mixed vegetables and topped with egg. Aside from being a great supplement to the main course, it brings an artistic touch to the table. The stone pot the rice is served in adds an interesting, Zen-like aspect to an already interesting dish.
A lot of people see even the more common types of Japanese food as an acquired taste: raw fish, seafood and tofu. At Sumibi Yakiniku Tajimaya, diners get something both familiar and different all at once. Familiar in the sense that Cebuanos love grilled food, and different, not only because of the kind of beef used, but also because of the experience of cooking and eating at the same time. By introducing Wagyu beef and the yakiniku style of cooking into the market, Sumibi Yakiniku Tajimaya gives Cebuano diners a whole new look at Japanese cuisine.
This article was published in SunStar Cebu Lifestyle section
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