- Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro Hong Kong is a chain of Japanese style barbecue steakhouses in the former British Colony.
- The popular Japanese restaurant serves bite-sized meats and vegetables, which are barbecued over a small grill on the table.
- In addition to various cuts of wagyu beef, the restaurant serves seafood and other dishes.
- There are outlets on both sides of the harbour and in the New Territories.
In This Post
The Back Story
Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro (和牛焼肉 一朗) is a catchy name for a Japanese restaurant. But what if you don’t speak Japanese? What, exactly, does wagyu yakiniku ichiro mean? Not to worry! A quick Japanese language lesson follows.
Wagyu
Literally translated, wagyu (和牛) means Japanese cow or Japanese cattle, which – by extension – means Japanese beef. Therefore, it’s a bit redundant to say “wagyu beef”.
Wagyu is one of the most expensive meats in the world, favored by connoisseurs for its intense marbling, which makes it unusually tender, juicy, and flavorful.
According to Wikipedia.com, “wagyu cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early 20th century of native Japanese cattle with imported stock, mostly from Europe.”
Yakiniku
What is yakiniku? Literally, yakiniku (焼き肉/焼肉) means “grilled meat” in Japanese. But the term is now usually used to refer to a type of tabletop barbeque.
To clarify, bite-sized pieces of beef or vegetables are grilled over a gridiron, which is placed at the middle of a table.
As the above photo illustrates, seafood can also be cooked this way. A good example is Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro in Hong Kong, which offers lots of seafood yakiniku options.
Ichiro
Ichiro (一朗) is a masculine given name, which some Japanese parents give to their first-born son. American and Japanese baseball fans will be familiar with Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一朗)鈴木 一朗, who played professional baseball in both Japan and the United States.
Overview – Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro Hong Kong
Hong Kong Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro is a chain of Japanese restaurants serving barbecue meats and seafood yakiniku style. In other words, the food is delivered raw, and you cook it yourself on a small grill iron on the table.
A full variety of wagyu cuts is available:
- beef tongue
- Chateaubriand
- fillet
- chuck roll
- ribeye
- knuckle
- outside round
- rump
- shank
- short ribs
- sirloin
- top round
Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro is the largest restaurant importer of wagyu in Hong Kong. In fact, it imports more than 10 wagyus every months!
If you want to check the provenance of your wagyu, you can review its entire breeding history by tracking its “Birth ID” using a QR code.
There are Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro outlets on Jordan Road on the Kowloon Peninsula, Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, and two locations in the New Territories: one in Tseung Kwan O and another in Tsuen Wan.
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Our Lunch at Hong Kong Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro
Our lunch at Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro Hong Kong started with a trip to the salad bar. Platters of wagyu came next followed by platters of seafood. We skipped dessert and finished off with beer.
Salad Course
After settling into our comfortable seats, we made a trip to the salad bar, where a cornucopia of choices awaited. We also picked up something to drink.
I put together this refreshing salad, which made a perfect first course to the satisfying meat and seafood courses that were to follow.
Wagyu Course
Next, platters of various cuts of wagyu started arriving at our table. There were too many varieties to keep track!
After the the grill had heated up, we were instructed to “grease” it by applying a bit of fat to keep the meat from sticking.
Next came a difficult decision. Which cut of wagyu should we try first? This was followed by another difficult decision.
Should we marinate the meat in the sauce on the table first? Or should we barbecue the meat first and dip it in the sauce later?
In our case, the decision was mixed. I preferred to marinate the meat first, whereas my dining buddy wanted to barbecue the meat first and dip it in the sauce later.
We both thought we were right.
Regarding how long we should barbecue the meat, the decision was entirely our own.
Seafood Course
Then the first platter of uncooked seafood arrived, and it looked delicious!
I let my dining buddy take charge since he knows more about seafood than I do. My only admonishment: don’t overcook those yummy-looking prawns!
Before stuffing our mouths, we didn’t forget to take pix to share on social media.
Then we carefully removed the seafood from the grill and waited for the next seafood platter to arrive.
There were lots of desserts, but we were full. So we decided to finish our mouthwatering lunch with a refreshing glass of Japanese beer on tap.
The Ambiance – Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro Hong Kong
Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro has a laid-back ambiance with comfortable booth seating. Each table has a grill embedded in the middle.
There is a serve-yourself section with a salad bar, desserts, and drinks.
Java junkies will enjoy making their own coffee.
Children will love the cotton-candy machine at the self-serve section of Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro Hong Kong.
The Verdict – Hong Kong Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro
Lunch at Hong Kong Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro was both fun and satisfying. I’ll give it an enthusiastic thumb’s up!
The Location – Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro Hong Kong
Wagyu Yakiniku Ichiro – 31-37 Jordan Road, 3/F Pak Shing Building, Jordan Road, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Wagyu Yakiniku Hong Kong is a short walk from the Jordan MTR Station, Exit A, in the Jordan section of the Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong.
