Craving yakiniku whilst in town and not sure where to go? Here’s a hidden Japanese yakiniku place tucked away in the corner of town at level two of Concorde Hotel. At Yakinikutei Ao-Chan, much focus was placed on the quality of the meat as can be seen by the selection of meat and the marbling.
Commonly known as Karubi, or beef short ribs, we started out with the belly tender prime. The belly tender prime was cut nicely with a decent thickness to it. The meat took a while to cook and was really soft and tender, with the meat being lightly seasoned, the taste of the meat takes center stage.
Wanting to compare the wagyu cuts compared to the normal cuts, we ordered the wagyu premium set which contains wagyu belly tender and wagyu beef cubes. The wagyu belly tender was smaller and had slices that were thinner than the belly tender prime that cooked faster too. The belly tender was soft and tender, and had a little more oomph factor compared to the normal beef cut.
The wagyu beef cubes on the other hand were hard to cook due to the thickness and we do not recommend getting this cut of meat. We also ordered asparagus and they were great to go along with the meat. However, the portion size for the asparagus was quite little and it would be more worth to get more meat to enjoy and have away at one of their salads instead.
We ordered in a salad bowl to balance out our meal and were surprised to find the salad bowl to be quite large. A mixture of shredded vegetables, cucumbers, tomatoes, tofu, corn and more, it helped cleanse our palate after having all the meat. It was enough to share around between three to four people with the portion size.
The highlight of the restaurant was the yukke bibimbap set with rice, vegetables, yukke and also a bowl of seaweed soup. The marinated yukke tasted lightly sweet and fresh, with the beef being soft and tender like a properly seasoned beef tartare. With the fresh taste from the greens together with the marinated yukke and egg yolk mixed together, it made for a well balanced meal with a nice balance of meat, vegetables and carbs.
Yakinikutei Ao-Chan
Overall, the meat was great here and we would recommend people to come and give it a try. The difference between the Australian Wagyu karubi and the normal beef karubi was not huge, so you can consider getting the normal beef karubi for your meal.
We did not try the Japanese Wagyu here and would love to give it a try next time. The beef cubes were a little thick and hard to cook on the flames as the heat did not seem to cook through the layers properly resulting in a raw inner layer with a cooked outer layer. The Uk (Yukke) was the most prominent dish there and we recommend for everyone to give it a try.
If you want to dine at this Japanese restaurant and ensure you have a reservation, I recommend giving them a call to book a table. It’s a good idea to secure your reservation in advance, as this restaurant tends to get fully booked.
