“Wagyu is in my DNA,” says Chef Satoru Tanaka, the third-generation meat maestro and face behind Nikuya Tanaka, Japan’s revered Kobe beef institution. Tanaka hails from an 80-year lineage of wagyu masters – his grandfather was a wagyu broker and his father a wagyu butcher. The 58-year-old from Gifu Prefecture picked up a knife as early as the age of three and has never looked back. He now runs some 20 restaurants all over Japan, including the Michelin-Selected Nikuya Setsugekka in Nagoya.
When Nikuya Tanaka unveiled its Ginza flagship in 2019, it quickly shot to fame. By 2021, it received the Silver Award from Tabelog, a Japanese restaurant review site widely recognised by and trusted by locals. On the international stage, it made its mark by clinching the title of the 27th best steakhouse in the world, the best in Asia, and in Japan.
The kappo-style 9-seater in Tokyo specialises in pure-bred Tajima wagyu from Hyogo Prefecture – a rare breed that accounts for less than 0.1 percent of all Japanese beef. More specifically, it is pure-bred Tajima wagyu from Hyogo’s capital of Kobe that is served here. Yes, the prized Kobe beef. Not just that, Chef Tanaka personally selects only whole female cattle raised for over 35 months, as they have a distinctly silkier texture. That should give you a sense of what to expect at its first international outlet in Singapore.
Stepping in, you’ll notice that the charcoal-grey ceilings, dark wooden walls and dim-lighting spotlight one thing: the glistening slabs of beef presented on an elegant chef’s table fashioned out of Naguri wood. Seating is kept intimate, with just 10 seats available at the counter and five in an adjacent private dining room. Behind the counter, Chef Yosuke Sekiguchi and Masaya Yano get to work. They’re the trusted hands to whom Chef Tanaka – affectionately known by his team as ‘Boss’ – entrusts the restaurant whenever he’s not around.
Be prepared to fork out at least $350 per person for the basic lunch experience here. Dinner can go up to $420 for the 10-course set and $550 for the luxurious 12-course menu. For small to moderate eaters, we’d say the nine-course lunch is more than enough to satisfy, and give you a meaty overview of what the restaurant offers, without the eye-watering price tag of dinner.
Kobe beef is featured in every alternate course – not to cut corners, but because the richness of the meat warrants an intermission between each bite to keep things manageable. You’ll find the cut in signatures like a nori roll encasing top loin Kobe beef and flounder from Aomori, paired with savoury karasumi (dried mullet roe) shavings. Another specialty is the beef tataki, seared directly over binchotan charcoal for seconds to impart a faint smoky aroma that lets the meat shine.
The Kobe beef tempura is a fun snack served piping hot and by hand, street cart-style, if a little underseasoned for our liking. While you get a smidge of mustard on a saucer, an additional dash of salt would do wonders to bring out more flavour in the tenderloin. The same goes for the shabu shabu, which relies heavily on the nutty fragrance of the Yoichi ankimo (monkfish liver) sesame dip for a significant lift in flavour, with seasonal green onions from Kyoto adding texture to each mouthful.
Thankfully, the restaurant delivers where it matters the most – the Kobe wagyu steak is a masterclass in precision. Carefully selected Chateubriand (a thick-cut filet mignon from the centre of the tenderloin) is expertly grilled over binchotan before being left to rest over the counter.
In place of a thermometer, Chef Tanaka relies on a method honed over decades: he presses the back of his pinky finger gently against the steak, drawing his ears closer to listen for a faint sizzle. “When the sound stops,” he explains, “that’s when it’s time to cut”. The process is quiet, almost meditative, and the results sublime. Each slice reveals a lustrous medium-rare interior, the juices delicately sealed within and released slowly with every bite. The usual pairings of wasabi, salt, garlic chips, steak sauce are provided as well.
Apart from the beef, an unmissable part of the dining experience at Nikuya Tanaka is the kudzu somen served in an ice vessel hand-carved before your eyes. It’s a thing of beauty, with springy, silky somen noodles suspended in a rich, dry bonito dashi broth.
We also like the autumnal tributes dotted across the meal – at one point, a real momiji (red maple leaf) from Mount Fuji, which just changed colours, is used as a garnish. Among the seasonal plates, our favourites are the Nagoya fig opener, served over a bed of tofu purée with lashings of Japanese honey and salt; as well as the owan, or dashi soup, highlighting a singular chestnut from Kyoto. Kiku (chrysanthemum) flower buds lend a subtle fragrance to the comforting broth, and the chesnut is cooked just long enough to emit sweetness on its own. Even the skin (shibukawa) is soft enough to be eaten.
Chef Tanaka has his eyes set on global expansion, and the debut of his first international outlet of Nikuya Tanaka in Singapore is just the beginning. The brand will open in Hong Kong next summer, followed by New York’s Tribeca district in the same year.
Nikuya Tanaka Singapore is open from Monday to Saturday, noon to 2pm and 6pm to 8pm at 1 Teck Lim Rd, Level 2, Singapore 088379.
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