Kobe Beef Steak Restaurant Mouriya Honten — Restaurant in Kobe

PRAISE KOBE, GIVE ME STRENGTH.

I walked around the small coastal town of Kobe from 2pm taking in the sights, the street food stands, port and T'ing up the steak restaurants. After reading 10+ online pages re reviews and where to get Kobe from, I decided I was then done for as I 1. Couldn't get a table anywhere and 2. Missed the lunch service which you must take note of starts at 12 and finishes at latest 3.

The dinner service recommences at 5 (1700hrs) I attempted 5 other Kobe joints before this and then stumbled across Mouriya by accident. Outside the restaurant is a menu grading from cut to cut describing the fat content via marble, the softness and pricing with a menu described from A to B.

A includes a few items with your steak + whatever cut and weight you want and B is more items with your steak and more fine tined for an entire meal.

I entered and dispensed what little Japanese I do know, well. Along the lines of Hitori yo teburu kudesai - which for anyone that likes to attempt Japanese literally means, table for 1 please.

I went with Mid range weight of a Sirloin, Sirloin is described as THE most soft and MOST marbled of the steaks on the menu. If I'm getting Kobe, do I want lean? NO. the whole point is to taste the delicate meat, fat content, buttery marvel that is born and raised here. I barely would consider Fillet on the best of days even in England or France. Sirloin is always a winner and holds no inflated value .

I was sat upstairs on my own and attended to by my own personal chef, it was an honour, a treat and privilege to treat myself to the worlds best steak - I went for option B.

The Chef instructed me to lay my napkin on my lap and asked if I eat garlic to which my response was Hai. I then watched in awe as he heat up the hot plate and slowly cooked these giant garlic slices off which had been deveined to remove the bitter green centre.

I was then served a 3 strip Wagyu entree with pickled veg, wasabi salsa, soy glaze topped with warm. The meat melted into my mouth like snowflakes on a hot car bonnet.

I was then served a plate of which the steak would be presented which had fresh wasabi to one side, a miniature mountain of pepper flakes and equal amounts of salt flakes.

Then I was served a creamy potato soup palette cleanser, rich, earthy and fantastic, did the job perfectly to remove the saltiness of the Wagyu.

Then I was served a varied salad which was dressed in burnt soy dressing and vinegar along with veg and a small block of cheese with fruity ripples running through it.

The chef will ask you how you want it cooked it - you don't eat the worlds best steak well done so if you ask for that you may as well leave. I had mine RARE.

And finally my steak. Photos taken, it was cut up, cooked and flipped meticuiously and repeatedly in such a way that would only keep you staring at the knife skill involved, in absolute awe in the passion and dexterity displayed by this genius of a man.

Each mouthful was more buttery than the last, each combo was created with wasabi, salt and pepper respectively and eaten on its own of course It was the best steak in the world and there was no argument to that .

Accompanied with soy, miso dressing, rice and bean sprouts which had been cooked in the fat rind of the steak and sautéed to serve and my veg was 2 variation of potato, a shiitake mushroom.

On the side was pickled radish and ginger. Absolutely sublime. I am so happy for the experience and yes it was worth the money.

A tea at the end end to bring my back to earth.

Please, for the love of steak, eat here and don't order anything but something well marbled.

Full service, SET B on a SIRLOIN 120g I was stuffed...

Mouriya was an incredible dining experience. We walked in without a reservation for lunch and they were able to fit us in as long as we were out in an hour. We sat at the grill seats on the first floor and the cook cooked everything right in front of us. He knew exactly what he was doing and cooked everything with expertise; he was fun too and at one point let took a photo for us while holding the steaks when they first came out. The lunch specials are a bit better price than dinner so it's a good deal to go at that time. What I really liked about Mouriya compared to other steak restaurants with lunch specials is that you can pick the meat options. Other places would have just a set menu for a certain price which doesn't really let you know what type of cut you are getting. The menu here displayed four different types of meat cut that you could order: lean meat, fillet, sirloin, and rib eye. And then there were several options within each category at different price points. There is a beef rating system and they only offer the top two grades, A4 and A5. No matter what you get it will be amazing. We opted to keep our plates between ¥5000 and ¥7500, but between the four of us dining we picked a few different cuts to taste the differences. For the lean meat we got the Kobe beef round. It's meaty and tender, but no marbling really. We also got the A5 Choice sirloin and rib eye dishes. These were quite similar and highly marbled. I would suggest to try the lean meat (or fillet if you are ready to pay) along with either the sirloin or rib eye so you can taste the difference. Absolutely have your meat cooked rare or at most medium rare because this will being out the best flavoring. Our meat was like eating butter, it was so smooth and literally melted in your mouth. You are given a mix of different things to dip your steak into: salt, pepper, wasabi, garlic, soy sauce, and another sauce. There is a guide at the table how to taste with these toppings and in what order. It's meant to bring out flavors of the beef, so obviously don't overdo it on the toppings. Along with the beef you also get a mix of cooked vegetables, soup, salad, and your choice of bread or rice. Get the bread so you can soak up the steak juice on your plate! And to finish off the meal a choice of tea or coffee. So I wasn't expecting this experience, but it significantly changed the way I think about steak and I'm really happy I took the plunge. If you do it right you can have a great experience and not kill your wallet, although I'm likely to go back again someday and do the super premium option...

This is a premium, award-winning Kobe Beef restaurant that does it right. It was the most expensive meal we ate all trip, and also the most sumptuous...and yes, it was worth every Yen we spent. It's the kind of place that doesn't need to scream KOBE BEEF in bright English letters, but rather just lets its reputation draw people in. And when you arrive to find the first floor absolutely packed with diners, you'll be glad you made that reservation (p.s. make a reservation).

The beef...oh the beef! it's available in a variety of different cuts and price points, from really good wagyu to top of the line A5 Kobe Beef from the tenderest parts of the cow. Definitely get the nicest cut you can afford because every slice is just dripping with flavour as the fat comes rendering out on that teppan. And while the cuts of A5 we had were too thick to literally melt away, my mouth was swimming in beef-juice-joy every time my teeth just glided through the most tender, most juicy bits of steak it had ever eaten. It was so good that I also ate many types of vegetables I turned away just because they had been cooked in the rendered fat on the teppan. It was absolutely worth a drink or two as well, as both the sake of the day and Kirin Ichiban Shibori they had just added to the celebration of flavours.

I also wanted to recognize the excellent staff here, especially everyone on our floor. Yes, everyone. Upon finding out my wife had a number of allergies to look out for, every server and chef made sure they knew the particulars so that nothing dangerous would be served her way. We felt very looked after. On happier notes, our servers were all happy to engage with my beginner's Japanese, speaking to me natively so I could try my best and explaining things further when necessary. Service was absolutely done with a smile and good cheer, and it felt like the real priority would be how much we enjoyed our time there.

We enjoyed it a lot. This restaurant will definitely be my pick for a return visit the next time we are in town. 12/10. Cannot recommend this...