Restaurant Flipper

Maybe I had a bad day or the restaurant was not at its best, I dont know! My wife and I moved to Okinawa recently and we happen to drive past Flipper on a very regular basis with the thought of going at some point or another as the reviews are pretty good and our neighbor was shouting praises about it.

This week we had the chance to go for an early lunch. I ordered the Filet Mignon and my wife the same but with the addition of Lobster. My meal had a price at about 3,800 JPY or so and my wifes was 4,500 JPY from a vague memory.

The food arrived in good time and came with soup, salad, super mini pasta, toast or rice, some fries and a drink. A decent and fair layout and is typically Japanese. No real surprises.

Being a New Zealander I love steak and welcome the opportunity to enjoy a really good steak. My wife and I are always somewhat apprehensive about steak at Japanese restaurants as its hasnt quite reached western cooking style yet (we think) Some places do it well but you will pay for it.

We have eaten steak around the world in some of the best and the worst establishments you can consider and not forgetting I grew up on steak and lamb. OK to the Point.

My steak was surrounded by water and I was suspicious that it had been quickly defrosted from the get go. On the first cut in was tough and pale even though I ordered a medium, this never changed. The flavour was watery and lacked any real beef flavor. I gave a slice to my wife who said that hers was somewhat better. Not wanting my Flipper experience to fade I kept eating my tough grey watery steak. It never improved.

My wife stated that her steak was ok but the lobster was a little smelly but she ate it all anyway so it must have been ok lol. She offered me about half of here steak to keep me happy. It was again a bit watery (defrosted and cooked to close to other steaks) and somewhat pale in color in the center. However it was quite tender and easy to chew compared to the leather boot I was served.

My wifes steak was the only reason I gave two stars and not one.

Ambiance is fine, waiting time minimal, service friendly, portions very ok and the coffee and tea great. But if you people believe this is good steak your not alive.

Go to your butcher or Costco. Buy a nice Eye Fillet or Sirlion and leave it in the refridgerator for a few days to age. (do not freeze it. If you do freeze it defrost it in the refridgerator until thawed) When ready pull it out and let it sit at room temp for about an hour then cover with olive oil and season with salt and pepper before frying. Cook on a high heat on 1 side at a time to your desired tenderness (Costco Eye Fillet about 4 to 5 minutes each side) Once done remove from heat and cover in tin foil for an additional 5 minutes or so. Serve and eat.

Thats how to cook a basic steak in my opinion. Sorry Flipper it was a bad experience.