"Aged beef" and "Wagyu" are keywords most often heard during the meat boom in recent years. The aging of beef requires superior know-how for maintaining the proper temperature, and the number of weeks need to produce the most flavorful aged beef. Ginza Yakiniku Salon de AgingBeef serves A5 ranked Yonezawa beef, which has been dry-aged for three months to bring out its rich, savory flavor.

It is conveniently located near the Ginza 4-chome intersection, just a 1-minute walk from the A1 exit in Tokyo Metro Ginza Station. Alighting from the elevator on the building's 11th floor, you are ushered into the shop's luxurious interior.

The interior has a stylish design that combines luxury and cleanliness, creating an elegant atmosphere. You can enjoy aged beef at the counter (6 seats), a table (4 tables), or in a private room (4 rooms accommodating 4 to 6 people).

Counter seats offer delightful opportunities for interacting with the chefs. At Salon de AgingBeef, the beef is normally grilled by the chefs.

For that reason, there is a 10% service charge for dining in a private room and a 5% service charge for dining at the counter and tables. This ensures that the beef is cooked to perfection each time, something in which the shop takes great pride. Of course, if you would like to grill the beef yourself, that is possible, but letting a chef experienced in the grilling of aged beef do it will ensure that it is cooked to perfection.

At Salon de AgingBeef, there are several courses available for enjoying the A5 ranked aged Yonezawa beef, and for this article, we ordered the most popular Nishiki course (10,780 yen including tax, service charge not included). The course included the following:

● Assorted beef sashimi
● Assorted kimchi
● Seasonal namul
● Taste comparison of the finest black tongue and the finest aged tongue
● Thick skirt steak, 1 specially selected part, 1 type
● Salad
● Specially selected part, 2 types
● Kimchi brine
● Yonezawa beef recommendation
● Choice yakiniku
● Sukiyaki-style high-grade loin with Okukuji egg and Okitama Tsuyahime rice
● Meal
● Dessert

As can be seen, it is full of delicious selections. The high-grade loin grilled sukiyaki-style is prepared with various special cuts of beef.

This is the taste comparison of the most delicate black beef tongue and the finest aged tongue in the Nishiki Course (the photo shows a serving for 2 people). The cuts in the back sprinkled with sesame seeds are the finest aged tongue (aged for 2 weeks). This dish enabling you to savor the distinction in the two cuts' flavors gives you a good idea of this shop's dedication to creating a memorable dining experience.

A waiter will deliver the tongue, grilled to perfection, on a plate with exquisite timing. Biting into this thick-sliced tongue releases the meat's savory juices along with a flavor similar to that of the smoked tongue. This is a dish you absolutely must try!

And this is the Sukiyaki-style high-grade loin with Okukuji egg and Okitama Tsuyahime rice (the photo shows a serving for 2 people).

This cut of Yonezawa loin is perfectly marbled. Care also needs to be taken not to overly grill this beef. Under the deft skills of the shop's expert chefs, the wagyu beef is grilled to perfection.

Dipping the marbled beef loin into the creamy, flavorful yolk of the Okukuji egg is the best way to eat it. The loin cut has been seasoned with a comparatively rich sauce, so after eating it, so pouring the remainder of the egg yolk over the white Tsuyahime rice that is served with it complements the beef exquisitely.

Finally, there is one more dish. This is the hand-rolled sea urchin and sirloin gimbap (the photo shows a serving for two)

This is a mariage of sirloin sushi atop a savory sheet of Korean toasted and seasoned laver (with sushi rice inside) with flame-seared sea urchin and wasabi. Sweetness, spiciness, and savory aroma all come together in this dish to fully bring out the rich flavor of the aged meat.

Salon de AgingBeef buys a whole Yonezawa steer, which it then cuts up into various parts before aging the meat. If you have never tasted the finest aged beef, then this is one shop you definitely should visit.

This shop makes every effort to prevent the coronavirus (Covid-19) spread through such countermeasures as placing alcohol disinfectant dispensers at the entrance, frequently ventilating the rooms, and requiring all staff to wear face masks. There is also a menu in English for foreign guests.

Countermeasures being taken for dealing with the coronavirus
The shop interior and facilities are disinfected, sterilized, cleaned; sterilizing and disinfectant dispensers placed; shop interior is frequently ventilated; staff is required to wear masks, wash hands, use disinfectant lotions, gargle, and have their temperature taken; the number of customers and seating arrangements are carefully adjusted

The Omi Ushi Yakiniku Niku TATSU Ginza shop is also located on the 15th floor of the same building as the previously mentioned Salon de AgingBeef. In addition to being conveniently located near the Ginza 4-chome intersection, a unique feature of this shop is that various cuts of Omi beef can be enjoyed in a private room.

All of the tables are situated in private rooms, making them ideal for special occasions such as birthdays, dates, or entertaining important guests. The most outstanding feature is the wide variety of Omi beef cuts featured for your dining pleasure. Omi beef is one of three types of Japanese wagyu, the others being Matsuzaka beef and Kobe beef. This beef is noted for its fine, delicate texture and lovely marbling that melts in your mouth.

We tried the recommended 9,900 yen, tax included, Omi Tan'no Course that is especially popular for anniversaries and entertaining. The course included the following:

● 5 types of kimchi and namul
● Salad
● Niku TATSU Yukhoe
● Flame-seared sirloin sushi
● Special of the day
● Salty dish
・Prime salted tongue
・Prime skirt steak
・Sirloin steak
・Prime steak
・Lean meat of the day
● Sukiyaki-style prime loin
● Sauce dish
・ Two kinds of carefully selected parts of the day
● 2 kinds of offal
● Last dish (cold noodles)
● Dessert

This Omi beef course treats you to a satisfyingly broad selection of yukhoe, salt-flavored, and sauce-flavored dishes.

It begins with the Niku TATSU Yukhoe that fully delivers the sweet flavor of Omi beef. The Omi beef yukhoe, mixed with egg and sauce, is so fresh that diners are encouraged to eat it within 30 minutes of being delivered. Its very mellow flavor heightens the expectations of what the subsequent dishes will be like.

These are the Salty dishes made with salt and wasabi (the photo shows a serving for 2 people). These consist of salted tongue, skirt steak, sirloin steak, prime steak, all of which are lean cuts of beef.

This dish typifies the shop's confidence in providing simple yet delicious dishes prepared with salt and wasabi. The salt and wasabi definitely bring out the sweetness of the meat. One of the restaurant staff explained that "customers really appreciate the sweet flavor of marbled Omi beef once they've tried it" and it was easy to see why.

Next came the sukiyaki-style prime loin (the photo shows a serving for 2 people). Eat this succulent cut of marbled loin after dipping it in egg. The secret lies in not over-grilling it. Singing both sides of the meat and quickly removing it from the grill causes the meat's fat to melt in your mouth.

It's best to grill it so that the meat is left slightly red. This brings out the sweetness of the Omi beef.

Now it's time for the salt, wasabi, and sauce. The sauce is for the 2 kinds of carefully selected parts of the day chosen by the chef. On this day, they were Rib Maki [a horseshoe-shaped cut surrounding rib core] and Shoulder Loin (the photo shows a serving for 2 people).

It's best to grill the shoulder loin so that it remains slightly reddish and then dip it in the special sauce that comes with it. This is followed by 2 kinds of offal, cold noodles, and dessert. The order in which the dishes are served is perfectly arranged so that the simple salt and wasabi flavors are followed by the Omi beef's more decadent flavors! The succulent flavors of Omi beef can be thoroughly enjoyed in this course.

In conclusion, let me tell you about the Niku TATSU Ginza yakiniku shop's countermeasures for dealing with the coronavirus (Covid-19). Alcohol disinfectant dispensers are placed in the entrance. The floor mats are carefully disinfected; the entire staff is required to wear face masks, and customers are given small bottles of alcohol disinfectant when they leave.

There are also menus in English and Chinese and the shop is fully equipped with Wi-Fi. As the name suggests, this is a restaurant where you can enjoy "meat" featuring Omi beef, one of the three types of Japanese wagyu.

Countermeasures being taken for dealing with the coronavirus
The shop interior and facilities are disinfected, sterilized, cleaned; sterilizing is performed after guests leave and before new ones are seated; shop interior is frequently ventilated; coin trays are used; staff is required to wear masks, wash hands, use disinfectant lotions, gargle, and have their temperature taken; the number of customers and seating arrangements are carefully adjusted; guests whose health is suspect are turned away; guests are requested to wear masks and have their temperature taken

WORLD DINER specializes in Kuroge Wagyu [Japanese Black Beef] and is located in the Kirarito Ginza high-end shopping center that fronts Chuo-dori, about a 2-minute walk from Exit 7 of Ginza 1-chome Station on the Yurakucho Subway Line.

In addition to Japanese black beef, WORLD DINER has a large selection of wine, sake, and shochu to go with it. There is also a bar counter inside the shop and you can enjoy an excellent night-time view of Ginza while enjoying your dinner.

We ordered the most popular Niku Kaidan Mori [meat stairway] course (11,000 yen including tax).

● 6 types of kimchi and namul
● Choregi salad
● Specialty! Meat stairway
・ Special thick-sliced tongue
・ Kuroge Wagyu Kalbi [Japanese black beef short ribs]
・ 3 kinds of lean Japanese black beef
・ Thick-sliced Japanese black beef skirt steak
・ Japanese black beef fillet
・ Flame-seared lean Japanese black beef sushi
● Beef bone soup
● Japanese black beef large-sized rib roast grilled shabu-shabu
● Meal
・ A choice of cold noodles, cold tomato-flavored noodles, and cold plum-flavored noodles
● Sherbet

In this popular course, you can enjoy the above dishes (pictured for 2 people), the most notable being the meat staircase comprised of select cuts of Japanese black beef.

This skirt steak, as its name "Thick-sliced Japanese black beef skirt steak" suggests, is a really thick cut of meat! Even if you grill both sides well, the inside remains juicy, exactly like grilled Kalbi.

The special sauce that comes with it has a rich flavor. The best way to enjoy it is to just dip a bit of it in the sauce.

The Meat Stairway also includes flame-seared lean Japanese black beef sushi. Enjoying this halfway through the stairway provides a refreshing change in taste.

The Japanese black beef large-sized rib roast grilled shabu-shabu is served with green onions and cucumber cut into strips.

The large-sized rib roast is lightly seared and then dipped in "Japan's best egg" from Hyogo prefecture, but here too, the green onions and cucumbers are sandwiched so that the taste is not overbearing. This Meat Stairway Course delightfully offers an opportunity to fully discern and savor the subtle differences in flavor of different cuts of Japanese black beef.

WORLD DINER has table seating for 12 and 6 counter seats facing the window (for 2 people), but there is also a private room (10% service charge) that can be used by 9 people. Every seat offers an excellent view of the Ginza cityscape. This is a perfect place to enjoy high-quality Japanese black beef and sake at night.

In addition, WORLD DINER has strict countermeasures in place for dealing with the coronavirus (Covid-19) such as ensuring that all staff wear masks, taking the temperature of guests and requiring them to use alcohol disinfectant when they arrive. These measures will help allay any concerns you may have about visiting. The shop also has free Wi-Fi.

Countermeasures being taken for dealing with the coronavirus
The shop interior and facilities are disinfected, sterilized, cleaned; sterilizing is performed after guests leave and before new ones are seated; shop interior is frequently ventilated; coin trays are used; separation panels are properly placed; staff is required to wear masks, wash hands, use disinfectant lotions, gargle, and have their temperature taken; the number of customers and seating arrangements are carefully adjusted; guests whose health is suspect are turned away; guests are requested t wear masks and have their temperature taken

Wagyu is a delicacy gaining attention throughout the world. The Ginza yakiniku shops introduced this time are all shops where you can enjoy various Japanese black beef cuts, brand-name beef, and aged meat. If you would like to learn more about wagyu's deep attractions, be sure to visit one or all of these shops.

* Business hours may be changed or the shops temporarily closed as countermeasures for dealing with the new coronavirus infection (Covid-19).
* The information in this article was obtained between September and October 2020.

Written by Takeshi Nagata, Dali Corporation