Tokyo

Kobe Beef Steak Ichimiya

ステーキ一宮

Finest Kobe beef, grilled in a charcoal-fired rogama oven. Born out of love for Japanese wagyu, Ichimiya’s French-style menu offers an impressive full course that will infatuate any meat connoisseur. From aromatic tartar to sirloin steak, the chef uses the finest cuts of a purebred Tajima cow that was carefully selected for the occasion. Paired with superb wine vintages, the marbled meat melts away in your mouth, leaving a sweet and buttery flavor.

Ichimiya is located in the heart of Ginza, Tokyo’s gourmet capital, in the building next to the famous Kabukiza Theatre. From the moment you stand at the entrance, you will see signs of the chef’s obsession with cows, like the door with a chrysanthemum seal, a symbol of Kobe beef. Inside, a large print out of a beef purchase certificate hangs on the wall. Even the chairs are made of cow leather.

The white and wooden interior is tasteful and elegant. The tables in the back are lined up to face the open kitchen, where guests can peek in to see the chef prepare the dishes. There are private rooms available for families and small groups. The English-speaking staff provides excellent services to guests from abroad.

To complement the top-quality meat, the restaurant’s wine list is equally superb. There stock about 40 vintages, mainly reds that pair beautifully with smoky grilled steak.

“Bordeaux goes very well with sirloin,” the chef recommends. “The Californian wines taste great with filet and leaner cuts.”

FINEST KOBE BEEF

Ichimiya’s luxurious full-course menu centers on Tajima beef, a bloodline of Japanese Black breeds that is officially certified as Kobe beef. The meat is loved for its high percentage and best quality marbling.

The first appetizer offers an assortment of bite-size delicacies, introducing the guests to the charm of Tajima beef. Served with Ossetra caviar and pancakes are pieces of grilled, smoked and broiled meats, and a spoonful of tartar. Each morsel is flavored in their own way to show off the different characteristics of the top-ranked beef.

The day’s pasta is the prosciutto linguine. The perfectly al dente pasta is covered with a heap of shaved Italian white truffles and Parmesan cheese. The rich aroma of the truffles fill the room. The beef cutlet is simple yet flavorful. Served with a rich demi-glace sauce, the crusty breadcrumbs and moist meat create a satisfying bite. Sea bass poêlé is cooked to perfection, served on top of turnip puree and beurre blanc sauce.

The star course of the evening is the Tajima beef sirloin steak. Grilled over Kishu Binchotan charcoal in a furnace kiln, the meat is heated gradually, allowing the excess fat to drip off. The surface is crisp and golden brown while the inside remains moist and juicy. The meat is seasoned simply, with just salt, pepper and mountain wasabi on the side.

For dessert, homemade ice cream, made from freshly-squeezed milk from Kuzumaki, is served with sweet La France pear from Yamagata Prefecture. The cold sweet cleanses your palate and wraps up the enchanting evening.

INGREDEINTS
Ichimiya only uses meat sent from Oogiya, a Kobe-based store that specializes in Tajima beef. For over a decade, the chef has worked closely with Shuichi Kakimoto, the owner of the butcher, and trusts his careful selection of top-quality beef. The chef prefers to select meat from female cows, which has a low fat melting point and softer texture.

For the seasoning, he likes to use salt and pepper from Yonaguni Island in Okinawa. The fresh mountain wasabi and black pepper come from Hokkaido.

The chef is also selective about ingredients other than meat. He finds high quality produce such as large black abalones from Chiba. Vegetables are purchased directly from Akiya Farm in Chiba Prefecture. The fish is sourced directly from fishermen in various regions.

CHEF

Hiroyuki Ichimiya

Hiroyuki Ichimiya was born in Kobe in 1970. As a high schooler, he used to take on part-time jobs at restaurants, leading him to be interested in fine-dining. He decided to become a steak chef after he ate at Aragawa, one of the top steakhouses in Tokyo. He said he couldn't forget the taste of the steak. He was 25 years old.

Beef became his culinary obsession as he went on to build an impressive resume. He first trained at local French restaurants before joining The Windsor Hotel Toya in Hokkaido. He then worked at Trois Fraiches in Tokyo and IDEA Ginza, a high-end Kobe beef steak restaurant. He was later the head chef at Mita Beef Charcoal Grilled Vesta in Nihonbashi. In March 2019, he opened his own restaurant, Ichimiya, specializing in the finest Tajima beef.

VISION
“I want people from all over the world to experience the charm of Kobe beef,” Ichimiya says. He’s thinking of expanding overseas in the future. He also remains diligent about his research to ensure the quality of his cuisine. He continues to visit Kobe regularly to meet with the farmers to know exactly how the cows are being raised.

KOBE BEEF

Surrounded by pictures of cattles, Kobe beef certificates, and custom-made leather chairs, Ichimiya is made out of love for Tajima cows. Every piece of beef used at the restaurant is carefully selected by Shuichi Kakimoto, a meat expert and president of Oogiya, the Tajima beef specialty shop in Kobe. “Here in the heart of Ginza, I want to present the best possible steak,” Ichimiya says. “These steaks are made from cows that are raised by farmers who take care of them every single day with love and dedication.”