foodSpencer HungApril 13, 2017

Beef Empire

foodSpencer HungApril 13, 2017

I have love-hate relationship with Japanese TV programs about their local restaurants. Love to see the food but hate it when I realize I am probably not going to eat it ever.

“The perfectly roasted beef glisten under the spotlight and the egg yolk is begging me to break it lose...”

I think it must be last year when I watched a Japanese TV program introducing this "roast beef don". It was a mountain of glorious pinkish rare roast beef toped with raw egg yolk and drizzled with yogurt dressing. I could only imagine how good it must taste. That bowl of roast beef must have made a deep impression in my mind. During my trip to Nagoya, I just finished my lunch at a miso tonkatsu place I have googled. It was good but nothing worth writing about, literally. As I walk towards the subway station, I caught something pinkish with a yellow spot at the corner of my eye. It is THE roast beef don! I just finished lunch but the decision was easy, I walked right into the restaurant. The restaurant is appropriately named "Niku no Kuni" literally means "meat country" They didn't have a lot to chose from in the menu. I, of course picked the roast beef don and picked size. I was asked if I wanted to make it into set meal and I quickly declined.

It didn't take too long for the bowl to arrive and there is it. Something I saw on TV is right in-front of my eyes. It felt like I saw a celebrity in person. The perfectly roasted, thinly sliced beef glisten under the spotlight and the egg yolk is begging me to break it lose so I did. The beef was cold and tender which matches well with the steamy hot rice. The onion based dressing give the roast beef the sweetness it needed but not overpowering the beef flavour. It was insanely good.

Remember, I walked in the restaurant with a full stomach but I still finish it and wanting for more. If you are like me, saw this roast beef don on TV, next time when you are in Nagoya, make sure you taste it in person as well.

我對日本的美食節目在是又愛又恨。每次都是看得到但吃不到。

去年我在緯來日本台看到介紹一碗烤牛肉丼。堆得像小山一樣的粉紅色的烤牛肉，中間放著一顆生蛋黃再淋上白色的優格醬，我邊看只能邊流口水幻想它有多好吃。

在我到名古屋的旅行中，我剛吃完出發前查的味增豬排。是好吃，但沒什麼值得寫的。當我走向地鐵站時，我在我的眼角看到一塊粉紅色加黃色的東西。轉頭一看，就是那碗電視上的烤牛肉丼。雖然剛剛才吃飽，但我豪不猶豫地走進了餐廳。餐廳的名字翻成中文就是肉之國。這名字再適合也不過了。菜單選擇不多，我單點了中碗烤牛肉丼。過了不久，一碗閃閃發亮的烤牛肉丼就端到我面前。中間的蛋黃好像在叫我快來弄破它。烤牛肉又冷又薄又嫩很配熱騰騰的白飯。洋蔥為基底的醬料加入了蔬菜的甜味但是沒有覆蓋牛肉的香甜。真的太好吃了。

如果你像我一樣，曾經看到這個烤牛肉洞在電視上，那下次當你在名古屋時，你一定要親自來品嚐。