It's all about the beef at Japanese B.B.Q. Restaurant Yoshi

Nadine Kam photos
Crazy Rib Eye Yoshi Style is one of the highlights of Japanese B.B.Q. Restaurant Yoshi, Japan wagyu shot through with its streaks of monounsaturated (bad cholesterol-reducing) fat.

The new year is already shaping up to be like the last with the trending of the Japanese restaurant, with multiple new entries around town.

Restaurants out of Japan tend to be backed by quality, but the trend is toward more specialization and transparency in sourcing in response to equally growing sophistification of diners.


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With guidance from knowledgeable staffers formerly from Hiroshi, another lauded yakiniku house, the Japanese B.B.Q. Yoshi experience manages to be both delicious and educational. You’ll want to pay close attention to grasp differences between various cuts of ribeye, outside skirt steak ($16) and inside skirt steak ($14), knuckles ($38) and more. It all adds up to a carnivore’s paradise.

Typical of Japanese-style yakiniku, the meat portions that arrive at Yoshi are quite small, and cook down to little nothings that leave you wanting more. But my near iron-clad stomach from years of professional eating did not prepare me for this much richness. If you don’t normally eat rich food, you may not want to overindulge on your first visit.

The star of the menu is superb A5-grade Japan wagyu, Crazy Rib Eye Yoshi ($32), with its candy-stripe streaks of red meat and white fat. Connoisseurs consider A5 wagyu the best in the world, and Yoshi showcases it beautifully. Have some patience. Trying the other cuts before graduating to this beef will be enlightening. A visit here is not about stuffing your face, but ultimately about appreciation.
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The restaurant is at 1316 Young St., open 5:30 to 11 p.m. daily except Wednesdays. Call (808) 784-0067.

If you’re a fan of cow tongue, nodotomo is the tenderest part closest to the throat.

A Grade ribeye yakisuki is grilled then slathered with a mixture of yamaimo and egg to increase the silkiness quotient.

Anchang nakaochi kalbi, left, and skirt steak.

Rib steak.

Flap meat yukke was delicious.

Yoshi’s chicken wings.

Yes you will find such things as shrimp—shown here after being sautéed in butter in this pot on the grill—pork and Jidori chicken on the menu, but very little salads or sides. Here, it’s all about meat.

Pork jowl was served with wasabi.

First bite: Yakiniku House Futago

Nadine Kam photos
Niku sea urchin, on the menu at Yakiniku House Futago, combines beef, shiso, uni and nori.

We don’t need low expectations heading into 2015, so there’s nothing like starting the new year with a bang to set the tone for the rest of the year.

I’m grateful that Yakiniku House Futago came to town, with a perfectly timed opening on Christmas Day, a day of gifts and magic.

“Futago” is the Japanese word for “twins,” in reference to the chain’s youthful founders, Sunchol and Sunbong Lee. The pair launched their first Osaka-style yakiniku restaurant in Japan a mere four years ago. Today, their empire numbers 30 restaurants in Japan and China. Next up: Manhattan.

The New York restaurant was already in the works when the duo decided to open in Hawaii after vacationing here and discovering a lack of Japanese-style yakiniku venues. They found only Hiroshi, in Waikiki, and Gyu-kaku, and thought the market would be perfect for their concept, presenting premium beef in a lively setting with plenty of coddling from an energetic — if not all English-speaking — young staff.

Explaining through an interpreter, Sunbong — who will be working the floor alongside his staff for about a month — summed up their work as “eatertainment,” with the idea that hands-on “concierge” grill service, music and the palpable enthusiasm of waiters enhances the flavor of the food.

He may have a point there, but I’ve always felt that as a truth seeker, I’m impervious to the kind of bells and whistles restaurateurs use to charm a crowd. The food is darn good on its own, and my taste buds don’t change with the addition of good service and lavish decor.

But having someone there to guide the experience and offer helpful information makes dinner here all the more impressive, especially for those more likely to swallow than taste food. When pointed out, you will find vast differences in sections of beef, a mere one-half inch apart.

At 949 Kapahulu Ave. Call (808) 734-3956.

Welcome to their world:

Though Korean by blood, twins Sunbong, left, and Sunchol Lee grew up in Japan favoring the lighter Japanese, rather than highly marinated Korean-style yakiniku.

The niku sea urchin, with the beef cooked, ready to be rolled up and devoured.

It’s rare to experience a vertical beef tasting, but that is what you get with the house specialty, Japanese Wagyu “Hamideru” Kalbi ($28). Your “concierge” will cuts away parts and pre­sents them one at a time for you to savor and compare the fatty marbled rib shi, tender and sweet rib maki, a triangular slipper-shaped piece they call the “geta,” and “kaduri,” the piece of back fat that tastes like short ribs. This can be enjoyed with Kyushu-style ponzu sauce, but don’t add sauce until you have savored the wagyu solo, with its sweetness and fattiness.”

Hamideru availability is limited. Your next-best choice might be the Futago Premium selection of four kinds of beef ($25 per person), about four ounces each of beef tongue, short rib, flank and skirt steak, grilled tableside for you.

The garlic steak isn’t as flavorful as the other cuts, but worth a try, for the compensation, a garlic-butter-shiso-sesame sauce warmed on the grill.

Beyond the meat options, there is an assortment of kim chee ($4.80), and below, avocado ($8.80) served two ways, with a creamy dressing and a mix of shoyu and wasabi.

Raw beef is mixed with a small dice of apple and topped with raw egg in the Korean specialty of yukhoe, available with rice ($9.80), or without ($12.80), as an appetizer.

Dessert of sweet potato ($4.80) served with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup proved to be a wonderful combination.