Kyoto is most commonly associated with elegant, refined Japanese cuisine, so it may be a surprise to learn that it also has a long, deeply rooted beef culture. Despite tight competition in Kyoto, with the unparalleled quality of its restaurants and discerning customers, Kuishinbo Yamanaka remains a mainstay on the must-visit list of global gourmands. That’s because the chef is a master of his craft and has perfected preparation of the rarest form of wagyu. Many decades ago the chef fell in love with pureblood Tajima Omi Beef – the only variety offered here – and in the forty years since he has never strayed from his style, which turned the industry on its head at the time of opening.

The creed here is simple: offer the ultimate in beef cuisine. That’s why the chef chooses to serve only pureblood cattle beef, and why it is always served fresh, not aged. Everything on the diverse menu from steak to hamburg patties and beef cutlet is made purely from genuine wagyu. In pursuit of the best, Yamanaka hides nothing, showcasing the precious beef in every dish.

A course begins with a beef hors d’oeuvre of Omi Beef stewed in red wine, with a fantastic texture and flavor infused to the core. Next comes a fish hors d’oeuvre – the traditional French preparation of fumet de poisson. The beautiful flesh is simmered to just one quarter its original size and lavishly dressed in aromatic butter sauce. The chef’s signature golden consommé soup is a masterpiece resulting from four days of work extracting flavor. It is elevated by the heady aromas of sherry and cognac, and the gelée topping is formed with natural gelatin from the cow shinbone.

The pinnacle of any course is the steak – a generous serve of Omi Beef. Prepared right before your eyes on a 280°C cooktop within the counter, excitement builds as Yamanaka moves with finesse to cook the steak seventy percent from the top and the remainder from the flipside, seasoning only with salt, pepper, and a few drops of soy sauce. The aromas wafting from the cooktop are irresistible, and the simple seasoning ensures the beef’s natural umami is the star. You can hardly wait another second to devour the steak as you watch the chef methodically cut it into bite-sized morsels for you.

Everything at Yamanaka is designed to be eaten with chopsticks, and you won’t be able to put them down after you experience the juicy, meaty flavors in that first mouthful. When asked about the key to those flavors, Yamanaka says, “you just have to cook it right. That’s it. I don’t do anything special. “

INGREDIENTS
It was the express wish of Chef Yamanaka to focus here on the beef. For without it, there would be no Kuishinbo Yamanaka, and the beef that can be enjoyed at Yamanaka is like no other. For starters, it is one of Japan’s premier wagyu brands – Omi Beef – with a history of more than 400 years. Add to that the fact that Yamanaka’s trusted supplier of 40 years, Maruki Fukunaga Kisaburo Shoten in Higashi Omi City, only raises pureblood Tajima cattle on its farms in the rich natural environment of Shiga Prefecture. Tajima cattle are considered very hardy and are prized in breeding and even crossbreeding, but several farmers in Shiga are dedicated to maintaining the heritage of pure bloodline Tajima cattle, making the beef from these cattle a true treasure.

Delivered on the bone — simply not available on the general market – in addition to having very fine fat marbling, the beef is distinguished by its lustrous fat and sweet, smooth flavor. According to Yamanaka, the color of quality beef is not pink but rather the hue of azuki beans, a popular ingredient in traditional Japanese sweets. The desirable color needs to be ascertained from the face of the meat the moment it is sliced. Yamanaka stores all the cuts in the fridge set to -3°C, but because quality beef contains little moisture, it will not freeze even at these levels. The beef is carefully wrapped in cotton cloth for storage and never aged. Yamanaka is adamant that it should be eaten fresh: even in its freshest condition truly premium beef is packed with plenty of power and umami.

The sauces are all handmade in-house and all the other ingredients used at Yamanaka are meticulously researched and selected, because as Yamanaka says, “The secret to delicious food is authentic ingredients.” The seafood is all wild caught and selected by the chef, who uses his keen eye honed through a long-lived passion for fishing and says that quality ingredients grow ever more delicious as they are simmered down, a fact demonstrated in his delicious fish hors d’oeuvre.