One of our last meals out at a restaurant before Sydney’s coronavirus induced lockdown of 2020 was at Kobe Wagyu BBQ in Chinatown, where we enjoyed a memorable feast of grilled mouthwatering wagyu beef as part of their dinner BBQ buffet menu (priced at $84 per person) over 2 hours.
From our first heavenly bite of marbled wagyu steak that we grilled ourselves on the BBQ built into our table, we knew we were in for a treat and our tastebuds couldn’t get enough. The wagyu here truly lived up to all expectations, with each cut of meat varying in tenderness, but all with buttery soft flavours coming through thanks to the high grade of the marbling on the beef.
We started off with a platter of Harami (Outside Skirt), Chuck Eye Roll, Wagyu Steak and Flap Meat which were all fantastic, before moving onto other cuts like the delicious Rib Eye Cap and Short Rib, which were two of our favourites with their melt in your mouth texture – we tried them with yakiniku sauce marinade as well as just salt and pepper, both were great flavourwise.
We also indulged in some Beef Tongue and Pork Belly to change things up a bit, as they were thinner cuts of meat which cooked quickly on the grill to sizzling perfection.
There are a few things that set Kobe Wagyu apart from your standard BBQ restaurant – the surroundings at Kobe Wagyu BBQ are more sleek than your usual BBQ restaurant, with contemporary decor and comfortable booth seating and an efficient iPad ordering system making sure you get plenty of food delivered to your table during the buffet. We also really liked the design of the BBQ itself here, as it has exhaust vents built into the side of the BBQ which mean you don’t end up smelling like meat when you finish your meal – and it looks a lot nicer than the dangling exhaust pipes you usually see at other BBQ restaurants too!
Now we’ve had our fair share of Japanese BBQ buffets in Sydney over the years, and while the price per head at Kobe Wagyu BBQ seems like premium pricing at first, we found that it was actually great value considering the high quality and grade of the wagyu beef on offer here, in a wide range of cuts and also the generous amount of seafood available, including super fresh sashimi (our favourite was the succulent scallop and kingfish on the sashimi platter) and juicy oysters served with a zesty ponzu sauce, which you don’t often see as part of BBQ menus.
There’s also a great selection of bite-sized snacks (we went for the Chicken Karaage, Tempura Prawns and Takoyaki which were all fun) and other interesting side dishes like the Udon with Cream Sauce, Seaweed Vongole Soup as well as trusty Gyoza Dumplings and Seaweed and Sashimi Salads for your greens.
If you’re looking for something to wash down all that tasty food with, the drinks buffet ($10 per person) includes an Asahi beer per person, as well as free flow soft drinks like Fuji Sparkling Apple and Calpis Water and also some dessert options like Matcha or Chocolate Tiramisu and Shiratama with Matcha and Black Sesame Ice Cream to finish your meal on a sweet note (if you can fit it in after all that wagyu beef!)
We really enjoyed our BBQ extravaganza at Kobe Wagyu BBQ and will be back to treat ourselves again with a group of friends when the Sydney coronavirus restrictions are fully lifted and we can get back to dining out in all the fantastic restaurants that this city has to offer!
Excuse Me Waiter dined as guests of Kobe Wagyu BBQ
Kobe Wagyu BBQ
Level 1/605-609 George Street Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 0406 662 268
