On Sunday Adelaide Food Central attended the Japanese BBQ mecca Kyoku Yakiniku. It was my first time dining at an Japanese DIY BBQ and I was thoroughly impressed. The quality of the food was impeccable and the variety excited me. Kyoku Yakiniku specialises in wagyu beef but also provide a range of hotpots, sushi and sashimi.

Wagyu Bao
Stuffed inside these white bao’s laid lashings of saucy, wagyu beef. You couldn’t complain that these bad boys were dry, as there was sauce for days. The side of Asian slaw worked perfectly with this type of meat and topped it off with the creamy kimchi mayo. Bao’s are super delicious and these ones in particular enticed you to keep eating more.

Assorted Fish Sashimi
I am a sucker for sashimi, and this fish was the freshest you could get. Each fish was light and subtle but you could certainly taste the differences between the salmon, tuna and kingfish. I have never been a fan of kingfish sashimi, I always tend to reach for the other fishes, but this was my favourite of the lot. What I love so much about this sort of dish is that even though it is fish, it’s far from fishy and some of the freshest food you can get.

Wagyu Nigiri with Foie Gras
I loved the use of not only wagyu but foie gras in this sushi dish. Foie gras is a pate like substance that is made with the liver of a duck or goose. It was very subtle in this nigiri but worked well with the wagyu and sticky rice. If you love sushi then this is certainly worth a try.

Deluxe Australian Wagyu Platter
This platter was the star of the show providing some of the best quality wagyu with flavour for days. This platter included sirloin chunk roll, oyster blade, outside skirt and thin ox tongue. In the middle of the table, the waiter will top up your BBQ with hot coals so that you can cook your food. As the meat is so thin it only needs a short while on the BBQ. Each cut of meat was different to the rest with juicy flavours.

Wagyu Beef Fried Rice
This was actually some of the nicest fried rice I have had in a while. The wagyu beef made it that extra bit special. The rice was slightly firm and there was so much flavour with every mouthful. It was a great side to have as a filler, and I couldn’t stop eating it.

Matcha Cheesecake with Red Bean Ice Cream
What a great way to end the feast with a sweet dessert. I am a sucker for matcha and it is one of my favourite non chocolate desserts. The matcha itself was quite strong and bitter but worked well in this creamy cheesecake texture. The red bean ice-cream was sweet and worked well with the matcha. I loved everything about this dessert.

Thank you to the team at Kyoku Yakiniku for introducing us to your awesome menu. We can’t wait to come back

Words by Tomika Salerno

WHERE: 113 Gouger St, Adelaide