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I preface this, dear Reader, by stating boldly, that ‘Steak House Matsunami’ is simply one of the best steak houses in Tokyo. It was a Saturday afternoon and our business meeting over-ran, such that we found ourselves trying to start lunch at 14:30h.
Maybe it is a sign of the depressed Japanese economy: entry-level degustation dinner courses and everything on the lunch menu had hand-written prices reduced by about 15% from when they were printed.
Steak House Matsunami, Asakusa, Tokyo.
This unimposing restaurant on a busy street in Asakusa district is close to the famous Asakusa Kanon Temple; you know....the temple with the massive red and white paper lanterns.
Teppan-yaki or ‘iron plate - grill’ workstation.
The conservative décor belies the gourmand experience to follow. There was nothing ‘flashy’ about this quiet dining room in one of the older, traditional parts of town. We all had a ‘prix fixe’ course menu. The only choice was what cut of meat for the main course.
Place setting.
Three sauces await your meal.
Amuse bouche.
Raw beef sashimi (seared round the edges) was a portent of the tender meat-fest to follow.
Oyster au gratin.
One would not expect cheese in traditional Japanese meal but that shows how Japanese cuisine has adapted from Portuguese, British, German, French, Italian, Korean and Chinese influences. This is above and beyond the influences of McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks from US of A.
Dobin mushi or ‘teapot steamed’.
A ‘teapot’ is the traditional way to serve matsutake mushrooms in a soup. The clear soup is drunk and then the goodies (mushrooms and vegetables) picked out from the teapot. Matsutake is pine tree mushroom because of its shape. The same shape accounts for the aphrodisiac properties attributed to matsutake. Imagine - a future Grazing and Lazing article about aphrodisiacs...hmmm...dare I do it?
Fresh prawns dancing.
These lively examples of prawns were the freshest I’ve ever seen. The squeamish may like to look away.
De-shelled prawns.
The shells were discarded but the head, chest and legs were flattened and seasoned to fry to a crisp morsel. The prawns were de-shelled ‘on-the-fry’, as it were, very slickly and without the flamboyant showmanship that you get at a 'Benihana’ restaurant, for example.
The prawn tails were succulent and sweet with the stringy bits removed during cooking.
Scallops and Fish.
Everyone had grilled scallops but one diner who did not usually eat red meat had a fish main course instead.
Working my way through my prawns, scallops and salad.
The scallop was just perfection, seared on the outside and barely warmed, tender and sweet on the inside. The salad had a miso vinaigrette dressing. The crisp vegetables made a cool contrast to the grilled foods. The vegetables had been soaked to a crisper consistency.
Matsuzaka Beef.
I was initially the only one who chose extra well-marbled (fatty) fillet steak but some of the other diners switched to my choice when they saw this being cooked. Even the fish eater sampled my beef..."egads!"
Prized cuts of Kobe, Matsuzaka or Miyazaki beef are known as ‘shimofuri’, or fallen frost, because of the white flecks of fat that make them so tender. To achieve this effect, the cows are given treatment that many humans would envy. Farmhands massage them and put beer in their troughs, so that their muscles relax. To avoid stress, which is thought to toughen the meat, some farms keep the cattle in separate sheds.
Grilled steak garnished with garlic chips.
Dipped into one of the sauces (sesame paste, ponzu citron and shoyu (soy) vinaigrette), these succulent morsels melted in the mouth, literally, as they were devoid of gristle or sinew. The secret is to sear all six sides of each piece leaving the meat inside, pink.
Remember those crisp prawn morsels?
Here they are, flattened and crispy as a contrast in texture and taste to the beef. Yummy!
Stir-fried cabbage.
This was served as a palate cleanser course.
Fried rice.
Plain rice is fried and flavoured with fried smelt (shishamo) and ground black pepper. The salty fish obviates the need for further seasoning. This simple end of the savoury courses was surprisingly tasty. Fried rice in some countries can require complicated recipes (e.g. Thai, Indonesian and Chinese) but the secret at Matsunami is the smelt. I asked the chef and that was his answer...no M.S.G.
Rice and Miso soup.
“It ain’t over in Japan until the miso soup is slurped”. This is usually an indication that the savoury courses are finished. The other signal is at the end of the whole meal, when green tea appears. This is because dessert is not part of the traditional Japanese menu; one never knows if one should wait for a dessert. Nowadays, at the very least, ice cream is served; that’s the power of Häagen-Dazs advertising.
Light fruit jelly and mousse dessert.
Coffee
Aquarium.
On our way out, I admired what I thought was a decorative aquarium....er....the prawns looked kind of familiar....at least we know that they are REALLY fresh.
CONCLUSION
This is one of the best steak restaurants in Tokyo. No flounce, no fuss – just food. The menu choices are simple and our chef spoke English. Every tourist goes to the Asakusa district so the restaurant location is convenient before or after sightseeing at the Asakusa Kanon Temple.
A ‘Must Try’ Dining Room. Telephone (03) 3844-3737.
Photos and Text Copyright Melvyn Teillol-Foo, 2003.
MTF
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