Restaurant Matsukiya Kyoto Shijo 松喜屋 京都四条店 (Kyoto, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

One thing about traveling with kids is that it's often very difficult to sit down for a proper meal. It's been five days since we touched down in Japan but disappointingly, we've yet to have a nice steak meal. To put that to bed, I decided to bring everyone to Restaurant Matsukiya Kyoto Shijo (松喜屋 京都四条店) as soon as we finished checking into our hotel in Kyoto.



Restaurant Matsukiya is a specialist in Omi beef (近江牛), which is considered one of the three top brands of Japanese wagyu, along with Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef (松阪牛). The fact that they have this branch on busy Shijō-dōri (四条通) also makes things a lot easier for all of us (across the street from Fujii Daimaru).



I really like the setting of this restaurant. Every table is so generously spaced and they are equipped with a number of private rooms in case customers look for more privacy.



I think this Omi steak and sukiyaki set is just perfect for greedy diners like myself! For one price, I got to first try the Omi sirloin on a stone grill and later in a sukiyaki broth.



We were supposed to enjoy the grilled sirloin with the special steak sauce, sea salt (texture more like a marshmallow!) and fresh wasabi.



It's really my first time having Omi beef in Kyoto and I have to say, the marbling was a little disappointing. And to add insult to injuries, I thought the flavors were a lot more mild comparing with Kobe beef or most Kuroge wagyu.



As the second part of my set, I got to try their sukiyaki with assorted vegetables and of course, sliced Omi beef.



I had to wait for the broth to start boiling.



The fatty Omi beef was a little better than the grilled one thanks to the flavorful broth and dipping sauce (which was really just raw egg).



I was not done yet. One final step, the udon noodles.



With the leftovers in the pan, I poured a little bit of dashi in to bring it to a boil before putting the udon noodles in. Pretty tasty.



While I was doing all those mentioned above, Jelloman was enjoying her lunch set called Getsumei (月明). Starting things off for her was an appetizer platter with thinly sliced sea bream sashimi, daikon and roasted beef.



Her main event was Omi beef sirloin on a frying pan. She dropped a few extra yens for the "special sirloin" and just by observing the marbling, you could really see the difference. This was more like it! Very nice, well-marbled texture like your typical wagyu with rich flavors. I should have gotten the upgrade myself.



Each one of us got to choose two different desserts from the platter. Guess what I chose? (Creme brulee and red bean pudding).



Look at the cute little container they used for the milk!



This was a pretty decent meal at the right price. Just one word of advice (actually a few words) - whatever you do, upgrade yourself to the special sirloin. It's well worth the price tag.





Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 2/F Sakizo Plaza Building, 28 Nishiiru Tachiuri Higashimachi, Fuyacho, Shijodori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, 600-8005 Japan
Closest Metro Station: Kawaramachi
Tel: +81 (0)7 5252-0329
Website: www.matsukiya.net/restaurant/kyoto.html



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