DennisLinkletter Posted March 29, 2009 Report Posted March 29, 2009 I'm been eating my way thru Thailand this week.. I found all sorts of exotic high end Wagyu and Kobe beef here. Not that I bought any of them but thought I'd report back here.. First I went to a large high end supermarket about an hour outside Bangkok and was very surprised to see AU Wagyu both this Rib Eye at $75lb And this Sirloin at $104 lb (the Sirloin was recently reduced from $125) They had about 6-8 pieces of each in stock, said they get new stock weekly and it sells well. Later in the week I went to the most high end market in town and was surprised to see AU Wagyu about 15 pieces at $75-85, Japanese Kobe about 10 pieces at $110-130 and then this shot below is Japanese Matzusaka and was $178lb I don't get it, looks like almost all fat.. I asked them to take it out and put it on the counter for a picture (had to show the manager pics of my KK to let me shoot it..) It turned yellow from the store lights.. the fat was coconut meat white.. I'm shocked that both stores are so successful in selling these.. Are these available off the shelf in the States? They were not even frozen..
Sanny Posted March 31, 2009 Report Posted March 31, 2009 I don't get it. There's no meat on that meat - at least the last pic. It's all fat. Does that even taste good?
Firemonkey Posted March 31, 2009 Report Posted March 31, 2009 I don't get it either. I wouldn't bother cooking the last piece, much less eat it, and i for sure wouldn't pony up $175/lb for it. I guess its a good thing I am happy with the prime they have in the case at whole foods for $20/lb, and most days can do just fine with the choice from Sams for $5-6. Maybe i dont know what I am missing, but at those prices, i think I would prefer to remain in the dark
jdbower Posted March 31, 2009 Report Posted March 31, 2009 Cultural food differences are often (quite literally) hard to swallow. In Asia a McDonald's chicken sandwich is made from dark meat instead of a breast because that's more flavorful to the local audience (I found that out the hard way in Korea!). In Taiwan I went to Lawry's Prime Rib and they were concerned because I didn't eat the best part - the huge chunk of fat around the outside. In some places a properly textured lump of pure fat is the ultimate indulgence - here we just call properly textured fat "cheesecake"
johnnyboy Posted March 31, 2009 Report Posted March 31, 2009 Do we know anyone who has even eaten Waygu??? I see a piece of meat and think eat it. Now, I'm beginning to wonder at those prices, if it's meant to eat!!!
cruzmisl Posted March 31, 2009 Report Posted March 31, 2009 Ive eaten Wagyu on several occassions. Wagyu being the breed of cattle the meat comes from. True Japanese Kobe I have never had. Way out of my price range. Kobe is graded from A1 to A5 and an A5 Kobe ribeye at a high end restaurant such as Bourbon Steak is $150 for a 6oz piece. I'm not that rich. Anyway, what I had was wagyu from Snake River Farms. I tried the tenderloin, strip loin and rib eye. The strip being the best in flavor and texture. The tenderloin was too soft and didn;t have the beefy flavor the strip gives. The rib eye was too fatty for my tastes. The amount of intramuscular fat is staggering. A true Kobe steak, one of high grade, looks white. Not my bag as I'm trying not to die of a heart attack. IF you get a chance try the Wagyu beef from an american farm. It is very tasty. Joe
U2PLT Posted April 1, 2009 Report Posted April 1, 2009 Kobe Beef I was stationed at Komaki AFB, Japan (25Kilo from Nagoya). We would at least once a week go to a Japanese steak house and get Kobe t-bones for about $2.00 dollars, which was 730 yen in those days. It was the best steaks I have had. (1952-1954)
johnnyboy Posted April 2, 2009 Report Posted April 2, 2009 Re: Kobe Beef I was stationed at Komaki AFB' date=' Japan (25Kilo from Nagoya). We would at least once a week go to a Japanese steak house and get Kobe t-bones for about $2.00 dollars, which was 730 yen in those days. It was the best steaks I have had. (1952-1954)[/quote'] Hell Cozy, you were rich!!! What did a full size candy bar cost back then; a whopping $0.03? Ha!!
primeats Posted April 6, 2009 Report Posted April 6, 2009 Nice pics Dennis. I managed to find some Kobe steak in a Nice little place in Buenos Aires last week called Cabrera. Definitely the best steak we had the whole 17 days we were there, but not the highest rated Wagyu for sure. The Wagyu raised in the states has been documented to have a very high level of omega3 oil due to the grass feeding. So your heart can relax, even though at those prices no one will be eating them on a regular basis. Although I've never seen steaks with that little degree of "red" marbling here, I have been lucky enough to try a genuine Kobe steak from Ronnie Suburban. I told my family to count by fives every time they chew as it was about the same price Dennis saw in the market in Taiwan. The flavor was sublime, just don't have a cold beverage following each bite.
