Photo: Yoshinoya
food

Yoshinoya’s special Diet-only wagyu beef bowl now available to public

5 Comments
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24

As Japan’s biggest gyudon (beef bowl) chain, Yoshinoya’s branches across the country have a pretty standardized menu. However, out of all of its 1,183 domestic locations, there’s a luxurious special item that you can only get at the Nagatacho Ichome branch in Tokyo.

But hey, a lot of people live in Tokyo, so a pretty large portion of the nation’s Yoshinoya fans can just mosey on over an order it, right? Nope, because the Nagatacho Ichome branch is located inside the National Diet Building, and this “Diet” doesn’t refer to the foods Japan eats, but to the country’s parliament, which is called the Diet.

Basically, unless you’re a politician or have some other sort of official business within the halls of power, the branch, and its exclusive Kuroge Wagyuju, is off limits. That’s about to change, though, as Yoshinoya has announced that it’s expanding its availability to branches nationwide.

So what exactly is the Kuroge Wagyuju? Well, for starters, it’s a -ju, not a -don, which indicated that it’s served in a rectangular container, not a round bowl. Ju usually carry the connotation of fancier ingredients as well, and the Kuroge Wagyuju delivers on that implied promise by using Japanese Black wagyu beef, a premium domestic breed that’s prized for its flavorful marbled meat.

The Kuroge Wagyuju is made with Japanese Black chuck roll of A3 or higher grade, which is pan-grilled to order, not stewed and waiting like with ordinary beef bowls. The meat is sprinkled with salt and pepper then treated with a ginger garlic soy glaze specially crafted to pair with the Japanese Black’s richness, then served over rice and topped with sliced white onion, accompanied by sides of miso soup and kimchi.

DY-40.jpg

At the Diet, the Kuroge Wagyuju was priced at 1,389 yen, but for civilians eating elsewhere in the country the price has been knocked down to 1,290 yen. Not only does this make it a little easier on the wallets of us common folk, it also works as a pun, since 1 and 29 can be read as ii niku, or “nice meat.”

We actually taste-tested this rarified dish a while back, when it was being offered at one Yoshinoya branch at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, and loved it. However, with the number of travelers passing thorough Haneda severally reduced during the pandemic, it was taken off the airport branch’s menu back in the spring, and has only been available at the Diet location since. Yoshinoya says that it’s also reformulated the glaze and seasonings to bring out even more of the delicious wagyu flavor.

Source: Yoshinoya via Yomiuri Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan News

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Yoshinoya has an ultra-luxurious wagyu beef bowl you can only get one place in Japan【Taste test】

-- Japan’s beef bowl king, Yoshinoya, releases new line of canned, ready-to-eat beef bowls

-- Yoshinoya, Japan’s biggest beef bowl chain, is now serving fried chicken in Tokyo

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

5 Comments
Login to comment

Oh cute, a play on words…….

sukiya yoshinoya

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Surely a pork barrel is more appropriate?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Because Japan's political class doesn't get enough special treatment already.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites