If efficiency, affordability and red meat is your thing, I may have just the perfect recommendation for your trip to Japan. But first, you’ll need to tick the following boxes before deciding on whether or not you should read on (since hate mail from disappointed readers isn’t something I get too excited about):
- Wouldn’t mind a decent, juicy steak
- Willing to spend between 6 yen/gram (for ribeye, the cheapest option on the menu) – 10 yen/gram (for wagyu, the most expensive option) on your decent, juicy steak
- Quite happy to just have a decent, juicy steak on its own and do not require the presence of side dishes to complete your meal
- Not too bothered about smelling like barbecue
- Posses legs that are strong enough to support your body weight for the entire duration of the meal
- Up for an efficient meal – basically eat-and-leave, saving the chit-chat for a post meal dessert somewhere else or whatever makes you happy
- Eating alone or with people that are okay with #1-#6 above, and don’t mind being potentially split up from the group (since a “table-for-one” is what you’re likely to get)
So my fellow foodie, allow me to introduce you to Ikinari Steak, the place for meat porn at very reasonable prices. As you would’ve already guessed, the bonus is that you get to enjoy a satisfying meal (for both tummy and wallet) and burn some fat while at it - by standing throughout your meal. *laugh* I know it’s not a life-changing fact, but meat lovers will be pleased to know (if you don’t already) that you can burn fat while eating a [juicy] steak.
DID YOU KNOW: Our body burns the most calories while digesting protein, since protein has the largest thermic effect (as compared to carbohydrates and fats).*
Thermic what?!
Okay, basically, the thermic effect of food is the caloric cost of digesting and processing different macronutrients in your diet. Generally 20-35% of calories are burned through processing protein, 5-15% through processing carbohydrates and 0-5% through processing fats.** You get the idea.
So since research shows that our body actually burns calories while digesting protein, you can go ahead and fantasise about this decent, juicy steak you plan to have with a clear conscience.
How to order?
When you get to the standing steak bar (and assuming you don’t speak or read Japanese), you may want to do the following:
- Ask for an English menu – “Eigo no menyuu ga arimasuka?”
- Point to whichever item on the menu you wish to order. It may be helpful to note that each cut has a minimum total weight requirement for orders. Example, for the ribeye, the minimum order is 300 grams, so you cannot ask for anything less than that.
- The chef will slice the meat and weigh it in front of you, so just nod when they do that to acknowledge that you’re okay with the cut (they’re likely to say something in Japanese while doing so but if you give them an apologetic smile, they’ll probably do their best to speak to you in English).
- While the chef heads to the kitchen to prepare your juicy steak, you’ll want to slip on one of those paper aprons (they should be folded and placed right in front of you, where the sauces/seasonings are). The stainless steel flask/pot holds the steak sauce. *wink*
- Enjoy your steak when it arrives (you can add some sauce/seasoning to taste) and pay at the counter when you’re done with your meal.
Here's the English menu for your reference:
A tip would be to avoid the typical lunch and dinner hours. Be prepared to queue during those times as the more centrally located outlets tend to get rather crowded with office workers from 1pm to 2pm.
Up-to-date, there are 28 outlets within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area; 1 in Miyagi, Okinawa and Kanagawa respectively, 2 in Chiba and Saitama and 3 in Osaka. Details of the outlet I visited this trip (with no queue at 7pm on that particular week day) are as follows:
- Restaurant name: Ikinari Steak (いきなりステーキ市ヶ谷店)
- Website: http://ikinaristeak.com/
- Address (Ichigaya branch, second floor of the building): Japan, Yubinbango102-0074, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Kudanminami 3-9-11 Myrtle Court Kojimachi (〒102-0074 東京都千代田区九段南3-9-11 マートルコート麹町)
- Telephone: 03-3239-9229
- Operational hours: 11am – 11pm, lunch menu from 11am – 3pm
いただきます！Itadakimasu! [meaning: “Let’s eat!”]
References:
- *http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/daily-protein-intake/
- **http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-macro-manager-what-is-thermic-effect.html