I love steaks. I love the concept of a great steak. I’ve been eating steaks for as long as I can remember, but only in the latter part of my life have I been exposed to quality meats from U.S. Prime to Canadian Prime, and not so recently, Japanese Wagyu.
A couple of years ago, I had never tasted Wagyu beef. I had heard of it, read about it, seen it a lot of it on food programs on TV and YouTube; but I never really knew what it tasted like. It was my better half who first described it to me. She said she had tasted something like really, really good SPAM. At that point, though, she had had no idea what she had.
Top: A5 Wagyu Rib Eye (Starts at PHP 3,800.00). Bottom: A4 Premium Wagyu Cube (Starts at PHP 780.00). Add promo code “wheninmanila” and get 10% off on all A4 Wagyu cubes variants until January 2020!
Fast forward to a few years and many steaks later, The Holy Gyu has opened for business to share their love for Japanese Wagyu beef. Japanese Wagyu is basically any of the four Japanese cattle breeds that carry the name of their place origin like Kobe, Matsushima, Mishima, Sanda. So, to say that Wagyu beef is the same as Kobe beef is not correct. All Wagyu that comes from the Kobe prefecture is Kobe beef, but not all Wagyu can be called Kobe beef.
Top tip: you can cut off a piece of the beef fat to oil the pan and start the frying process (and yes, even a non-stick pan needs a little bit of oil).
When I decided to try The Holy Gyu’s meats, I was both excited and anxious. I’ve cooked a lot of steaks over the years on a charcoal grill back at home, and just started pan frying steaks in the condo, and I didn’t want to mess up this beautiful steak, especially knowing that I don’t have the tools that I want to do this. Charcoal grills aren’t allowed in the condominium, and I’ve yet to get myself an induction stove safe iron skillet.
The way I prepare my meat is by very lightly salting it and sprinkling the pepper during the cooking process itself. On any other meat like Angus, I will lightly coat it with oil before pan frying it; but since we are using a really fatty Wagyu beef, this step is no longer necessary.
After oiling the pan with its own beef fat, all you have to do is put the heat to medium high and sear each side for at least 3-4 minutes for medium rare to medium (which varies on the thickness, but 4 minutes for this cut was perfect). If you want it medium well to well done, cook for 2-3 minutes more on each side.
Look at that beautiful marbling and perfectly cooked steak!
Once finished cooking, let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes, so that sexy meat juice won’t bleed out. Since I lightly salted the Wagyu before cooking, I sprinkled some Himalayan pink salt which I find delicious on beef since it is not too salty and adds a delicate Umami flavor. This is something I learned during the steak events I’ve covered for When In Manila through the years.
Wagyu beef also happens to be a great gift to give. If you know anyone who loves steak, they will surely appreciate receiving Japanese Wagyu beef. Another reason is its price. When I browsed through their website, I came to find that the price is reasonable for imported A5 Wagyu from Japan. From Japan. At first, I thought it was locally sourced; but we do have the real deal here for as low as Php2,200. Comparing it to other breeds of beef and other cuts, it may come off as pricey at first but Wagyu is on the top of beef hierarchy. It tastes like no other and is something really special every time you’ll have it.
Even if you are not giving one as a gift and are just interested to see if the hype is real, Their Wagyu cubes (Php780) are a great gateway steak. If you’re feeling fancier, they also have and A5+ grade beef. It might cost a lot more, but it is guaranteed to taste like no other steak, either.
The Holy Gyu
09176562077
Website: https://www.holygyu.com
Instagram: @theholygyu
