Yakiniku Onsen Provides Freshest Wagyu Experience – Pursuitist
In Silverlake, on Sunset Blvd. lies a contemporary Japanese BBQ restaurant that prides itself on having some of the best Wagyu meat that you will ever taste in LA. The intimate space is filled with copper plates and silverware as well as copper bbq vents that come down from the ceiling. Copper tones and colors reflect all throughout the space producing warm hues and a visually appealing palette. Copper is known for its antimicrobial properties and during this this time, we couldn’t appreciate it more.
Though I choose not to consume red meat frequently, when I do, this is the type of place I would go to. Yakiniku Onsen provides to top-quality Wagyu experience that is comparable to the famed West-side Totoraku, though the price won’t set you back as far.
APPETIZERS
We started our meal with the A5 Wagyu Beef Uni. Served tartare, it comes with garlic, crispy sea trumpet and caviar. The delicate caviar sits atop the dish and is complemented with a crisp rice cracker. The smooth succulent uni flavor goes very well with the mild flavoring of the tartare.
We continued our meal with A5 Wagyu Beef Tartare which comes with an egg yolk, sesame seed, sesame oil, fresh wasabi, pine nut, garlic and sea trumpet. The egg yolk lusciously coats the tartare as you taste an explosion of flavors in your mouth.
The A5 Wagyu Beef Katsu Sandwich comes with a special housemade dressing and A5 Wagyu Beef. It is surrounded by two delicate slices of crisp milk bread.
The oxtail soup is to die for. Tender slices of oxtail sit in a full-bodied broth of delicate flavors. This serves as the perfect palette cleanser.
The cold lime somen is definitely a refreshing treat. Served with a cold dashi broth, tsuyu, sliced lime, onio, myoga, ginger and wasabi, It has a sweet yet salty flavor. The mild taste of the broth takes you to a place of enchantment and wonderment.
THE YAKINIKU EXPERIENCE
Yakiniku refers to grilled meat and can be referred to as barbecue. We sat at the bar of the restaurant which had individual yakiniku grills. The restaurant serves four cuts of Japanese Wagyu – Ribeye, zabuton, osen kalbi and tri tip. They also serve a US variety of Wagyu – tongue (gyu tan), short rib (bnls), ribeye , outside skirt (harami) and many more.
All these cuts have different textures and flavors but one thing you will notice is that these cuts will be melting in your mouth. I would suggest tasting each of these cuts with your eyes closed so that you can get the sensational tasting experience that I was lucky enough to have.
3503 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 426-9455
| Closed now | |
