Rumor has it that reservations are already flooding in! "Omoshoku," a high-end yakiniku restaurant coveted by food connoisseurs, has opened a new branch that is geared towards the "mass"!

This is a restaurant that will make adults who know the original image of a yakiniku restaurant exclaim, "That's awesome!" Gathering around a grill with close friends and grilling meat purely by instinct—this is one of the greatest pleasures of visiting a yakiniku restaurant. However, with the overall level of the yakiniku industry rising and diversification progressing these days, it is difficult to succeed by relying solely on the nostalgia of the "original image." As a restaurant, it is essential to compete on taste, and as a yakiniku restaurant, it is absolutely essential to thoroughly pursue the quality, cut, and seasoning of the meat.

The deep love for yakiniku (Japanese barbecue) among Japanese people is evident from the fact that #yakiniku is often one of the top food categories to search on social media. There are countless yakiniku restaurants in Tokyo, ranging from casual to high-end, but a new yakiniku restaurant has opened in Azabu-Juban that may drastically change the landscape, and it is already showing signs of becoming difficult to get a reservation at.

Due to the presence of the Korean Embassy and the fact that many people working in the media industry frequented the area even during its time as a "landlocked island," it has long been an area with a strong affinity for yakiniku (Korean barbecue). Although the number of yakiniku restaurants has been declining compared to its heyday, the emergence of "Azabuen" gives the feeling that the area's yakiniku town spirit is about to be rekindled, and that feeling is surely not just my imagination.

A large yellow lantern catches the eye in a corner of the shopping street near the Ninobashi intersection. Climbing the steep stairs to the second floor, you'll find yourself in a space with the unpretentious atmosphere of a neighborhood yakiniku restaurant. It's far from fancy, but each table is equipped with a retractable duct, so it's smokeless, or rather, smokeless. The menu is simple, but it offers regular kalbi, premium sirloin, and various cuts of offal, and the pricing, which is almost miraculous for a yakiniku restaurant in a prime location that isn't part of a chain, is truly eye-catching.

Looking at the blackboard menu, you'll find cuts of meat that any yakiniku lover can't help but be drawn to, such as black tongue root and premium skirt steak sourced from Kabasawa Shoten and Tajima Kenji Shoten. Those who are seasoned yakiniku eaters will surely be intrigued and wonder, "What kind of place is this?" In fact, this is a different venture from "Omoshoku," a well-known high-end yakiniku restaurant with full service. The owner's long-held dream of "serving yakiniku in a casual setting with the exact same quality of meat as that served at Omoshoku" has finally come to fruition.

While there are many "high-end restaurants" that are in high demand for entertaining clients or going on dates, this restaurant aims to be "a place where yakiniku lovers can casually drop by." However, meat lovers have a keen nose for good food, and when asked about the truth behind the rumor that the restaurant is almost fully booked at the beginning of each month, the response was, "We hadn't anticipated that at all, but we are very happy that so many people are supporting our newly opened restaurant. With the motto that delicious food is justice, we want to explore the modern take on popular yakiniku in the Reiwa era."

They don't rest on their laurels when it comes to quality; they hand-cut the meat only after an order is placed, and they carefully consider the balance of the marinade to bring out the best in the meat. While "Omoshoku" takes care to use as little garlic as possible, here they focus on seasoning that makes you instinctively think, "Delicious!"

Furthermore, cutting the meat to match the heat of the roaster is key to ensuring anyone can grill it perfectly. The tongue, known for its sweet fat and crisp texture, and the skirt steak, which releases umami from the meat fibers with every bite, are must-tries, but the specially selected sirloin, enjoyed refreshingly with grated daikon radish and ponzu sauce, is also outstanding. Savoring it with "Gin no Mikazuki," rice presented to the Imperial Family, will envelop you in a feeling of happiness that can only be obtained through yakiniku.

After enjoying a platter of offal with beer and makgeolli, the perfect way to finish off your meal is with Azabu cold noodles, which go down smoothly even when you're full. Some say that after indulging your appetite and eating as much of your favorite meat as you want, you feel like adrenaline is being released throughout your body, but these cold noodles have the effect of gently calming that feeling down.

This is a paradise for discerning adults that satisfies the craving to "devour meat tonight!" I sincerely hope that in the future it won't become a place where you have to say, "I finally managed to get a reservation."