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Yakiniku Toraji, a closer look
NOTE: As of late '09 - YAKINIKU TORAJI'S IS NOW CLOSED!!!
Aloha!
10/12/09 - It looks like I've got all three of the Japanese yakiniku spots on the island covered on Closer Look pages - Yakiniku Hiroshi, Gyu-Kaku, and now - Toraji on Kapahulu Ave., just outside of Waikiki. All three are outstanding restaurants. Yeah, I know, you're probably already tired of my constant ravings regarding the quality-oriented merits of Yakiniku Hiroshi, but you just can't talk about Honolulu yakiniku without going there, at least several times. Hey, I gotta draw comparisons anyway, just so you can have a better idea of what's going on - and maybe even prove me wrong, perhaps!
I've been to Toraji's several times before, but this last time, I swear the quality has gotten better! I may be mistaken, but in the past, I don't remember them having the 100 percent Kobe cuts that they have now. In fact, Head Waiter Jeremy, who was very cool and helpful, surprised me by saying that Toraji's gets their premium cuts from American-grown, 100 percent Kobe cattle produced at Snake River Farms in Idaho, the same farm that supplies meats to Yakiniku Hiroshi's!
Still, there are differences - differences from grades of beef used, different methods of preparation, and different over-all feels for all three of the afore-mentioned Japanese yakiniku restaurants. To be sure, Gyu-Kaku stands alone as not embracing the luxury of 100 percent Kobe at all, their best cuts being of a Kobe/Black Angus cross-breed that is not nearly as fatty and rich, although that's not necessarily a bad thing to some folks. Remember, as I always say - despite its total inferiority to Kobe, Black Angus is still one of the most highly-regarded cows in the world, and besides, not everyone likes the extreme amounts of fat found in a pure Kobe anyway, not to mention the extreme prices involved! For the cost, as well as the hip, fun atmosphere, don't ever think that Gyu-Kaku is not a great spot for a great yakiniku meal!
Yakiniku Toraji sits closer to the top (mountain-side) of Kapahulu Avenue, right across the street from Crane Park and just above Leonard's bakery. Parking may be a slight problem, as there's only a tiny lot behind the store, where a single valet person crams whatever cars that can fit-in, and there's always some level of, uh, curiosity, shall we say, when you're obligated to tip someone even though your car sits right there, only a few feet in front of you, and the guy didn't even have to pull-in from a distant lot around the corner. If this gets your goat, feel free to park somewhere on the street!
The atmosphere is fine and comfy, although not quite as attractive and modern-stylish as the other two spots. Still, it's not bad at all:
Not everything at Yakiniku Toraji is of the cook-yourself variety, although these particular items are of made-up of what are mostly considered side-dishes. They include a variety of fresh, well-presented salads, ishiyaki (stone pot) bowls of rice or noodle, spicy Korean or Japanese soups, sashimi types including raw Kobe, and even fresh poke, at least in Honolulu, all done-up in the kitchen shown here:
Because yakiniku is generally considered a creation originally brought to Japan by Korean immigrants, there are usually Korean influences in most Japanese yakiniku restaurants as well, including the three here in the islands, of which Toraji's cross-cultural impact is the most pronounced of all. It's actually Korean-owned, but part of a small chain based in Japan. In fact, lots of folks out there even consider this place Korean instead of Japanese, but I don't think so - if you try and visit any of the best Korean spots, say, Choi's Garden, Shillawon, or Korea House, and then visit the two other Japanese yakiniku spots - it is modeled much more on the Japanese side, for sure. For one thing, the legion of spicy side's normally given at Korean restaurants are available, but only for a charge! Not gonna happen at a Korean place. Kim chee, bean sprouts, spinach, and other types of namul vegetables go for anywhere from $3.75 to $7.75.
But elements of both sides are sprinkled-in everywhere, as well. Because spiciness is not a very big attribute of Japanese foods, you know the red peppers of our first dish, a starter called mino sashimi, pulls from the Korean side. Mino is the first stomach, or compartment, of the digestive tract of a cow, and it comes mingled with a spicy/tangy salad bathed vinegar/soy. It's actually quite refreshing and mellow, the meat on the chewy side but not carrying any gaminess nor strange after-tastes at all.
But the real draw here, of course, are the yakiniku meats! There's variations of skirt (harami), rib, kalbi, filet, tri-tip, and tongue, all in your choice of dark miso, orange sauce, basil/butter, house special bbq (teriyaki), sesame oil, or plain ol' salt 'n peppah. Besides meats of the red variety, there's also King crab, squid, shrimp, scallop, garlic ahi, fatty pork, sausage, and even Spam! And don't forget about the various combinations ranging in prices between $12.75 and $49.75 per person, where they offer different items from all parts of the menu.
But a great introduction to Yakiniku Toraji's style of beef, possible even before the flame kicks-up, is an order of Kobe beef sushi! Ever so slightly grilled (by them), drizzled with an unagi-type sauce, and sprinkled with sesame seeds, this delicious piece of heaven is a must! While melting in your mouth as easily as a high-grade o-toro, it is even more powerful in taste, beef being what it is, you know. In fact, I'm always vacillating between what is the most decadent and luxurious type of protein on earth - Kobe beef or the o-toro (fattiest part) of the hon-maguro (plus-sized bluefin tuna). Tonight, since we're at a Toraji's, I'll say Kobe beef is King, but next time I'm at Imanas tei or Gaku, I just may change my mind!
But getting to the grill, you know that wifey's gonna keep ordering innards and other strange meats of all kinds, this time requesting horumon, or the large intestines of a cow. Unlike tripe, which comes from the the stomach sections, these don't have the characteristic honeycombed texture nor flattened shape of stomach walls, but are like soft, blobby, irregular chunks of fatty tissue, only they don't taste nearly as good! I don't even see the sense in eating these things, as they must be cooked thoroughly and are chewy, tough, and almost tasteless, with a vague but noticeable touch of, uh... wierd.
Novelty items aside, yakiniku at its best is always about high-quality meat, and Toraji's doesn't disappoint. Like I said earlier, this place seems to have drastically improved in quality, and I was quite curious when the menu read 100 percent Kobe beef, and even more so when our friendly Head Waiter stated that they use Snake River Farms for their premium cuts. It's just that you can't always tell when establishments purposefully use the term without knowing what it really means, or worse yet, knowing what it really means and providing a cheaper imitation. Happens all the time. But how would Toraji's fare? Check out one of their premium cuts, a Kobe kalbi in front and also in the following pic, along with a dark miso-marinated skirt steak in the background of the first pic:
Hmm..... I'd say that's pretty darn gorgeous and fatty, ey? But how does it stack up to a Yakiniku Hiroshi premium kalbi? Let's see:
See the difference? Mind you, they are about 25 percent cheaper here at Toraji's, and also look to arrive in bigger portions, but the quality difference is apparent. See the thinner, much more complex lines of white in the shot immediately above and the broader, more common-looking sections of white in the shot before it? The better version carries more of that special type of fat that melts easier, is more tender, and derives from a waaay sophisticated cut. What you're looking for is extreme marbling of this delicate, finely-branching type, not just globs and globs of crude fat!
Don't get me wrong, however, as the premium kalbi here at Yakiniku Toraji is still very, very good, and at $14.75 per order, is quite the steal in the world of Kobe beef. To put things in a better perspective, take the marbling at Gyu-Kaku - it's of a much lesser quality than either of the above examples, and yet, I love, love, love Gyu-Kaku, still!!! The bar is just so high when you're talking good yakiniku.
But our kind waiter, perhaps thinking I was somebody because I was asking questions, taking pics, and arriving with the model-looking wifey, suggested we order something really special, something not even available on most evenings! Hey, sounds good to me!
Now aat's what aaah'm talkim'bout! Much more luscious, much more delicate, and much more classy than their premium kalbi, that's for sure! Our kind waiter said that this particularly exceptional cut is from the outer area of the ribs, a section highly saturated with soft fats. I even asked if he meant the outer rim area as on a Spencer steak (explained in the Upscale American Steakhouses section), to which he quickly replied yes, but I'm not too sure if he knew exactly where I was coming from. After all, the strips above didn't have the pull-apart texture that typifies this area, but was rather very solid, holding its structure extremely well.
In true Korean fashion, meaning with a liberal doses of sesame oil, these highly-valued strips cooked quickly and evenly. When dipped in one of the sauces and allowed to rest on the rice for just a few seconds to cool, these works of art definitely put me in yakiniku heaven!
Sometimes, instead of having yakiniku meats with just rice, we also order leaves of crispy lettuce that are used to make wraps. Called Sanchu in Japanese but Sangchu in Korean, as they are here, these sheets of green leaf lettuce are used to provide an easy-to-eat, stuffed blanket of grilled meat, Korean miso paste, and other variable items like garlic, daikon suri, or, in this case, finely-chopped green onion:
Speaking of finely-chopped green onion, a generous portion can be ordered for only $3.75, and it goes perfectly with the rich taste of beef, especially when eaten over a hot bowl of quality white rice, as they have here! This side dish goes surprisingly well even by itself, as the onions are sweet and mellow, enhanced by a richening agent of oil and a token sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes, which are mostly just for looks.
At many yakiniku restaurant you'll often find yukkei, or raw, minced beef marinating in a sweet soy sauce, then topped with a single, raw, bright-yellow egg. The raw beef here at Yakiniku Toraji's, however, comes without the egg and instead mixed-in with the same negibaka onions you see here below:
After a meal of fatty-rich beef, it's always good to wash it all down with a steaming-hot bowl of soup. There are several varieties here, including soups with egg (flower), wakame (seaweed), vegetable, Korean rice cake, spicy tegutan, oxtail, and kalbi. Wifey was hungry for a combination egg/wakame soup, which hit the spot perfectly.
As for sweet-caps here at Toraji's, there are a few. Besides vanilla and green tea ice creams, a Chinese almond pudding, and the dish you'll see next, there's also a signature dish, a creme brulee that we'll have to try one day. I dunno, I guess I was just in the mood for ice cream, was all, something that happens all too often. And scream for ice cream, I did, with what they call a grilled banana. Except for apple banana, I'm not an especially big fan of bananas, but I will have one every so often just for health's sake. It's the ice cream with chocolate sauce that made me druel, although the bananas here were pretty darn interesting, and not bad at all, I must say. They were simply sliced in half length-wise, chopped in sections, and sprinkled with sugar that was then caramelized, hence the grilled part of their grilled banana dish.
Both wifey and myself thoroughly enjoyed our meal here at Yakiniku Toraji. It's a kind of middle ground between the quality of Yakiniku Hiroshi and Gyu-Kaku, with much more of a Korean influence than the other two. It's probably also the least-crowded of the three, and are open till 12am every night, something the other two can't boast of. What the heck, try 'em all, as you can't go wrong with any of them!
I'll leave you all with another pic from Toraji's, a couple of already-grilled pieces of premium kalbi over rice:
Hey, did anyone check out the Hawaii Fish Festival down at Pier 38 yesterday? I sure did, and it was packed! Even though we arrived well before the opening time of 9am, we still had to park at an off-area lot and get bussed-in, as the pier lots were already full! But a great time was had by all, that's for sure! Here's just one shot of the main display:
Hope you've all had a wonderful hibachi weekend, we sure did!
Headed for Japan in just a few short days! Stay tuned...
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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