Yakiniku, or grilled meat, restaurants have been around for a while, but lately there seems to be a wave of new establishments opening in the Klang Valley, many with quality Japanese wagyu beef as their primary offering.
Asumo Japanese Wagyu Yakiniku is one such eatery. Located in SS15, Subang Jaya, in the same row that houses many other Japanese restaurants, it takes up two shop fronts and has many private rooms, some of them suited for just two people. The largest of these seat up to eight pax.
This writer ordered a little bit of everything: salad, soup, greens, desserts, a set meal, and – of course – the beef.
The kale salad (RM25) looks very festive: the white dressing is akin to snow on fresh greens, making the dish resemble a Christmas tree. Tasty and refreshing, it makes for a good primer for the meaty goodness to come.
The sea urchin on seared sirloin (RM35 each) consists of a spoon of lightly grilled, thin-sliced sirloin topped with uni and caviar. Rich and luxurious, it provides an explosion of umami in your mouth. Definitely worth it.
If you enjoy “edible grass”, do go for the assorted namul (RM20): purple cabbage and corn; potato and red bell pepper; spinach and burdock root; beansprouts; and shiitake mushroom.
On to the main event: 400g of Japanese wagyu beef, which comes in eight different cuts (RM380).
Meat lovers will have a field day with outside eye of knuckle (marukawa); thick flank (uchimomo); brisket (tomobara); sirloin tip (shinshin); upper hind shank (kamenoko); flank steak (sasami); short rib (nakabara) – plus one more that was not labelled, oops.
For the more adventurous, do order the diamond thick-cut tongue (RM22), too.
These cuts are all buttery, rich, and flavourful, while being ever so subtly different from one another, especially in terms of texture. You will be hard-pressed to pick your favourite as they are all enjoyable.
Feel free to augment your meat with condiments: seasoned wasabi, white rock salt, green onion soy sauce, spicy leek sauce, and something they call Asumo signature sauce.
For the unadulterated taste of wagyu, you can’t go wrong with just the rock salt; otherwise, try the signature sauce with a bit of seasoned wasabi – delicious!
The thick cut tongue, meanwhile, takes a longer time to cook and has a firmer texture with a different mouthfeel, but if you’re keen on this type of meat, it is sure to please as well.
Those looking for a quicker and more affordable meal should order the charcoal-grilled yakiniku sets. Asumo offers three varieties:
- Australian beef (RM35);
- Australian beef and Japanese wagyu (RM59);
- Japanese wagyu (RM89).
Each comes with five pieces of beef, a side salad, soup, rice, and somen noodles.
Cap off your meal with desserts, which include matcha tiramisu (RM16) and sweet potato spring roll with ice cream (RM13). The tiramisu is moist, packed with strong matcha powder, and presented almost like a tiny Japanese garden – cute.
The sweet potato, on the other hand, is delightful: crispy with a slight savoury taste in the crust, and very sweet, soft potato within. The ice cream is, well, the icing on the cake, so to speak!
For more information, check out Asumo Japanese Wagyu Yakiniku’s website or Instagram profile.
Asumo Japanese Wagyu Yakiniku
49 & 51, Jalan SS15/5a,
SS15, Subang Jaya, Selangor
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Trying to influence your cravings since 2005, Kar Yeong was Guest Judge on Versus 1001 Rasa Baba’s 2018, R.AGE Food Fight Judge 2015 and NTV7 Foodie Blogger 2014. To read more about Kar Yeong’s food journeys, visit his blog at KYspeaks.com.