Wagyu see is wagyu get

MANILA, Philippines - Chef/author Julia Child said that the only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for your steak to cook. Surely, like the late TV celebrity, there’s a legion of meat — make that steak — lovers out there. Think ruddy, robust, velvety, melt-in-your-mouth steak and top of mind is wagyu!

This pedigreed beef cattle from Japan is genetically predisposed to intense marbling (various amounts of intramuscular fat). Raised without hormones or chemicals, wagyu’s got a naturally enhanced flavor. Way back then, this prize beef was served only for the imperial family of Japan, hai! Back then, these incredible bovine hunks got a good massage to prevent muscle cramping. And until now, sake (rice wine that’s light) or beer is added to the cattle’s diet that consists of grains. Now you know why the meat is beer-y good!

Arguably the best beef in the world, wagyu is oh-so-tender and juicy, and oh-so-expensive! And why not? It’s got a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than ordinary beef. And the increased marbling also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats (read: lower saturated fat).

Say “Cheesecake!”: A cold dessert of cheesecake with ice cream caps your hot beefy adventure at House of Wagyu Stone Grill.

What’s not to like about wagyu? And if it’s wagyu you want, the place to go is the House of Wagyu Stone Grill. Here, you can have your big fat steak and romance the stone, too — that is, the stone slab on which to cook your steak. But that’s getting ahead of this juicy love story.

As we enter the House of Wagyu Stone Grill, our eyes light up at the sight of a well-lit freezer with various cuts of steaks, giving us a sneak peek of only the most delectable things to come. We’re escorted to our table by a waiter. Having ordered our steaks, we find it rather odd that none of the attentive waiters bothers to ask us how we’d like our steak done. Are they mind readers or can they tell from our looks what kind of a steak eater we are? But we soon find out why, as very hot volcanic stone slabs are whisked to our table. A burning warning from chef Bette Pangilinan: These stone slabs from Mt. Vesuvius are very hot as they’re heated at 300 to 400° for four hours before use so they can keep their cooking temperature for a long time.

Later, young restaurateur Theresa Reyes Alvarez, her eyes aglow, tells us that House of Wagyu has hundreds of this amazing stone slab.

As we braced ourselves for this hot adventure, a waiter helps us button up the napkin around our necks, slices the raw steak on our plates, and then puts the pieces ever so gingerly on the smoldering slabs. Our chunky, juicy wagyu sizzles on the slab as we cook it just the way we want it — rare, medium well done, well done. Suddenly, we’re our own steak chefs!

Steak ’em up: A well-lit freezer of various cuts of steaks gives a sneak peek of delicious things to come at House of Wagyu.

For humongous appetites, there are giant cuts of steak — T-bone, 700 grams; Porterhouse, 750 grams; Ranchers’ Cut, 700 grams.

All-time favorites in this house that steak built are: Grade 6 New York Strip, Grade 6 Rib Eye, Grade 6 Tenderloin, Grade 8 Top Sirloin, Grade 8 New York Strip, Grade 8 Rib Eye, Grade 8 Tenderloin, and Grade 8 Tenderloin with Foie Gras.

And for the most discriminating wagyu eaters, here are the ultimate treats: Wagyu Grade 10 & 12 — Premium New York Strip, Premium Rib Eye, and Ultra Premium Tenderloin.

Those who do not want to indulge all the way can opt for one of the wagyu combinations — like 180 grams New York Strip with a choice of fish and chips or king prawns or pan-seared scallop or Pasta Alfredo or Pasta Pomodoro.

But House of Wagyu is not just about wagyu. It’s also got lots of seafood (grilled prawns in creamy lemon butter sauce, prawns in garlic and olive oil, pan-fried Norwegian salmon, seabass baked in foil); pastas, and salads (like foie gras salad in red wine with caramelized apples and pan-seared scallop and buttered poached shrimp on a bed of fresh greens tossed in strawberry vinaigrette).

Here’s the beef: House of Wagyu is the home of arguably the best beef in the world.

And to end this juicy story on a sweet note, don’t forget to order dessert. The sweet choices include crème brulee, frangelico panacotta, vanilla ice cream with summer berries, a sinfully luscious homemade cheesecake (also on a stone slab but this time, a very cold one), flourless chocolate cake, and poached pears a la mode. Something to cool your tongue after a burning affair with the finest, beefiest steak in the world.

Indeed, at House of Wagyu Stone Grill, wagyu see is wagyu get!

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 House of Wagyu Stone Grill is located at the fifth level of The Podium (call 635-3056 for reservations); ground floor of Eastwood Mall (telephone numbers 706-5385/86); and on Ortigas Avenue corner Club Filipino Drive, Greenhills (telephone numbers 725-8211 and 725-7450; entrance at parking lot facing Unimart).