Visited 13.05.2016 (Fri)
The best. Looking back, if I have to choose one meal that like most when I was exploring Tohoku region, I will without a doubt cast my vote on Maesawa beef 前沢牛. It was by pure coincidence that I got to know about Maesawa beef from a local whom I met and had a casual chat with earlier in the day. I was seeking his advice on food recommendation in Hiraizumi and Hanamaki and he proposed two which are of opposite extremity in terms of price. One was Marukan's 10 twirls soft serve cone which is unusually eaten with a pair of chopsticks and affordably priced at only 180 yen. The other one was Maesawa beef which was steep in price but the experience was definitely bang for the buck. This sparked my interest to taste how good this top grade beef was. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I made my way by train to Maesawa-cho 前沢町 after visiting Hiraizumi 平泉 (the train stations are adjacent to each other) to get my first hand experience on this legendary beef!
Branded. Maesawa beef is an esteemed brand bestowed to a limited number of cattle every year, based on a set of stringent criteria. In Okushu-shi 奥州市 (where Maesawa-cho 前沢町 is located in), the favourable environmental conditions experienced makes here an excellent breeding ground to rear top quality cattle and Maesawa beef is one of three distinguished brands originating from this city (the other two being Iwate Okushu beef いわて奥州牛 and Esashi beef 江刺牛). Followed the local's recommendation and came to Ogata オガタ, which is situated about 7 minutes walk away from Maesawa JR Station 前沢駅. Ogata has both retail shop and restaurant selling Maesawa beef and obtains its meat supply from Kogata Farm 小形牧場. I arrived at the restaurant slightly after 5 pm and was the first customer for the dinner service. Without much hesitation, my decision was made after a glance of the menu. Ordered the yakiniku ajikurabe set meal 前沢牛焼肉味くらべ膳 which is ideally created for diners who want to compare the taste of three different grades of Maesawa beef. This lavish set meal comprised of 50 g of top grade marbled beef 上霜降焼肉, 50 g of marbled beef 霜降焼肉, 50 g of lean meat 赤身焼肉 and served together with salad, soup and rice [3,780 yen].
Heavenly. When the tray of food was placed in front of me, my eyes were completely drawn to the beautiful and elaborate marbling on the red meat. This was also my first time seeing a marbling pattern occupying a significantly larger area then the lean portion of the meat. Though I am far from being a meat connoisseur and could not accurately distinguish the differences between the various types of meat, I can exclaim that the taste of Maesawa beef is definitely way more superior than other beef I have eaten before. The sensation of beef "melting" in the mouth due to lower melting point of the white fats marbling left me in amazement and my tastebuds were completely conquered by the sweet and rich flavours of the meat. At a comfortable pace, I cooked the luxurious slices of meat carefully to around medium state to retain its tenderness and meat juices. The "unami" feeling escalated with every slice of meat I savoured and it made me craved for more. This may sound exaggerating, but I will describe this dining experience as "heavenly" and truly one of the best I had ever had in my entire life. Apart from yakiniku or BBQ, diners can enjoy either Maesawa beef or Kogata Farm beef in other cooking styles such as sukiyaki, shabu shabu or grilled steak here in Ogata.
本当に美味しかったです。
The best. Looking back, if I have to choose one meal that like most when I was exploring Tohoku region, I will without a doubt cast my vote on Maesawa beef 前沢牛. It was by pure coincidence that I got to know about Maesawa beef from a local whom I met and had a casual chat with earlier in the day. I was seeking his advice on food recommendation in Hiraizumi and Hanamaki and he proposed two which are of opposite extremity in terms of price. One was Marukan's 10 twirls soft serve cone which is unusually eaten with a pair of chopsticks and affordably priced at only 180 yen. The other one was Maesawa beef which was steep in price but the experience was definitely bang for the buck. This sparked my interest to taste how good this top grade beef was. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I made my way by train to Maesawa-cho 前沢町 after visiting Hiraizumi 平泉 (the train stations are adjacent to each other) to get my first hand experience on this legendary beef!
Branded. Maesawa beef is an esteemed brand bestowed to a limited number of cattle every year, based on a set of stringent criteria. In Okushu-shi 奥州市 (where Maesawa-cho 前沢町 is located in), the favourable environmental conditions experienced makes here an excellent breeding ground to rear top quality cattle and Maesawa beef is one of three distinguished brands originating from this city (the other two being Iwate Okushu beef いわて奥州牛 and Esashi beef 江刺牛). Followed the local's recommendation and came to Ogata オガタ, which is situated about 7 minutes walk away from Maesawa JR Station 前沢駅. Ogata has both retail shop and restaurant selling Maesawa beef and obtains its meat supply from Kogata Farm 小形牧場. I arrived at the restaurant slightly after 5 pm and was the first customer for the dinner service. Without much hesitation, my decision was made after a glance of the menu. Ordered the yakiniku ajikurabe set meal 前沢牛焼肉味くらべ膳 which is ideally created for diners who want to compare the taste of three different grades of Maesawa beef. This lavish set meal comprised of 50 g of top grade marbled beef 上霜降焼肉, 50 g of marbled beef 霜降焼肉, 50 g of lean meat 赤身焼肉 and served together with salad, soup and rice [3,780 yen].
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| Mesmerised by the marbling on the beef. |
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| Presenting Maesawa beef Yakiniku Ajikurabe zen 前沢牛焼肉味くらべ膳. |
本当に美味しかったです。
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Maesawa Ogata 肉料理 おがた
〒029-4204 岩手県奥州市前沢向田1-22
Operating hours:
- Lunch: 1130 - 1500 hrs (last order at 1430 hrs)
- Dinner: 1700 - 2100 hrs (last order at 2030 hrs)
Closed on Wednesdays.
https://maesawagyuogata.com/fr/3
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| Maesawa beef, a symbol of the town. |
How to get there?
(1) By foot. About 7 minutes walk from Maesawa JR Station East / Higashi Exit 前沢駅東口.
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