There are very few places in Singapore that serve quality wagyu beef. By quality, I mean on par with Japan’s standards of wagyu. I have not eaten a Japanese wagyu beef before so I cannot say for sure how good it is before today, as the only wagyu I’ve had were the grade 4 – 5 hybrid wagyus from budget steak joints.

Ever since this restaurant opened its doors in Singapore, I’ve been eyeing it as I’ve never seen any other restaurant specialising in Japanese steak like them. The occasion finally arose when my birthday was coming.

They have several types of beef and all of them come in ribeye cut except one which offers tenderloin. They specify it on their menu online.

For those interested in the price, the Japanese A5 cost $95/100g (equivalent to marbling score 9, a benchmark we are more familiar with), Japanese A3 cost $80/100g (equivalent to marbling score 6 – 7), Blackmore (Australian full blood wagyu) costs $85/100g (equivalent to marbling score 9), Stockyard (Australian half-blood wagyu) cost $52/100g (equivalent to marbling score 8), and the Snake River Farm USA wagyu beef (I did not enquire about the marbling score for this) costs $65/100g.

After much consideration, my dining partner and I had 220g of Blackmore and A3 each to share among the both of us.

We had some appetisers too.

Zucchini Blossom Tempura – $36.00++

Stuffed with Hokkaido scallop and Kegani

The thing on the side of the plate was honeycomb. This was unique but it did not really impress me too much.

Wagyu Ox Tendon and Foie Gras – $26.00++

Slow cooked tendon with pan-seared foie gras and braised daikon

The tendon was very soft and the foie gras as alright, but still it didn’t impress me too much. I was looking forward to the meat more.

I would say, skip the appetisers and go straight for the meat! We like ours medium rare and I strongly advise against choosing any doneness higher than medium rare as wagyu do not benefit from cooking more than medium rare.

Blackmore Wagyu Ribeye 220g – $187.00++

Japanese A3 Wagyu Ribeye 220g – $176.00++

They kindly split the portions into 2 to facilitate sharing.

The Japanese A3 wagyu (bottom) has a sweeter flavour to the beef, but the Blackmore was more marbled and soft and they were distinctively different. I personally liked the texture of the Blackmore wagyu more, but perhaps it was a bit too oily especially towards to end when I ate too much of it. This was done charcoal grilled by the way, which is grilled in front of you and you can see your steak being cooked in flames as the natural oil from the beef drops and ignites flames from the charcoal. The beef was very oily and apparently do they not even coat it with oil so all oil is naturally from the wagyu.

I was sent to wagyu heaven the moment I took a bite in the Blackmore beef.

Just so you know, steak knives are not provided. Steak Nazis, do not complain to the manager, because the beef is so tender that a regular knife is more than enough to cut it perfectly.

First bite of the A3 beef.

Ridiculous marbling. I never had something like that before.

And also, I do not understand people who opt for sukiyaki or shabu shabu with rib eye wagyu beef (since they only offer rib eye in Fat Cow). Rib eye is perfect for grilling!

Warabi Mochi – $18.00++

House-made warabi mocha seasoned with green tea and roasted soy bean flour

Hokkaido Steamed Milk – $18.00++

Chilled house made custard from Hokkaido Milk with red bean glaze

I opted for this because I was curious about Hokkaido Milk. However, the red bean stole the taste significantly. It wasn’t awful because I am a fan of red bean, but it was a pity not to be able to taste the Hokkaido Milk properly.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience here and I recommend this place for people looking to try full blood high marbling score wagyu, which is uncommon in Singapore restaurants.

Do note that their Monday – Thursday dinner menu has an option for a $100 5 course set which includes 200g of US Prime Beef (not wagyu), and their lunch menu has options starting from $60, if you are seeking a more affordable way to savour wagyu.

*****

Ambience: 8/10

Food: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Overall: a great place for Wagyu beef

*****

Fat Cow

1 Orchard Boulevard #01-01/02

Camden Medical Centre

Singapore 248649

Tel: 6735 0308

*****

Lunch: 12pm – 3pm

Dinner: 6pm – 11pm

Closed on Sunday