My love for steak should have enticed me to search for a wagyu restaurant when i visited Japan for the first time last August but truth was; it never did cross my mind until i read from a blog about this supposedly amazingly good wagyu beef dining establishment known as Loghouse Bibi.
We made our way there on our way from Noboribetsu to Sapporo and i didn't realise it's only about a 10-minute drive from New Chitose airport! So for those who are self-driving in Hokkaido, you may want to pay the restaurant a visit once you arrive or before you depart.
To be honest, its location was in the middle of nowhere and if not for the directions on google map, i don't think i would be able to navigate to Loghouse Bibi that smoothly.
There's a reason why it's called the log house.
A statue (of non-Asian origins) greeted us as we stepped in to the warmth of the wooden cabin. It will be nice on a cold winter night but in summer, the warmth wasn't something we preferred.
It's not just a facade; the restaurant was indeed made entirely of wooden logs!
Place wasn't crowded at 30 minutes before noon and we were provided with an English menu. Although pricing was on a high side, i thought we should just pamper ourselves midway through our Hokkaido trip! Think about it, i am eating authentic wagyu beef from its origin; Japan!
Wah, it's like a charcoal graveyard when the griddle was removed! Unlike the cheapo charcoal we used for barbecues, the quality here appeared to be of a much better grade; no smoke.
Where the pieces of red hot charcoal came from; happened to pass by the 'workroom' when i went to take a pee. Must prepare oneself when eating wagyu beef for the first time in Japan.
Complimentary iced water (refillable)! That slab of meat-like thingy was in fact a piece of fat to lubricate the griddle; similar to the pork lard used for mookata!
Our orders - assorted vegetables, 180-gram assorted Japanese beef and our star today; the 200-gram prime sirloin steak! According to a Japanese blogger, the grade of wagyu is A4 with A being the top grade and 4 referring to the meat quality (highest is 5).
Let's start with the assorted vegetables and beef!
The aroma of sizzling beef was so alluring and even Alex, who isn't really into beef, was looking forward to having a piece of it in his mouth!
One bite and you know it's totally worth the slightly more than S$20 we paid for the assorted beef. These Biratori Wagyu were just so tender, so delicious.
Frankly, the assorted vegetables were ordered to make us feel less guilty but as they were not that easy to grill and i left them for too long on the griddle; I think i should have spent the money on beef instead.
Now the star and no, i didn't have any more pictures to show as i needed to control the time and Alex is helpless when it comes to cooking anything (even instant noodles)! Sadly, i sucked in grasping the timing and before i knew it, the steak was seared for too long on the griddle.
Saving grace was that it remained to be the best piece of steak i ever have in my whole life; the tenderness and juiciness flowed with every bite and i didn't even require a steak knife to cut through it!
Only noticed this small container of sauce after we had satisfyingly cleaned up the entire slab of prime sirloin steak. Not that it matters to me since i don't require any sauce to go with my steak except for maybe chilli sauce.
I used the sauce for the grilled onions though and it was pretty palatable; i didn't put it in my notes but if i recall correctly, it was like a mix of teriyaki and yakiniku sauce.
Essence at the end of the meal - the delicious piece of fat!
Serviettes are so eco-unfriendly; over here at Log House Wagyu Bibi Restaurant, a semi-wet towel was provided for me to wipe my mouth. Such high SES (Socio-Economic Status) provision is so not me and i definitely can't afford such meals in the long run!
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Location
8-5 Misawa, Tomakomai,
Hokkaido, Japan
Location Map
Check out under the label for "Log House Wagyu Bibi Restaurant" under header "Sapporo (08-11 Aug)".
Look out for the signs when you drive along the road!
Operating Hours
11.00 am to 9.00 pm
Menu
As above.
Pricing
Assorted Vegetables - 650 yen
Assorted Japanese Beef (180g) - 1,800 yen
Prime Sirloin Steak (200g) - 5,000 yen
(Inclusive of Tax)
Additional Information
Do check out the Bibi River at the back of the restaurant; aside from clear water with many fishes, you may have the opportunity to chance upon a snake, as i did. Click here for the posting!
For my 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.