With over 600 stores in Japan, Gyukaku 牛角 is a very high quality yakiniku franchise that served Japanese yakiniku using mid-range Wagyu cuts. Since it’s first stores in UE Square and Chijmes, the positioning for this store has gone mid-market and prices more approachable for locals.
Today, princess and I opted for their Recommended Platter (400g) that consisted of (clockwise from top) Kagoshima wagyu chuck karubi, fillet cube cut, Gyukaku karubi, chicken basil and pork belly. The portions were enough for two.
The marbling on the karubi are fantastic, just as any quality Japanese wagyu would. The portion was pretty generous with 5 slices each, but one would think why for a platter for two persons that they would provide odd number of slices.
It is disappointing that the vegetable wrap is an add-on (not even the first round was complimentary) and not included in the meal like all others yakiniku restaurants. We also ordered the assorted vegetables for grilling which should also be included in the platter.
We also ordered Australian Gyutan (80g) which included two generous slices of beef tongue. I always enjoyed Gyukaki’s method of cutting the tongue as it resulted in a larger slice in terms of surface area which compensated for the shrinkage when grilling. Most others will do a standard cut which is a round cut around the size of a digestive biscuit.
You grill by yourself, which is a process I enjoy. You can control the doneness and you pace yourself through the meal. The beef were delicious, especially the karubi were melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. The basil chicken was so-so, and the pork belly could be thicker.
Gyukaki also provides buffet options, but we are watching what we are eating 😉 I am sure they are value-for-money if you have a lot of carnivore in your group. Like all mid- and lower tier restaurants in Singapore, they are facing a glut of service staff, so the service could be better. But the quality of the beef compensated for the lack of service as this is a DIY restaurant, you just want to meat to be served quickly.
Gyukaku Novena Square
238 Thomson Road #02-46, Novena Square Singapore 307683
Tel: (65) 6252 4001
Date Visited : Jun 2019
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