Tamashii Robataya Launched Whisky Sukiyaki with A5 Saga Gyu

Hot pots is not only for rainy days. But the cooking and eating experience with your friends have a huge draw. There are as many styles of hot pot as there are ingredients to put in it. After the introduction of sake shabu shabu in April, Tamashii Robataya has now launched another new hot pot series – WHISKY SUKIYAKI!

You do know that adding wine helps to cook and add flavour to the dish right? Same goes for whisky. It may be too strong if you were to drink it but adding some whisky into the sukiyaki adds flavor and moisture to the meat without adding the fat!

So at Tamashii Robataya, you can order a A5 Saga Gyu Sukiyaki ($90/pax, minimum 2 pax to order) to share with your friends. Each sukiyaki set comes with sashimi salad, rice and dessert of the day. An empty pot is brought to the table and heated. Platters of raw ingredients – A5 Japanese Saga Beef Ribeye and assorted vegetables surround the hot pot. The staff will help you cook the meat with their homemade sukiyaki sauce while you slowly savour the appetizers.

The paper-thin A5 Saga beef is cooked to a deep reddish-brown with the help of the sukiyaki sauce. The vegetables are added in to bring a little sweetness to the meat and also help to absorb the essence from the sauce. If you think it is not enough, you can add on extra 200g of A5 Saga Beef Ribeye at $75 or beef tongue at $30. We thought we didn’t have enough and added an extra beef tongue. But the A5 beef was so tender and well-marbled that we were already full after the first plate. But beef tongue was equally delicious and had a different texture. So it was a good choice to try them.

Now your beef sukiyaki dinner can end here in a boring way. But, if you are game for it, add a 100ml of Nikka Whisky BLACK CLEAR ($40) into your sukiyaki. Trust me, it works so well with the marinade and has a lot of flavour. Watch how the whisky flambe the meats and let it simmer to concentrate the flavour, including acidity and sweetness. Plunging the meat and vegetables into the mouth thereafter was such a joy.

But this post is not only for the alcoholics lah. The husband doesn’t drink but he truly enjoyed the dinner as the whisky taste is not prominent at all. And of course, it’s nice to socialize during the meal so we had a great time chatting with owner Patrick in a natural, relaxed rhythm.

Note: This is an invited tasting.