We’ve been to a countless number of wine tastings, craft beer tastings, cocktail tastings, but a wagyu beef tasting?!
We recently had the pleasure to be introduced to an exciting project that Chef Aitor Olabegoya at Migas has been incubating along with a cadre of others for more than a decade. If you’re anything like us then you’ll always stare wistfully at the beautiful but poverty inducing wagyu steaks on menus around town. So priced because the Japanese jealously guard their stocks of the gorgeous meat, but thanks to guys like Beef on Food, things are slowly changing.
Wagyu is meat that comes from any one of four specific breeds of cow that are genetically predisposed to extensive fat marbling throughout the muscle. They also have a higher proportion of unsaturated fat vs saturated fat. All of this adds up to mean Wagyu meat is incredibly tender, flavourful and expensive.
Marbled Wagyu
Thankfully, people like Beef on Food are changing this. Started in Chile 1998, they aim to spread the Wagyu that we know and love to a wider audience. Their herd of cows is raised in the Villarrica natural park in Chile and are direct genetic descendants of Japanese cattle. Grass fed for most of their life and drinking the clearest mountain spring water, they are then transferred to grain to produce the essential marbling.
After more than a decade working to raise the herd and spread the message, they recently, with the help of the Chilean Minister for Agriculture, gained approval to import meat into China. The team at Migas were on hand to showcase the meat which will hopefully start becoming available around town soon!
Though the photos below of the Wagyu Tasting at Migas are not exactly representative of what is on their new menu, they currently have three different cuts of Chilean Wagyu Beef cooked in different ways and have promised some wagyu specials soon to come!
For those who are looking for something special this holiday season, Migas offers event catering services which can include Wagyu tapas like what we were served at this phenomenal tasting.
Wagyu Short Rib
Sliced Short Rib
Wagyu Brisket
Wagyu Burger
(Pre-Charcoal)
Charcoal seared Wagyu on potato
Corn “Risotto” with Wagyu Bits (like bacon bits but better)
Tartare with Black Garlic and Mushroom
Wagyu Tartare
Wagyu and Foie Gras
Wagyu “Ham” – Iberico has a serious competitor here!
If you even need to ask, yes – everything tasted as phenomenal as it looks.
The brisket, burger and “ham” in particular stand out amongst the stellar cast. If you get the chance to try, seize it bodily with both hands and hold it suffocatingly tight to your chest like a rabid Black Friday shopper.
Congratulations to Aitor and the rest of the team for bringing to fruition a huge, audacious labor of love and I hope to see it on menus everywhere soon!
Migas’ Contact Details:
- Address: Sanlitun North. Nali Patio 6 Floor. Beijing. 三里屯北街81号那里花园6层.
- Tel: 5208 6061
- Website: www.migasbj.com
About Kristen
Kristen Lum has an accomplished background in PR, communications and events in China. Born and raised in California, Kristen has been based in Beijing since 2006 and is founder of the lifestyle blog called LumDimSum, covering mostly restaurant news and reviews alongside upcoming events around town that relate to Beijing’s muti-faceted, quickly-developing creative industries like art, music, film, health and fitness, fashion, nightlife, charity events, and travel tips.
