Credit: It’s Me Louis Photography
If asked to picture a steakhouse, you probably conjure up images of enormous slabs of meat, hard-seared hunks of steak, sharing porterhouses, and mountainous side dishes. But over in Soho, a Japanese restaurant is suggesting an alternative to the belt-loosening, meat-sweat inducing standard of steakhouses. Kanpai Classic swaps one excess for another, from huge portions of beef to a procession of Japanese A5 Grade Wagyu – and it’s all cooked right in front of you at your table.
Kanpai Classic takes the meat-eating experience as we know it and flips it on its head with an approach inspired by Yakiniku (or Japanese BBQ) cuisine. The menu celebrates Wagyu in all its forms, and cuts of meat come from all over the cow, celebrating the whole animal.
The Kanpai restaurant group started in 1999, and now boasts several restaurants across Taiwan and China (as well as the London site). The Kanpai Classic restaurant in Shanghai, China, even became the world’s first Michelin-starred Yakiniku restaurant in 2017 and 2018.
Credit: It’s Me Louis Photography
During their meal, enjoy a series of dishes, each incorporating A5 Grade Wagyu, which range from starters like Wagyu Steak Tartare to Temaki Sushi (served with raw Wagyu, of course). Then it’s on to the meat. Or more meat, rather, since virtually every dish on the menu incorporates Wagyu in some way. But the star of the show is the procession of meat that is grilled to perfection individually at each table. Cuts come from all over the cow, so some may seem unfamiliar. But fret not, your ever-attentive server/master-griller is on hand to guide you along your Wagyu flavour journey.
On the menu
When you dine at Kanpai Classic, there are a number of ways to enjoy your meal. The Wagyu Yakiniku Feast treats guests to “six different cuts of premium Wagyu, showcasing a variety of textures and rich flavours”. Or, if you really want to explore the breadth of Wagyu, you can opt for the Signature Wagyu Cuisine Omakase.
Or if you really know what you’re after, you can of course order à la carte. (For example, if you fall in love with the Beef Tongue – which, trust me, you will.)
Credit: It’s Me Louis Photography
And then there are the drinks. The menu features a variety of signature cocktails and classics that have been given a Kanpai twist. And yes, of course, there’s a wagyu cocktail. There is also an impressive selection of wine and Japanese whiskey, which have been carefully chosen “to complement the depth and richness of Kanpai Classic’s Wagyu-led cuisine.”
But the star of the drinks menu is the sake selection. The curated list of premium Masuizumi sakes is imported directly from Japan and is available exclusively at Kanpai Classic. The list is divided into three sections to make it simple to pair them with food. The more delicate Wagyu dishes are perfectly matched with the soft and subtle OBORO sakes. The bold, slightly smoky flavours of the OKIBI sakes pair well with the richer steak cuts. Or for the start of your meal, alongside the Wagyu tartare and raw seafood, it’s recommended to try the refreshing SESERAGI sakes.
Don’t trust yourself? Fret not, there are a variety of drink pairing options that see the decision made for you based on your order. Or, as always, you can ask your server for a recommendation.
A visit to Kanpai Classic
On a recent trip, one of the hottest days of the year so far, I settled in at Kanpai Classic, tentatively wary of an onslaught of meat on such a blazingly hot day. I needn’t have been so concerned, though, because what followed was a surprisingly restrained, yet flavour-packed, series of rich, tender, textural beef that never veered into overwhelming territory.
The meal kicked off with Wagyu Tartare, which revealed how much thought would go into each dish successive dish we’d receive. To enjoy the unique texture of intensely marbled Wagyu in tartare form, topped with a healthy dollop of caviar, was to find beef transformed into an intensely steak-y flavoured pat of butter. The bite of the meat gave way immediately to reveal the fatty, rich, unctuous beef experience.
Credit: It’s Me Louis Photography
The Wagyu Tartare was followed by a handful of other opening dishes that explored how the beef could complement and be complemented by other textures and flavours. These included a temaki hand roll (served unrolled so you can appreciate just how much beef is hidden inside). There was also a Wagyu Deep Fried Spring Roll that read like the absolute filthiest, most indulgent sausage roll you’ve ever tried.
Then it was on to the cooking. A platter covered in various cuts of meat, each butchered, sliced, and prepared to best highlight their respective flavours and textures, arrived at the table. White hot coals were loaded into the recessed BBQ section of the table. And it’s at this point that you might get nervous about ruining the meat. But fret not, the ever attentive servers do it all for you. You just have to watch, marvel, and drool in anticipation of each carefully cooked bite.
Thanks to the bites following each other in quick succession, we were able to enjoy the differences, subtle and vast, between the steaks. It was akin to a side-by-side wine tasting, revealing the nuances by way of comparison that otherwise might have been lost.
Credit: It’s Me Louis Photography
The sheer amount of meat is also broken up by the unique preparation and seasoning of each meat-y morsel. Some dishes found us making a lettuce wrap, others saw caramelised flash-marinated Wagyu sirloin served atop a bowl of rice, while others still had specific seasonings and dips to make the perfect bite.
And then the drinks… The delicately floral Yuzu Jasmine Daiquiri was a perfect start to the meal. In fact, my dining partner immediately re-ordered it. The ensuing Pandan & Coconut Margarita kept spirits high with a refreshing and complex flavour. An off-menu dirty martini was bound to be good when it was delivered accompanied with a request to ‘let me know if it’s filthy enough’. Oh, and not one, not two, but five olives. Rounding out the drinks was a delightfully fruity and full Carbernet Sauvignon-esque red wine, chosen by Chris, who had guided us delightfully through the whole meal.
Credit: Kanpai Classic
A meal at Kanpai Classic isn’t cheap. But then, this is Wagyu! And it’s the kind of food that you’ll savour and think about for a long time afterwards. It stands out in a city full of traditional steakhouses with an identity all its own, and is a welcome addition to the city’s food offerings.