So when we randomly passed by Sukiya Gyudon Restaurant when we were in Kuramae, Taito – Tokyo, Japan we couldn’t help but to go in and see what it was. The crowd on the inside and outside of the restaurant made we decided to have lunch in this restaurant before heading to Tokyo Disneyland. Sukiya (すき家) is a Japanese restaurant chain serving gyudon, other donburi, and various curry rice. We didn’t know at all that Sukiya is a famous Beef Bowl restaurant and the biggest gyudon chain in Japan if not because of the smart google machine on the net. Until now, Sukiya has 1856 restaurants (WOW!!) throughout many countries, such as in Japan, China, Taipei, Brazil, Thailand and the last one, in Indonesia, which just opened on September 2, 2014 in Baywalk Mall Pluit (South Jakarta).
When we visited the newly opened Sukiya in Jakarta on Sept 13, 2014, we saw there are only a few beef bowls available on the menu. We’ve tried the Cheese Beef Bowl and Curry Beef Rice in Sukiya Jakarta, but all of them tasted different, not as good as the one we have tried in Sukiya Japan. The rice is not a Japanese rice, and they don’t use mirin in Sukiya Jakarta that’s why it tastes completely different; the sliced beef tastes a bit bland, and somehow the meat was not juicy at all. The thinly sliced beef meat in Sukiya Japan is so flavorful, because they cooked the beef with onions, sake, mirin, soy sauce and sugar, so it has a very rich sweet and salty flavor to the beef. Therefore, I’m going to share what we have tried in Sukiya Japan, the original one, for your references.
Me and my husband went to Sukiya Gyudon Japan in Kuramae, Tokyo, on July 28, 2014, and we fell in love with almost all of their menus. Yup, and you know what? Since that first day, we kept coming back to Sukiya for four days in a row, either for lunch or a very late dinner. The Beef Bowls in Sukiya are not only affordable, but also tremendously good and delicious! Oh my gosh, these beef bowls are the best, so much better than the other brand “Y**hi**y*” that already opened their branch in Jakarta since July 2010. We didn’t try the original Yos**no** Beef Bowl brand in Japan because we saw their menu is not as attractive and tempting, unlike Sukiya.
I have to say that Sukiya is one of the fastest, cheapest, and most convenient places to eat at. Lucky us, this 24hr restaurant located just few blocks away from our hotel in Kuramae, Taito – Tokyo, Japan. The restaurant itself is not big, so people here usually eat as fast as they can and leave the restaurant to give other persons a place to sit, or they share their table with the other visitors. Surprisingly, there were only two workers in this restaurant, and only took about 5 minutes to make our food. That’s amazing! The workers do a multitasking job, starts from taking our order, preparing in the kitchen, and then become a cashier.
If you can’t speak Japanese, do not worry because they have an English menu in each table. Everything is neatly laid on a huge picture menu, so you can just point to whatever you want. When you have made your decision, you can press the small button from the mini bell on your table. Later the waiter will come to your table and take your order.
Here in Sukiya Gyudon Japan, we can order most bowls in a set meal (with soup, salad or whatever) or a la carte. The meat portions also come in three different sizes; so we can tailor our meal to how hungry we are that day. Plus, the calorie content of each dish is noted on the menu. Cool!
Unagi Gyudon, ¥830
(with convertion rate 1 ¥ = Rp. 115.5, equal to IDR 95.000,-)
The combination of delicious warm rice, juicy thinly sliced beef meat and glistering sweet soy-based sauce (usually called as tare sauce) over the perfectly grilled eel is simply irresistible. The eel size is pretty big and well-prepared, so it has a rich, sweet flavor, with an appetizing texture, crisp on the outside but succulent and tender on the inside. It’s really delicious!!!
Rich Cheese Gyudon, ¥390 Medium size (with convertion rate 1 ¥ = Rp. 115.5, equal to IDR 45.000,-)
We also tried this super yummy Rich Cheese Gyudon in Sukiya. Thinly sliced beef topped with melting cheese, makes this beef bowl became extra special, especially when we mix everything together with the rice. So damn good!!
In Japan, the waiter usually gives you the bill check right after you made an order, so you can easily come to the cashier and pay directly there.
After we had so much fun in Tokyo Disneyland, we came back again to the Sukiya Gyudon 24hr restaurant for our late dinner before back to our hotel in Kuramae Business Hotel.
Tuna Sashimi Bowl, ¥450 Medium size
(with a convertion rate 1 ¥ = Rp. 115.5 equal to IDR 52.000,-)
A very simple yet so delicious rice bowl topped with raw tuna, nori (seaweed), and scallions. The tuna sashimi was incredibly fresh and delicious, and we can’t stop saying “this is so delicious!” so many times while eating this menu. Hahaha.. 😀
Kimchi Gyudon, ¥350 Medium size (with a convertion rate 1 ¥ = Rp. 115.5 equal to IDR 40.000,-)
This time I ordered a value set meal for my Kimchi gyudon with extra cost around ¥130 so I can get a Tamago, pickles and miso soup. Kimchi turns out to be a good combination for gyudon (beef bowl of rice) in Japan. It was not as tangy as most Korean kimchi but added a refreshing light sour kimchi taste to the beef. It also makes a beautiful contrast on top of my beef bowl. Unfortunately, the Tamago here is a raw egg. However, there are two ways to enjoy the raw egg; you eat the egg separately with additional soy sauce or mix it with the beef bowl. Both ways are so yummy!
Both of us love beef bowl so much, and we can’t get enough of it while having our summer vacation in Japan last July 2014 (Click here to see our complete Japan Trip itinerary: http://bit.ly/traveltojapanguide). It is not meant that Sukiya incredible, but Sukiya Japan serves a higher quality than the other gyudon restaurants such as Y**hin*ya. I have to say that compared with the quality of meat and topping options, I prefer Sukiya Gyudon Japan overall. So, if you’re looking for a great taste of beef bowl that is value for money in Japan, I suggest you to try Sukiya Gyudon 24hr Restaurant. They have lots of branch in Japan, and you can check it on their website -> http://www.sukiya.jp/ I will share with you more of Sukiya menus in Japan, which I had from the other 3 days, later on my upcoming post. Stay tuned!
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