When western people visit Japan they often complain about the small size of the portions served to them at restaurants, especially when it comes to steak.  The average Japanese steak weighs in at around 150-200g (5-7oz) which would make for a decent sized American hamburger but little more than a frozen dinner-caliber steak.

The largest offerings at some popular Japanese restaurants can reach up to 300g (10.5oz), which is starting to get there, but still leaves some wanting more.

Luckily, there’s now a restaurant in Tokyo called Sumi Yaki Steak Kuni (Char-Grilled Steak Country) that will take requests as to how big you want your steak cut.  So if you’re into a more hearty pound or pound and a half of beef, then this is the place for you.

However, I decided to take it to the next level in a recent venture I made with two fellow reporters.  “Gulp, Yeaahhh. We can do that.” the waitress said, maintaining her pleasant demeanor while repressing her shock at our request of a 2000g steak.

That’s right – we ordered at 2kg (4.4lbs) steak!

The number alone might not give you an image of the sheer size of a 2 kilo steak, so here’s a short list of common items around the same weight: a bag of sugar, a kitchen fire extinguisher, or a mid-range laptop computer.

As the 2kg lump of beef was placed in front of me, an atmosphere of shock and awe surrounded the table. Because of its sheer size, the outer surface suffered some extensive charring and was hard to the touch.  However, initial looks were deceiving, as the meat inside was pure heaven that tenderly squished as I cut into it with the knife. It was perfectly cooked, juicy and abso-freakin-lutely delicious throughout.

The size, of course, was daunting but it was so good I couldn’t stop myself from taking another mouthful.  I was eating so much meat that my head was spinning, so much that I think I could now be classified as part-human, part-steak.

Finally, it came time for this newly formed human/beef hybrid to pay the bill. At this restaurant you can go as high as 3 or even 4 kilograms as long as the size of the cow and, more importantly, the size of your wallet can handle it.  The restaurant charges 10yen/g (US$0.12/g; $3/oz), which meant that this meat-filled romp ended up costing about 20,000yen (US$252).

While certainly not an everyday meal, one of these massive steaks could be a great way to celebrate a milestone in your life.

I’m thinking especially to celebrate football, rugby, or sumo match victories.

http://youtu.be/t8jV2P8MAF4

Photo and Video: RocketNews24
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