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Imagine that you’re in Tokyo and having so much fun that you miss the last train home without even realizing it. You consider all the ways to kill time until the morning, but nothing appeals to you at all…so might we suggest some late-night all-you-can-eat yakiniku?

Join our intrepid reporter Mr. Sato as he tries out a yakiniku restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo which offers a special late-night all-you-can eat yakiniku deal. Even if you can’t make it there in person, don’t be afraid to live vicariously through his mouth-watering photos!

The somewhat awkwardly named Oroshi) Shinjuku Shokuniku Center Kiwame [卸) 新宿食肉センター 極], which translates to something like “Wholesale) Shinjuku Meat Center Kiwame,” has a special yakiniku offer that you positively can’t refuse. Between the hours of 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., you can enjoy 45 minutes of all-you-can-eat yakiniku for just 980 yen ($8.97) per person!

Like any diehard yakiniku fan, our Mr. Sato was ecstatic to hear about this amazing deal, and decided to check it out for himself at the earliest opportunity. But waiting until 11 p.m. proved hard as he could barely contain himself at the thought of sizzling yakiniku (after all, this excursion took place before the introduction of his alter-ego Satosshi). But his patience paid off, and he was soon on his way to yakiniku heaven.

▼A banner advertising the sweet deal

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Unfortunately, getting to Kiwame proved to be a bit of a drag. The Shinjuku branch of the restaurant is situated near the Shinjuku City Office intersection, which also happens to be near Kabukicho, the area’s nightlife-central. If you’ve ever passed through certain parts of Kabukicho, you’ll know that it’s not exactly the best area to be walking around late at night. Anti-solicitation regulations have been in effect since September 2009, but they haven’t been particularly effective since they’re rarely enforced. In fact, Mr. Sato had to ignore multiple solicitations as he was walking along the street by the City Office. He cautions you to stay alert and to be on your toes at all times. If you’d rather not deal with the sketchy aspects of the journey, we’d suggest that the yakiniku restaurant Jiromaru may be a better choice for you, as it’s only a one-minute walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Statition.

When Mr. Sato finally arrived at Kiwame just past 11 p.m., four people were already waiting outside. Although he was expecting the line to grow longer as time went by, surprisingly no one else joined the queue behind him. Apparently everyone made their trains on time that night…

▼Fun fact: Liver is delivered daily to the restaurant. The sign outside shows that it arrived at noon on this particular day and gives the number of portions available.

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Mr. Sato finally entered the restaurant a little before midnight. The menu offered three different sets–Sets A, B, and C. Each one came with two cuts of meat such as salted chicken thighs/miso-marinated pork neck or salted heart/salted liver. The print also said that you must first order one of the set menus, but after that you would be free to order the meat in any combination that you like. Mr. Sato decided to take advantage of this opportunity to order the C Set, which he had missed out on at the restaurant’s main location in Jinbocho because it was sold out at the time.

▼The menu advertising three sets

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The C Set turned out to be a bit of a disappointment though because there was hardly any meat on the plate at all:

▼Huh? Isn’t that missing something…?

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But when he ordered a second serving, for some reason it came with twice the amount of meat as the first one had! However, Mr. Sato got over his confusion quickly and decided to focus on just enjoying the additional meat. In his own words, thus began an endless cycle of grilling, consuming, grilling, consuming.

▼Now that’s more like it!

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▼In addition to unlimited meat within your allotted 45 minutes, the soup, rice, and onion salad are also all-you-can-eat.

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▼This is the A Set. Some words of wisdom: wait to grill things marinated in miso last, or else the grilling plate will get dirty very quickly.

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As much as you might be tempted to gulp down a refreshing beer with your unlimited meat, Mr. Sato advises you to restrain yourself because your stomach will thank you later. Also, don’t load up on too much rice–you can have that anytime, and you’re here for the meat, after all!

Mr. Sato has one last piece of advice to impart to anyone thinking of loading up on all-you-can-yakiniku: don’t take too many pictures on your phone, or you’ll burn the meat before you know it…not that he’s speaking from personal experience or anything. Just focus on consuming as much yakiniku as humanly possible!

Information
Oroshi) Shinjuku Shokuniku Center Kiwame / 卸） 新宿食肉センター 極
Address:
1st floor, 2 Chome-10-5 Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 〒160-0021, Japan
〒160-0021 東京都新宿区歌舞伎町2-10-5 1F
Hours: 8pm-6am
Tel: +81 3-6380-2963

Original article by Mr. Sato
Photos: RocketNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]