And of course, we got the ‘extra meat’ topping, because the only thing better than meat is MORE meat.
Yukhoe is a meat dish, usually beef, that originated in South Korea and is popular in Japan too. Similar to beef tartare, it is seasoned with salt, sugar, sesame oil, pepper, and garlic and eaten raw. Although yukhoe is delicious, the fact that it is served raw means there is a risk of food poisoning. In fact, back in 2011 there was an incident in Japan involving incorrectly prepared yukhoe which resulted in the death of four people and the hospitalization of another forty.
Since then, finding yukhoe in restaurants has been understandably difficult, and the amount served is often quite small. However, a restaurant we recently visited not only serves yukhoe sushi, but it serves a super long yukhoe sushi.
The restaurant called PALLET46, is located in Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo neighbourhood.
▼ We made our visit a while back, before the state of emergency was declared.
The meat used at the restaurant has been inspected and cleared for health and safety, but they advise against children, the elderly or pregnant woman eating it, as there is still a risk of food poisoning.
There are five different types of yukhoe sushi on sale, including the Texas Parisa (yukhoe sushi with chilli and cheddar cheese) and the Philadelphia (yukhoe sushi with avocado and cream cheese). Both will cost you 3,080 yen (US$29). A mix-and-match option is also available for 3,380 yen, where you can choose two styles and have half of each.
We decided to mix things up and ordered a half-and-half mix of the standard yukhoe sushi and the Philadelphia sushi. We also noticed a ‘yukhoe top up‘ option for an extra 780 yen (US$7), and on the staff’s recommendation we decided to go for it.
▼ If 50 centimetres (20 inches) of yukhoe sushi just isn’t enough for you, the top up gets you an extra 50 grams (1.8 ounces).
We waited with unbridled glee for the sushi to arrive, and after five minutes, there it was.
As you can see, it’s really really long. We measured it, and it’s definitely 50 centimetres long! The yukhoe sushi seems to be a two person serving at least, so we couldn’t help but wonder; would we be able to finish it all?? After all, it’s not like we could take the rest home in a doggy bag…
The width and length both came in at three centimetres. OK, seems doable. Maybe this could be a one man job after all.
First up was the standard yukhoe sushi. It came with three different sauces to choose from; soy sauce, sesame oil and gochujang chilli paste, so you can switch things up if you get bored with one taste. With the first bite, the meat was pleasantly chewy.
Next was the Philadelphia sushi. It came with a special sauce with avocado in it and made the sushi taste really rich and creamy. Delicious! With the extra yukhoe topping that we ordered, it’s safe to say that about half of the height of the sushi was just pure meaty yukhoe. It’s a pretty intimidating amount of meat… but we’re pros at this sort of thing.
Something to bear in mind is that if you wish to visit PALLET46 after 4 p.m., you will need to pay a cover charge of 300 yen (not including tax). The cover charge includes a small appetizer.
▼ The appetizer was delicious, so we didn’t really mind shelling out the extra amount.
The super long yukhoe sushi doesn’t require any kind of reservation and is available to order any time during regular business hours. If you’re feeling adventurous and fancy eating a whole load of raw meat, head on down to PALLET46 in Shin-Okubo… but maybe bring a friend or two to help you finish it off! And if you’re still looking for some delicious and slightly risky food once you’re done, pop into a nearby sushi chain and get some fugu!
Restaurant information
PALLET46
Address: 2-18-10 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Shinjuku Sky Plaza 104
東京都新宿区大久保2-18-10 新宿スカイプラザ104号
Open 11 a.m.-midnight
Website
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