Did we bite off more than we could chew?

Yakiniku Like, home of the solo sukiyaki deal and creator of the Yakiniku Tower Burger, has done it again with a new way for customers to enjoy yakiniku for hours on end (literally). The Yakiniku Like Megaho Set (2,170 yen, or US$16.26) allows you to have all-you-can-eat yakiniku for up to seven hours.

Truth be told, when the deal first debuted at two Yakiniku Like locations, our Japanese-language reporter Ahiruneko attempted to pig out for the full seven hours and failed miserably after just one hour. So when he heard the deal would be expanding to other Yakiniku Like branches two months later, he decided to get revenge.

The all-you-can-eat deal runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays at select locations (listed at the bottom of the article). They don’t take reservations, so you’ll have to plan your arrival strategically. Ahiruneko chose to exact his revenge at the Tokyo Koenji location, and he was able to get in pretty quickly.

On the poster for the Megaho Set at this location, it specified that the onions served with the meat were not included in the all-you-can-eat deal. A little weird, Ahiruneko thought, but they must have their reasons for announcing that.

With his first place in front of him, Ahiruneko gave himself a pep talk. I will stay the full seven hours, he thought. I will be the victor!

He clocked in his start time at 11:24 a.m. His first move was to secure his onion stash, which proves to be a better palate cleanser than kimchi at times like this since their flavor isn’t as strong. He planned to ration them throughout his journey, though he could just order more.

The second part of his strategy was to consume as little rice as possible. Though there’s not much that beats a mouthful of flavorful yakiniku and fluffy white rice, it would only take up precious space in his stomach.

To resist the temptation to become a human rice vacuum, Ahiruneko turned to the restaurant’s array of “tare”, or dipping sauces. They had classics like soy sauce and miso among other tasty looking choices.

For this challenge, Ahiruneko recommends the Tanrei Assari Nama-Shoyu Tare, which roughly translates as “Refreshing and Light Raw Soy Sauce Dipping Sauce”. As the name implies, it’s a light and refreshing sauce that doesn’t have a strong aroma like other heat-processed soy sauces. It will allow you to chow down more beef.

Ahiruneko gave himself a check-in at one hour into the challenge. And to his surprise…he was feeling really full? After only one hour again?

That’s right–despite his strategic planning, it wasn’t enough to magically increase the size of his stomach enough to endure six more hours of yakiniku. He decided to face the music and accept that his limit for all-you-can-eat yakiniku at Yakiniku Like was one measly hour.

If you know someone who can continue the challenge for even three hours, let us know! Ahiruneko wants to meet them. By the way, there’s an even better (or more intimidating) challenge at the Kunitachi location…

…a 12-hour all-you-can-eat deal, any day of the week. You can waltz in at 11 a.m. and keep eating until 11 p.m. for the same 2,170 yen. Ahiruneko thinks anyone who can do this is absolutely insane, or maybe they’ve come up with an eating strategy that also includes napping.

Full of meat and regret, Ahiruneko ended his second attempt at Yakiniku Like’s Megaho Set. If you think you can do better, we welcome you to challenge him.

Megaho Set Yakiniku Like Locations

Tokyo: Shinjuku Nishi-guchi, Ebisu, Koenji, Akihabara Chuo-doori, Kunitachi
Chiba: Kashiwa Higashi-guchi
Kanagawa: Hiratsuka Kita-guchi
Gunma: Takasaki Midori-cho
Osaka: Namba Nansan-doori, Sakai Higashi, Temmabashi, Temma Kan-tere-mae

Images ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]