Japanese beef is beloved for its flavor and tenderness, and it can be really cute too.
Traditionally, in Japan it’s women who give gifts to men on Valentine’s Day, and the customary gift is chocolate. Not every guy has a sweet tooth, though, and even among those who do, chocolate might not be their dessert of choice.
So for those looking to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a more protein-packed sort of decadence, Japanese gourmet butcher shop Kikui Takahashi has an idea: adorable heart-shaped steaks!
Packaged like boxes of high-end chocolates, each little steak is placed lovingly in its own compartment. Oh, and if you’re thinking the white heart in the bottom-left corner of the box is a chocolate for dessert, that’s not the case. It’s actually a heart-shaped block of beef tallow, because everything in the box is there to satisfy carnivorous cravings.
Pictured above is Kikui Takahashi’s Matsusaka Beef Mini Heart Sirloin Steak set, with a total of 182 grams (6.4 ounces) of one of Japan’s three most prized wagyu varieties. Such prestigious beef naturally comes with a premium price of 9,980 yen (US$64), but it promises to cook up juicy, tender, and adorable.
Kikui Takahashi has a wide variety of other Valentine’s Day beef packages with other cuts and breeds of beef as well, such as the 104-gram Mini Heart Steak set (3,980 yen)…
…the 160-gram Kuroge Wagyu set with larger steaks (3,980 yen)…
…and even 120-gram cat-shaped steak packs with a tallow paw (7,200 yen).
バレンタイン💝限定パッケージ
— 肉匠 菊井髙はし🍖 (@kikui_takahashi) January 22, 2025
ハート形ステーキ。
LINEギフト🎁で販売中です。#LINEギフト pic.twitter.com/CrZxf8BBLc
While the special-shape steaks are available at other times of year as well, right now they’re being offered with special Happy Valentine’s Day packaging and a Valentine’s Day card, making them a great gift for anyone who prefers beef to chocolate on February 14. They’re available for online order through Line gift here, and if you’re already thinking ahead to White Day (observed on March 14 when guys give thank-you gifts to girls who gave them Valentine’s Day presents), Kikui Takahashi has White Day steak sets too!
Source: Twitter/@kikui_takahashi
Top image: Line Gift
Insert images: Twitter/@kikui_takahashi, Line Gift
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