Shanghaiist had an interesting challenge: do a restaurant recommendation for a restaurant that doesn't really have a name. Well, at least one that we recognize. We got a business card but the Chinese name is simply "烧肉" (grilled meat) and we didn't know how to read the Japanese characters.
On a tip from a friend of a friend who had spent most of his life growing up in Japan, we decided to check out the aforementioned nameless Japanese grill-joint that specialized in serving Wagyu beef, otherwise known as Kobe-style beef.
Starting off, there were a couple of strikes against making it out there for dinner. First, it's in Hongqiao. Second, it's damn expensive, with one order of beef clocking in at 65 RMB for about 7-8 bite-sized pieces.
But after that first bite of tender, glorious flavor, we were sold. Like most teppanyaki restaurants this one was self-service, with the grills placed in the middle of the table for easy access. Quickly enough, the meat had been cooked and devoured, and orders for more portions were being called out to the wait-staff. We also had a fabulous turnip salad with huge chunks of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers to ease the guilt of chomping down on beef known for its high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat (thanks Wikipedia).
From the looks of it, the restaurant caters mostly to Japanese customers, as most of the dining parties were speaking Japanese from what we could tell. The place was packed on a Friday night, and like us it seems the diners were here mainly for the beef.
After some quick online research, we learned that real Wagyu beef, of which Kobe is a sub-set, can't really be called Wagyu unless the cattle was bred in Japan. We asked and learned that the beef at this place is from Australia, so we guess the appropriate name would be "Wagyu-style" beef. Regardless, the hefty price and sometimes flippant service justify it as an occasional treat for beef-lovers. Total bill came out to be about 180-200 RMB per person, including drinks (Asahi draft for 20 RMB).
Nameless Japanese restaurant has two locations. Puxi: 382 Shui Cheng Lu, Bldg. No. 2, 2nd Floor (close to Xian Xia Lu). 水城路382弄2号2层。Pudong: Pudong Da Dao 908-912. 浦东大道 908-912号。Apologies for the crappy quality of the cell-phone pic.
