Rengaya - North Sydney, Sydney (2)

Once again we venture back to the wonderful world of beautifully marbled meats sizzling away on wire meshes, producing an aromatic haven of pure meaty pleasure and sounds that can compete against the soothing effects of Pachelbel's canon (well for me at least :P). Yes, we are back to the yakinikku heaven of Rengaya.

This time we dined in one of the private rooms, which have tatami mats and other traditional Japanese features like a tokonoma and fusuma. I absolutely adore tatami mats as they are so comfy that I could just sleep on them ^^!

Makes me want to go back to Japan!

Pretty cool lights
After embracing the traditional atmosphere we were ready to feast on the delicious and succulent morsels of meat but firstly some salads are in order to restore the balance in the meal ahead ;) Here Comes the Food.

Mix Seaweed Salad ($9.90)
Slimy slivers of seaweed matched with the dried bonito flakes make this salad a real delight to eat. The fresh and crisp vegetables along drizzled in the creamy sesame sauce makes this a promising start for the meal ahead.

Salmon & Avocado Salad ($12.90)
Cool and refreshing chunks of salmon and creamy ice cream scoops of avocado is already perfect by itself but with some fresh greens and semi-dried tomatoes, it all works much better. A squiggle of mayonnaise and dash of cavier gives it the final touches. Though on this occasion it seemed that they cheaped us on the salmon a little bit :(

Beef Tataki Salad ($15.90)
Beautifully seared beef sashimi served with a slice of roasted garlic and ponzu vinegar. For those who have not tried beef sashimi, you must and this would be the perfect dish to convert those non-eaters. The meat is light in flavour but melt in you mouth with a chewier texture than cooked meat.

Premium Ox Tongue ($28.80)
To start of the bbqness we usually go for the fatty beef tongue to get the fires started. The thick juicy cuts of beef tongue are extremely tender and drips oils pretty much as soon as it hits the flames. Must be very carefully with beef tongue, though, as it is easy to overcook.

Thick, juicy tongue
XS I can't remember where I read it (one of the other blogs I am quite sure) but there was this funny quote from someone who doesn't eat tongue," Why would you want to taste something that can taste you back?" Hee hee.

Wagyu Spencer Roll (Premium $39.80)
This artistic cut of meat is from the upper back, near the shoulder region of the moo moo. It is especially soft and juicy when cooked to a medium rare to rare state for maximum taste. There is a choice between salt & pepper and BBQ sauce for most of the meats and I definitely recommend the BBQ sauce as it is the proper pre-bbq ritual for meat imo hee hee. The salt & pepper does not accentuate the flavour of the beef as much.

The Spencer Roll in all its' glory

Wagyu Short Rib (Premium $39.80) - Salt & Pepper

Wagyu Short Rib (Premium $39.80) - BBQ sauce
Ribs are a very tasty part and the short rib is the prime cut of the rib. There is a very high amount of marbling which makes these pieces so soft and fatty that it is almost pure fat haha but without the overwhelming fat taste.

I think the most of the pieces were gone before my camera power was even switched on...

Wagyu Flap Meat ($27.80) - Salt & Pepper

Wagyu Flap Meat ($27.80) - BBQ sauce
This cut is also from the ribs of but it's of a lower marbling (apparantly but from my eye it still seems very highly marbled haha). This cut is still very tasty and is also healthier for you hee hee.

Action flame shots

Wagyu Rib Finger ($27.80) - BBQ sauce
Undeniably my favourite choice at this place beacuse these cubes of tender meat is perfectly balanced in chewiness and texture to flavours. Always end up ordering more of this to go with my Bimbimba!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Stone Pot Mentaiko Bimbimba ($13.90)
Not my personal choice as I am not a big fan of the roe taste but this is definitely worth it for the roe lovers.

Stone Pot Negi-Yukke Bimbimba ($13.90)
The stone pot is a genius invention as it cooks the rice and meat to a crispiness like no other. The fresh negi also acts as a buffer to prevent the meat from overcooking.

I must get one of these one day and a coal burner to bring it to the right temp. Pity it is too big and hot to hide under my shirt :( hee hee jkjk.

My cousin's handiwork hee hee ^^! The poor poor sweet potato....

Rengaya may be pricey but the meat is worth it! Just once in a while spurlge on this wonderful meal as too much will result in cardiovascular disease.

Other ZOMGBBQ posts:
Kohya - Neutral Bay, Sydney.
Sydney Madang - Sydney CBD, Sydney.
Father's Day Part 2 (Rengaya - North Sydney, Sydney)
Suminoya - City, Sydney


Rengaya
73 Miller St
North Sydney
Ph: (02) 9929 6169

Lunch:
12:00pm - 3:00pm / Tue-Fri

Dinner:
6:00pm - 10:30pm / 7 Days
except the second and fourth Monday of every month.

FFichiban