The Kimono Butcher in Toronto

Kimono Butcher at Blue Bovine Restaurant

The treasured golden statuette of authenticity shines from the display case at Toronto restaurant, Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House. Here, the Kimono Butcher, Marika Watanabe, from Himeji, Hyogo, Japan, demonstrates how to trim wagyu.

Wagyu is a world unto itself. Its intricate marbling, foie gras-like tenderness and umami-rich flavour is luxuriously addictive. Global fascination has soared as this prized beef has become more accessible, but there remains a great deal of misunderstanding around Japanese beef: the strict grading; regional and Prefectural varieties; the variety of preparations—beyond the typical striploin or ribeye cut—from sukiyaki and shabu shabu to yakiniku, teppanyaki, and even sashimi. There is also rampant mislabelling and confusion of Kobe and Wagyu monikers.

Kobe Beef Certification at Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House.
Kobe Beef Certification at Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House. Photo by Adam Waxman.

Only restaurants and butchers that have been approved for registration with the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association can receive and serve Kobe Beef. That is very difficult to achieve, particularly outside Japan, where only a handful of establishments can lay claim to this coveted status.

The Butcher Shoppe in Toronto is the wholesaler where we can order an incredible variety of Japanese wagyu, including Snow-Aged Wagyu from Niigata, Wine Beef from Hyogo, as well as Kobe Beef, and even an Art of Wagyu Box, which includes a variety of cuts of wagyu. The Butcher Shoppe saves us the flight to Japan, and makes it easy for us to look good in the kitchen.

(l-r) Noah Weisberg and Stacey Weisberg of The Butcher Shoppe with the Kimono Butcher at Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House.
(l-r) Noah Weisberg and Stacey Weisberg of The Butcher Shoppe with the Kimono Butcher at Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House. Photo by Adam Waxman.

Together, The Butcher Shoppe and Blue Bovine host the renowned Kimono Butcher to share her knowledge and expertise in butchery, and to bring the highest-quality meats to Toronto. Watching Watanabe trim this massive cut of Furano-gyu from Hokkaido is hypnotic and a rare privilege. There is so much fat to separate, and she uses different knives at different points in the process.

Watanabe’s introduction to wagyu was in university. It was love at first bite. Her feeling inspired her training. She changed course and studied butchery, visited farms, trained at butcher shops, restaurants, and even practised at home. It takes eight years to become a Japanese Wagyu Master. “Every step of the process is my life,” she tells me. Eventually she worked at the world renowned Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, before taking on her current role at the Wagyu Master Meat Center in Himeji, where she prepares wagyu beef for export.

Wagyu Beef Tartare at Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House.
Wagyu Beef Tartare at Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House. Photo by Adam Waxman.

As she has traveled the world promoting this product, Watanabe has seen her European customers use the wagyu tallow for French Fries instead of duck fat. Some even use the tallow in desserts like ice cream or cheesecake instead of butter. Not only is Watanabe a proud ambassador of this unique high end product, she is all too aware that she is the first woman to enter into the field of wagyu butchery. Through her work, and the style she embraces, she has re-imagined the role of the butcher and become a trailblazer for gender equality.

Sushi Assortment at Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House.
Sushi Assortment at Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House. Photo by Adam Waxman.

Carving this beef is so much more labour intensive than it would be with the equivalent Canadian or US beef. Both the fat and the meat are very different. Watanabe shares that the biggest misconception is in how to prepare it. The cooking temperature and time due to the marbling and the thickness of the cut require attention. As in Canada, wagyu is becoming increasingly popular in Japan, especially in the Kansai area where she lives. Her aim is to share her love of the taste and texture, but also the knowledge and respect for quality and for responsibility and sustainability.

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Marika Watanabe, the "Kimono Butcher," and Adam Waxman. Photo by Adam Waxman/DINE Magazine.
Marika Watanabe, the “Kimono Butcher,” and Adam Waxman. Photo by Adam Waxman/DINE Magazine.

Blue Bovine boasts the most delicious wagyu burger in Toronto: Wagyu Steak Burger with aged cheddar in a toasted brioche bun with duck fat Kennebec hand-cut fries. Their illustrious steak menu includes US and Australian wagyu as well as Japanese and Kobe-certified wagyu. Following Watanabe’s demonstration, we indulge in Kobe Beef Carpaccio with Shimeji Mushrooms and Grana Padano snow; Torched Kobe Beef with Fresh Truffles; Kobe Beef Tartare; Korean style Kobe Beef Tacos; and Kobe Beef with Crispy Rice. This is the life!

We relish the joy of wagyu and marvel at this behind-the-scenes glimpse of an artist at work with her ninja-like skill making long slender cuts as though cutting through butter. When I ask her how she is able to distinguish herself in such a male dominated industry, she replies with a smile, “I read; I watch; I always practice hard.”

For more information about The Butcher Shoppe or to purchase wagyu beef, go to: dinemagazine.ca/ask-the-butcher

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