is the meatlover in me back?

i have lessened eating red meat in the past couple of years. this is because of my blood type diet. just search it on the net and you'll understand why. the only thing that breaks this diet is when there's lamb and during the holiday season because i couldn't resist lechon kawali and my mom's caldereta.

anyway, last year, the food fad was wagyu. i didn't pay much attention because i was refraining from eating meat and truth be told it really feels heavy and unhealthy whenever i eat meat. however, i just couldn't resist the temptation of kobe beef when a colleague had me try some. this beef was brought in from japan. and yes, she vouched it's authentic kobe because no other wagyu she has tried tasted this great.

and now, i am dreaming of kobe. scoured the internet looking for a place that sells authentic kobe. they said tsukiji carries it, but i found out they only serve ohmi wagyu. ohmi comes second to kobe but still isn't kobe.

i found sugi offering kobe at 2500 PHP (not sure if this is an upated price list) but it's teppanyaki. so this means, i will be restricted to thin slices of kobe? that ain't fun. a more substantive offering comes from madison grill, american style kobe at 2850 PHP. but then that ain't kobe right? because it's american hehe. american kobe is wagyu and black angus crossed bred to create beef that is better than USDA prime. the thing is, if you're shelling out mucho dinero you wanna be happy with what you're getting. i'd rather have something that i know ain't kobe but comes close to kobe rather than being lied to. the key here is making sure that i'll be getting a well marbled steak which ensures the tenderness and flavor of the meat because i like my steak medium well. so it should still be tender and buttery even if it's cooked and not have that uber pinkish color.

gheez, now i'm torn. there are several steak places i have wanted to try before but i don't think they'll compare with getting a kobe or wagyu at the very least. there's duo which i want to try especially the classic combination of steak and foie gras, tagaytay highlands because lori's rib-eye just looks oh so yummy. elbert's is also famous for high quality steaks. they only serve USDA certified and i just found out that in the japanese marbling system, USDA prime steaks are at 5-6 while kobe beef rates 12 - what a huge difference right?

oh well, the problem is not just where to eat but also who to eat it with. i doubt that i would want to finish off a 3K steak all by myself. so foodie friends, lemme me know if you are up for the challenge.