Wakanui: Top-grade lamb in downtown style
NZ lamb is the order of the day at Wakanui.Despite having been in operation for eight months, Wakanui wasn’t even on our radar until a recent invitation dropped on our desk.
Consider the restaurant’s relatively secluded location in the backstreets of Higashi-Azabu, and that would seem to make the lack of publicity something of an issue. Yet the eatery didn’t seem to lack for customers on our recent Tuesday-night visit.
Wakanui is operated by Anzco Foods Japan, which imports and distributes New Zealand beef and lamb. After encountering a minor prejudice against lamb (Tokyo diners find it strong-flavored, explains Anzco Japan President Makoto Kinjo), they decided the best way to introduce local gourmands to the true joys of the meat was to open a restaurant where they could try it first-hand.
In like a lion …
Wakanui held a soft opening in April of this year and has hardly advertised at all in the months since. Instead, the restaurant’s customer base comes mainly from word of mouth -- a fact which plays well with Wakanui’s carefully cultivated hidden-gem vibe.
With dim lighting and solid, dark-wood furniture complemented by large, sparkling wine glasses, Wakanui has the rich atmosphere of a downtown steakhouse. And while the prices are unsurprisingly also on the rich side, there’s volume to match.
One of the most popular menu items is a succulent bone-in rib eye (¥8,800) that weighs in at a whopping 1,000 grams. Needless to say, the dish is meant to share.
Sides include sautéed spinach (¥700); deliciously crisp and garlicky diced roasted potatoes (¥600); and a refreshing, if somewhat bland, herb jasmine rice pilaf (¥600).
Somewhat ironically for a restaurant whose selling point is red meat, the standout dish of the night was Wakanui’s hot smoked New Zealand King salmon (¥1,600).
Served on a bed of zucchini, asparagus and tomato, the fish provided both a welcome change of pace and an explosively juicy flavor palate in itself.
By the time the dessert of pavlova, Hokey Pokey ice cream and Mojo coffee came around, the stairs leading up to street level were a truly daunting prospect.
While Wakanui is a bit too pricey to be a regular weekly haunt, it’s a perfect candidate for your next treat-myself celebration -- or business dinner, if your goal is to lull a client into a satisfied, meat-filled stupor. A prix-fixé lunch menu is also available, with burgers, lamb chops, veal steak and other options for ¥2,100.
Wakanui, 1/F Towa Igureggu Bldg, 2-23-14 Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, +81 (0) 3 3568 3466. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-11 p.m., closed Monday. Website.
