Real Certified Kobe Beef Arrives in Singapore, with Exclusive Debut at CUT by Wolfgang Puck

Last Monday, 22 July was a milestone. The highly prized and rare exported Kobe beef has finally arrived in Singapore. It will be served exclusively at CUT by Wolfgang Puck for two months before appearing in any other restaurants.

We hear of Kobe beef so often, I had thought that it must already in the market, but no! Kobe beef was not exported prior to 2012. Singapore joins Hong Kong, Macau, the United States and Thailand as the only few countries that get the coveted 300 heads total available per year for export.

This was announced at a press ceremony on that Monday when the beef was officially launched. Mr Tamir Shanel, vice-president of food and beverage for Marina Bay Sands (left above), received the Kobe Beef bronze statuette from Mr Yoshihiko Sowa, Secretariat of Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association.




The marbled cows come marching in...Sirloin steak cubes by CUT, with a special brown sauce

Kobe beef prides outstanding flavour and fine marbling of its beef on the animal's lineage. Only pureblood "Tajima-gyu" cattle since the Edo period (1615-1867) to present day from the Hyogo Prefecture in Japan that are raised by designated farmers can be considered for Kobe beef certification. The Beef Marbling Score (BMS) has to be 6 or higher.



Kobe Beef Sliders...a CUT above the regular sliders!

Specialty Kobe beef dishes are now available at CUT. These include the Kobe Sirloin, Ribeye and Tenderloin that will be grilled over almond wood.



The Kobe Beef Nigiri is divine, but a pity it is not on the menu.

You just have to look at the marbling to know how melt-in-your-mouth it's going to be. Kobe beef is not only extraordinarily tender but flavourful as well.




Kobe Beef Steak Sandwich - juicy, well-seasoned and full-flavoured - is one of the menu items.

Tajima-gyu cows are raised to about 30 months, which is an extra two to four months compared with regular Japanese Black breed of wagyu cattle. Each year 5,500 heads of Tajima-gyu cattle are taken to the market but only about 3,000 are certified as Kobe beef.



Oh, by the way, CUT also serves some seriously good cocktails.



You have to try some of their signature drinks. This one was so strong, it killed my brain cells, so I forgot what it's called. I'll check again.




The bronze statuette is displayed at officially designated stores permitted to buy and sell Kobe beef. All certified Kobe beef also comes with a 10-digit individual number on display at the sellers and restaurants. This number can be traced back to information on where the cattle was raised and sold.

Check out the Kobe Beef official website (there's an English section), which lovingly details everything you'd ever want to know about this marvelous meat.



It's A4 to A5 grade wagyu served here at CUT. So far, two shipments have come in, totalling 353kg for two months. Will this increase in future? We'll have to see, as supply is limited, so any increase will be gradual. They did not want to announce yet the other restaurants after the two month debut, but stated they would have to be an authorised user of the registered system.

Kobe beef is a protected trademark and viewed as a national treasure in Japan. Singapore was chosen for its international standard of living. Sowa-san also said, "There is no better place to debut this exclusively than at CUT, the finest steakhouse in Singapore and at Marina Bay Sands, a world-class dining destination and a popular tourist icon among the Japanese."

CUT's executive chef Joshua Brown (right, above) says they will keep cooking techniques simple to let the natural flavour of the beef shine through.

I agree. When it's beef this good, you don't need to do much to it.


CUT BY WOLFGANG PUCK
B1-71, Galleria Level,
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (next to the Theatre)
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore
Tel: +65 6688-8517

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