Nikutoieba Matsuda

We tried a few fine dining places recently and thought Nikutoieba Matsuda is among the best. For the same price, you get so much more - great food, great service and nice vibe. We particularly love the signature wagyu sandwich (tried the same dish in some wagyu places in Tokyo and think this is better). Would be happy to come back again to try other seasonal menus.

Booked this Wagyu specialist restaurant for dinner three weeks in advance with deposit made. It has a counter seating for 11 persons and table setting for another 8 persons if I recall correctly. We arrived on time and were greeted warmly by the staff and chef. The 13-course dinner started altogether at the same time. The first few dishes were amazing. However, I didn't like the main dish which was a charcoal grilled aged beef steak. Its surface was all black and it tasted like bitter charcoal. Another dish I didn't enjoy much was the beef noodles where the beef were way overcooked and felt like chewing a piece of wood. Apart from these two, I truly enjoyed every other dish. For $1,280. a set, it is a good bargain for a Wagyu dinner in Hong Kong.

Nikutoieba Matsuda is the famous wagyu specialist originated in Nara, Japan. Newly opened in November, its Hong Kong branch is the brand’s first overseas outlet. Living up to its name, which literally means “speaking of meat, Matsuda”, it is probably the most talked-about kappo restaurant in the past few months. Guests must make reservation in advance and prepay a non-refundable deposit of HK$500/person upon confirmation. The restaurant is bright and clean, with 11 counter seats surrounding Chef Hitoshi’s open kitchen. Servers are friendly and accommodating. There is only one 14-Course omakase menu (HK$1,280/person) with Australian wagyu (tongue only) and various parts of Miyazaki wagyu being the main ingredients. Freshly prepared dishes are of great quality. Highlights of the meal include the crunchy and flavorful Wagyu Beef Tartar Sushi “Torotaku”, the silky-smooth Wagyu Sirloin Sukiyaki with Seasonal Mushroom, and the superb Wagyu Fillet Cutlet Sandwich!

Starting the year with a new wagyu omakase in Gough Street, a cosy restaurant with professional service. Food is well presented and the chef tries to give different varieties on the dishes, the sake pairing is interesting too. 13 courses at this price is very reasonable.

Delicious wagyu ryori. Reasonable price.

The 14-course omakase menu ($1,280) is extremely value for money!

The sequence of serving the beefs are very well planned, it start from light body to full body, juicy and more tender.

Came when they first opened and back again now - quality clearly dropped since then. There was only one course that you had to make a choice and even then they got my order wrong - I already had a bite in the wrong dish and they took it away which is wasteful, then both me and the lady next to me had to wait for them to remake our dishes. Service was lacking and inattentive - our sake carafe was not refilled even when empty and had to be prompted repeatedly. Even then we were left with a big portion remaining by the end of the meal. At 9:30pm the staff already started rushing people to leave by bringing up the bills for everyone. The server didn't ask me and my unfinished dessert got taken away while I was signing the receipt. The server was also rather rude when we ask them to split the bills because he didn't understand our request.