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Wagyu really is wonderful. It is also expensive and one of the most mistreated meats in Australia.
Possibly the worst way to eat it is an a hunking great steak; possibly the best way is to prepare it with care in small quantities, even as sushi.
Charles Greenfield, the owner and chef at Jamon Sushi in South Yarra, has probably worked with more different types of wagyu than anybody else in Australia. And there are more pure and mixed blood wagyu herds here than you’d believe.
Once or twice a year he holds special wagyu weeks. Next week on Wednesday 30th April there is an opportunity for up to eight bloggers to sample what he does at his bar. Usually the cost is $250 but he is prepared to offer a slightly parred down menu for $120 plus drinks.

This time around it is Sher wagyu with a fat marbling score of 9+.
Although this seems expensive it is a bargain bearing in mind the price of the meat. A while ago I was lucky enough to sample his work with Wagyu. You can see here what I wrote on it for The Australian and the pictures here on this blog.
Sitting at the bar as Greenfield prepares the dishes is an educational experience. I’ve probably learnt more about Japanese food eating here than anyhere else although Greenfield’s approach is not traditional.
You’ll find yourself comparing the textures and tastes of different cuts, cooked and raw. And you’ll get to smell that special unmistakable smell of wagyu cooking.
If you are interested let me know in comments. First come first served. And I’m at the front of the queue, which means there are seven places left. And yes, I am paying my way rather than taking a free meal which brings the price down for you.

Popularity: 28% [?]

To the left are five slices of the jamón ibérico de bellota. They weighed 88 grams and cost a shocking $41.80.To the right are five much larger slices of San Daniele ham from Italy weighing 142 grams and costing $17.04.One sunny afternoon, before I joined Febfast, we sat on the front veranda surveying the 4 sq m of garden that I cultivate while quaffing a crisp white wine and sharing pieces over the fence with my enterprising neighbours.We were split down the middle as to which was best.The jamon was thought to have too strong a flavour by two of us. Personally I was disappointed with the texture of the ham at the edges, tough slices that could have been carved off an old belt. It would be more appropriate to cook with rather than eat unadorned. The Jamon allegedly gets its flavour from feeding on acorns. I doubt this. I find it difficult to believe that the flavour of flesh can be influenced by what one eats. I would imagine, and I can find no science to back this up, that the flavour is created by the bacteria that effect the chemical processes and change the nature of a leg of pork into the ham (similarly, minerality in soil doesn’t create minerality in wines. It’s the yeasts that ferment it that do).In presentation the San Daniele is much better, pinker in colour and softer in texture - as well as flavour.Both hams are good, very good. Personally to eat with melon, figs, in a sandwich or alone the San Daniele wins hands down, especially when price is taken into account.The Jamon tastes good, very good and is best in small doses for more reasons than the price alone.Food fascist- try the Serrano- taste test Audtralian-made proscuitto

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Spanish chef Frank Comorra is a laugh. When he sent me a copy of his sell out Movida cookbook he signed it as the CEO of Ikea. He’d read by blogpost where I’d complained Movida didn’t conform to the stereotypical Spanish restaurant and owed more to the Swedish superstore than dark oak, Pablo Picasso or Anton Gaudi.Of course, I’m nothing but inconsistent. Shannon Bennett’s Bistro Vue I complain is a French theme park with its beams, French furniture and a funny little bag in which warm bread is served. Oh, I’m told they sometimes have an accordion player there too.In reality, I don’t mind theme parks, and Bistro Vue, which serves the best pear Tarte Tatin I have ever eaten, may usurp Sovereign Hill as my favorite in Australia. And I’ve grown to love a seat at the bar of Movida. The review starts here…If you hadn’t realised it yet, Movida is quit possibly the most popular restaurant in Melbourne aside from Taco Bill’s. Lifestyle channel viewers voted Movida their fourth most favoured destination. And for anyone visiting Melbourne it is top of the list for lunch or supper.And so it was for my sugar daddy who, feeling down, popped a happy pill and decided he wanted lunch at Movida with me. An hour or so in seat 1A and a limousine ride later and he is plonked at the best spot in the restaurant- the bar - hoovering down a cold beer. Followed by a sherry, wine, beer and wine again. Eventually his head blurred as you can see in the pic above.Coincidentally, the bar is full of chefs who’ve come into town to see the Australian Open - including one from Sovereign Hill which makes my day.You won’t find food like this is any tapas bar or other Spanish restaurant in Australia. It is gobsmackingly good.At the bar we sticky beak at our neighbours food, jealous of the dishes we hadn’t ordered. By the end of lunch we are sharing.Luckily, I have a sugar daddy to pay. We could afford to eat 20 grams of acorn fed Iberico ham that costs $1 a gram (I recommend financially challenged mortals buy it from a deli for under 48 cents a gram and eat it at home). We also downed two 500ml bottles of stunning Roda 1 (which don’t seem to be on the wine list) costing nearly $300.The food? Two absolute stunners.There is the famous Ortiz anchovy (above) on a thin crouton and topped with a smoked tomato sorbet. At $4.50 each it is within the reach or most mortals and is a dish that shows real innovation.Second was Cucina (above), air cured wagyu beef thinly sliced (a bit like a bresaola) with a truffled potato foam topped with a poached egg at $17. This is a superb use of the magnificantly marbled Wagyu which is fast become the most misused meat in Australia in other poorer quality restaurants. And there is something aboutthe mix of flavoursome meat, earthy truffle, potato and egg that is meant to be.I defy you to visit Movida without ordering these dishes.Our only mistake was the timing of a dish of diced multicolored tomatoes topped with white anchovies (above). An acid dish, it is a palate cleanser and should have been ordered first.The dilemma here is to whether to stop and bore you with a list of every single dish and finally telling you whether or not to visit the restaurant. On balance I’ll show you the pictures and let you make your own mind up.Vieira, jamon y espuma 4.50Half shell scallop oven baked with jamon and potato foamMorcilla 13.50Grilled house made black pudding in the Burgos style thickened with rice and spicesBistec tartar de wagyu 17.50Spicy steak tartare of raw, grass fed Wagyu beefThe review ends here

Popularity: 38% [?]