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- Address: Japan, 〒150-0001 Tōkyō-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingūmae, 3 Chome−25−12, フジビル
- Opens: Mon – Sun 11:30am – 11pm
Get there early!
I heard of this place on my research to Tokyo and I wanted to try this much raved “mountain of beef on a bowl of rice”. We arrived at the Harajuku Red Rock restaurant at 11:30am on a Saturday. It was a mistake not to arrive early on a weekend as there was already a line of 30+ people already formed right by the entrance.
The wait was not as swift as I had anticipated. We waited almost an hour before we got in. If you’re hungry you want to show up at least 30 mins before the store opens at 11:30am or go after the peak hours which is about 9pm. There are also many other Red Rock locations. The one at Takanobaba station is the least busy.
There’s actually two bowls that they are famous for. One is the roast beef bowl and the other is the steak bowl.
Once you manage to reach the entrance you get to order and pay via the all so common vending machine. We went for the Kuroge Wagyu Roast Beef don (Black Wagyu Roast beef rice bowl). There are two sizes, large and regular.
The restaurant itself isn’t very big. Your order shows up fairly quickly from the time you enter the restaurant, hand the ticket to the waitress and get seated.
Tasting
The regular size bowl isn’t as large as you think. It’s good enough for the ladies. However, if you’re hungry, you should definitely go for the large one.
The beef roast beef is cooked to medium rare. This is definitely how I would like my beef, it’s juicy, tender and flavorful. There’s no reason not to go for the Wagyu version if you’re a tourist in Japan. It’s definitely the best bang for your buck.
The egg on top is raw (raw egg is fairly safe in Japan unlike North America – at least I think it is). You’re suppose to poke it and let it drizzle down the mountain of beef. The white stuff besides the egg is actually some sort of sour cream that tastes a bit like sauerkraut, the stuff you often eat with Roast beef.
Conclusion
Not to be exaggerated, like many foods in Japan, this roast beef has got to be the best I have eaten anywhere. The tenderness and flavor is a notch above all else. Being a beef lover if I were to visit Tokyo again, this will be one of the restaurants that I’ll bring my friends and family to.
