Japan is full of wondrous beef, made from cows obsessively bred by farmers that probably don’t live as luxuriously as their cattle do. But there’s premium, melt-in-your-mouth wagyu, and then there’s Satsuma Gyu 4% Miracle Beef. 

Satsuma Gyu comes from Kagoshima, the prefecture that won the gold at the last Wagyu Olympics in 2017. So rare and precious is the Satsuma Gyu subgroup that only 12 producers are allowed to breed them, each one holding the status of “meijin”, a title that can only be earned by winning a wagyu competition. And within this tiny sampling of about 4,000 cows deemed good enough to be Satsuma Gyu, only four per cent of these have a fat content exceeding 80 per cent, pushing them into the mythical category of beef with a top marbling score of 10. 

(Related: Wagyu: here’s what you need to know about Japanese beef)

The good news is it won’t take a miracle to sample this marvellous meat. Bedrock Bar & Grill’s quarterly World Meat Series has kicked off the year’s first edition with Satsuma Gyu 4% Miracle Beef as the highlight. The five-course tasting menu is available from now till 31 March 2022 and, as part of the Series’ new format, comes with a wine-pairing option. 

Beef Tartare

With four out of the five menu items featuring this extravagantly marbled beef, don’t expect to walk away from this meal feeling light or comfortable. It will however, be absolutely worth the guilt and calories. 

The first course is a beef tartare that uses ribeye cap — a leaner cut that lends a bit of chew — and is seasoned with gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce and a squeeze of lime. Sitting on a crunchy, sweet nest of Japanese pear, fried garlic, sesame seeds, chives and croutons, and topped with a confit egg yolk, it is a powerhouse of both flavour and texture. 

(Related: Indulge in a 22-course omakase meal at this Japanese restaurant)

The Boneless Wagyu Chuck Rib is slow-cooked in a smoker for 72 hours so all that connective tissue will dissolve into melting, unctuous, mouthfuls of meat and fat. It is served with a side of semi-dried cherry tomatoes and pickled vegetables to help balance the richness, but if there was ever a dish that would justify the menu’s add-on wine pairing, it’s this one. The accompanying vino here is a cassis- and plum-driven 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from First Drop Mother’s Ruin. 

Small slabs of wagyu ribeye, lightly seasoned and grilled over an applewood fire, arrive sandwiched between thick slices of buttered and toasted bread. A gentle smearing of black garlic mayonnaise and a side of fried onion rings ensure this may be the most luxurious sandwich you’ll have this season. 

Woodfire Grilled Wagyu Striploin

Rounding out the beef parade is 200gm of wood fire-grilled wagyu strip loin, prepared the same way as the ribeye, and paying homage to its Japanese origins with a dollop of kizami wasabi, where wasabi root is marinated in soy sauce and then chopped (instead of grated) for gentler heat. Thick-cut fries tossed with shichimi seven-spice powder will surely quell any residual hunger. 

The meal ends with Nama Chocolate, a slender brick of single origin Valrhona Tulakalum 75% bittersweet cocoa ganache. Topped with cacao nibs and hazelnut shavings and served on a swirling of raspberry reduction, it is a classic chocolate dessert that requires no creative elevation. 

(Related: Best Dinner Experience (Asian): Ushidoki Wagyu Kaiseki)

Meat-focused menus don’t need to put much stock in innovation since preparation and ingredient quality should take centrestage, but Bedrock Bar & Grill’s efforts in keep things from tasting like four courses of beef-flavoured fat is admirable and, of course, thoroughly delicious. Bring an appetite. 

96 Somerset Rd, #01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, Singapore 238163. Tel: 6238 0054

Photos from Bedrock Bar & Grill.