Catering to discerning epicureans, The Gyu Bar, recently opened its doors at the new dining enclave along 30 Stevens Road, nestled in between the Novotel & Mercure hotel cluster. At 1,300 sq ft, the upscale-casual restaurant with a capacity of 35 offers an indulgent and educational yakiniku experience for meat lovers and sake aficionados alike, in a contemporary setting reminiscent of old-world elegance.

The Gyu Bar is the brainchild of three friends which include F&B entrepreneur Karen Cheng, founder of The Travelling C.O.W. (Chef On Wheels), Chef Tomoo Kimura of the eponymous Japanese sushi restaurant at Palais Renaissance and Investment Director Chua Weiling, who manages the private equity and early-stage-ventures investments in her family’s investment office. Together, The Gyu Bar’s founders aim to deliver a combination of honest food and a steadfast commitment to quality for the selections.

Cream of the cattle

The Gyu Bar founders spent almost a year sourcing the finest bred Black Wagyu cattle from Japan, eventually picking the Kumamoto Kuroge breed as the cattles are raised in a stress-free environment with pristine air quality, naturally purified water carved by the volcanos in Mount Aso, and fed a custom- blended diet of vegetables.

The unique clean environment in Kumamoto and the farmers breeding techniques make for cuts that are balanced in marbling and meat, silky on the palette and which are nuanced in flavors depending on the various cuts of meats served.

These  cuts  of  meats  are  available  at  the  Gyu  Bar  depending  on  the  kind  of  platters  that  are ordered. Depending  on  the  availability  for  the  day,  guests  can  enjoy  premium  cuts  such  as  the Chateaubriand , the most expensive and tender cut of the beef, or Tomo Sankaku both of which are so rare that they represent only up to 1% of a butchered bovine.

 

Sukiyaki beef (with egg dip to go with Sirloin)

 

Sukiyaki beef (with egg dip to go with Sirloin)

 

Wagyu Yukke (beef tartare, $28)

 

Omakase beef platter $178/ 300g
Short plate, chuck rib, Hire Ribeye, sirloin

Uni wagyu Yukke cone $38 for 4 pcs

Yuzu , Matcha,$6 per serving per flavour

Ishiyaki Garlic Egg Rice (hot stone rice) $ 15.00

 

Wagyu Tataki (Beef Carpaccio, $28)

 

 

Diners are able to savour the optimum mouthfeel and freshness of the delicacy through the house specials, Wagyu Yukke (beef tartare, $28) and Wagyu Tataki (Beef Carpaccio, $28) which are seasoned with just a dash of house-made sauce to enhance the natural umami flavours of the meat. Beef lovers will also not want to miss the Gyu Bar Platter ($98): This platter allows each guest to sample through an entire cow, a rare opportunity to eat your way through every cut and consistency of beef imaginable in a single sitting.

 

Abundant dining pleasures

Aside from beef, The Gyu Bar diversifies its yakiniku experience with quality-sourced pork loin and neck (Tontoro) cuts, scallops, organic short grain rice from Niigata and the same award-winning, top grade nori cultivated from the Ariake sea found at its sister outlet, Sushi Kimura. More seasonal pro duce and rare varieties of meat will further be available at The Gyu Bar via an omakase course which is due to be unveiled in the later part of 2018.

Diners need not worry about lingering odours thanks to the restaurant’s highly efficient, top-notch ventilation system throughout the restaurant, that ensures that all smoke produced is immediately filtered downwards through the individual table grills.

Open for lunch, The Gyu Bar also offers a delectable selection of rice bowls replete with soup and house salad. A must-try is the Signature Roast Beef Don ($35), a house specialty that stars Hokkaido slow- roasted top round beef and the chef’s secret gravy, topped with an onsen egg.

 

First drink is always on the house

A wide and ever-changing range of about 40 types of imported Japanese sakes are available in carafes starting from 180ml, which are recommended  for individual consumption or sharing between small groups who are looking to sample more than one type of sake during their meal.

In the spirit of omotenashi, every patron of The Gyu Bar is treated to his or her first cup of sake at no charge. Upon guests’ arrival, they are taken to the “Sake Glass Wall”: where the owners’ collection of sake cups and glasses of all shapes, sizes, colours and designs are displayed for selection, after which the diner’s chosen cup is filled with the restaurant’s complimentary sake of the day.

“We want diners to come to The Gyu Bar and as feel if they were returning home. Some might find their favourite go-to sake cup which they might consider as their ‘own’, while others may delight in discovering the varying aesthetics and origins of a different cup each visit,” explains co-founder Karen Cheng, on the unique concept of sharing the restaurant’s sake glass collection with diners through the Sake Glass Wall.

 

On the restaurant’s free first-drink policy, she adds: “The yakiniku culture is a very communal dining experience with an emphasis on friendship and sharing, and that’s something we want to extend to our patrons as well, to demonstrate our sincerity in making our customers feel welcome and that they truly belong.”

https://www.facebook.com/The-Gyu-Bar-722599607945446/

http://thegyubar.com.sg/

30 Stevens Road #01-08
Singapore 257840

6732 0702 / 9150 3164

reservations@thegyubar.com.sg