Wagyu joint Gyu+ Bar by Miyoshi treats wagyu like a whole cast of characters, and lets you meet them one by one, through sashimi, sushi, consommé, shabu-shabu and the wood fire.

The backstory is irresistible. ‘By Miyoshi’ is an edible heirloom from Niku no Takumi Miyoshi, the acclaimed wagyu kaiseki spot in Gion, Kyoto. Founding chef Tsutomu Ito, rather than thinking of wagyu as prized steak, started asking a better question: what happens when you apply the right techniques to different cuts to tease out their umami, sweetness, aroma and texture? That obsession has landed at Lee Gardens, translated into something more contemporary, more approachable, and (thankfully) a little less intimidating than the word ‘kaiseki’ can sometimes sound.

Gyu+ Bar by Miyoshi’s multi-course Wagyu Experience begins with Truffle Beef Wine, a concentrated beef-only consommé slow-simmered for more than 15 hours, served in a wine glass. It’s rich, luxurious and oddly clean in its focus, as though the kitchen filtered out everything except the point of the dish.

Wagyu Sashimi uses thin slices of Kagoshima A5 ichibo (rump cap), a cut that’s naturally leaner yet still carries A5 marbling with enough grace to land somewhere between meat and butter.

Taking a page from Kyoto while letting Hong Kong have fun, Wagyu Sushi Miyoshi Style finds the wagyu lightly seared, finely chopped, topped with seasonal seafood and caviar, then delicately smoked over lychee wood. The lychee-wood smoke is subtle, more perfume than fire, and it gives the caviar a faintly sweet hush.

Between bolder flavours, there’s a yuzu and tarragon palate cleanser, which is bright, fragrant, and just spicy enough to wake you up for shabu-shabu: Kagoshima A5 wagyu sirloin, paired with wood-fired Akanasu eggplant from Kumamoto and sesame ponzu. The aubergine brings roasted bittersweet depth, while the ponzu adds a clean tang that keeps the wagyu feeling alive rather than heavy.

The hearty main of Wagyu Tenderloin is wood-fired and served deliberately without sauce. The beef’s umami is front and centre, and the house condiments of red-wine salt, wasabi, salt-cured black pepper and hishio (a traditional fermented seasoning) layer rather than overwhelm.

The wood fire shows up in the supporting cast, too. An appetiser of Japanese-style steamed abalone is braised gently in its broth for three hours, rested overnight, then lightly smoked, served chilled and finished with yuzu pepper beurre blanc, a refined French interpretation that still respects the abalone’s delicate rhythm.

The restaurant’s philosophy stems from Ito’s rule of respecting the cut rather than worshipping marbling. His cooking method is determined by tasting the meat raw first to sense natural aroma, sweetness and texture, then testing how soy and dashi flavour interactions bloom with heat. Flexibility, he insists, isn’t inconsistency; it’s choosing the method that best reveals each cut’s character. Even his wood-fire logic is specific: gentle heat, better moisture retention, fewer harsh, bitter notes, and a smoke aroma that draws out sweetness instead of masking the beef.

Day-to-day success ‘by Miyoshi’ is serving customers the food Ito finds most delicious, watching their genuine delight, and seeing that feeling spread outwards. Professionally, he measures it by customer reaction, because at this price point the experience has to be worth the cost, and he wants diners to return.

He describes happiness as something that happens both in the making and in the reaction: he loves encountering delectable food he’s never tasted before, and then translating that emotion into dishes. The joy, he says, is the instant feedback, especially when you cook and serve across the counter.

The Wagyu Experience closes with Sagabiyori pot rice enriched by soy-marinated egg yolk and pickles, and Kyoto white miso soup, comforting, sweet and savoury in balance. The dessert is a passion-fruit pavlova with light meringue and bright fruit acidity, like a playful goodbye after a serious conversation.

Gyu+ Bar by Miyoshi, Shop 401-404, 4/F, Lee Garden One, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Tel: 2116 0593. gyubar.com.hk

Text: Joseff Musa    Photos: Gyu+ Bar by Miyoshi