Wagyu a destination eating experience

Hospitality in Australia is well on the road to recovery, allowing the opportunity for diners to experience the full fine dining experience once more.

Australia’s fine dining restaurants are once again receiving patrons to taste the very best food and produce on offer, and Wagyu is no exception.

Well-known restaurant Moo Moo’s Wine Bar & Grill has received many awards in recent years and offers diners the very best produce available, including truffles, seafood and beef.

The restaurant has two venues, at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, and Brisbane CBD, and owned by Steve and Autumn Adams. Trent Robson is the Group Executive Chef, overseeing the highly trained chefs at both sites.

Trent describes the a la carte menu as traditional in a culinary sense, but reflects the current trends in presentation and cooking methods. It is the beef that is the star of the show, with the Specialty Beef Menu items describing the brand, cut, age and feeding regime.

Regular appearances on the menu include Westholme, Rangers Valley and 2GR utilising cuts such as striploin, cube rolls, flat iron and rump caps. In addition, the Kyushu Satsuma A5 Japanese Black Wagyu brand rounds out the specialty Wagyu offerings. With each option, the brand, the Japanese bloodline, Marble Score, feed regime and feedlot (for example grainfed for 300 days), and age at slaughter are included in the description.

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“We aim to source the best beef we can find. Not every steak can be $100, but it will be a benchmark product with proven consistency,” said Trent.

“We have a good relationship with some of the biggest Wagyu producers in Australia, where we have built up relationships with them, so when the market gets tighter, which it does every year, we get the first pick, because they know we will look after their brand and treat the beef well.”

The volumes of Wagyu are significant through both restaurant sites therefore quality and consistency are an important aspect for suppliers. To balance the orders, one brand of cut will be used in Broadbeach, and another brand in Brisbane in order to fully utilise the range of cuts.

When diners choose their Wagyu, it is served with a simple garnish, often a Ponzu sauce (a traditional Japanese sauce served with shabu shabu). Sides are then ordered separately. While ultimately the choice of side is the diner’s choice, Trent said his staff are well versed in advising the most appropriate side based on the cut and marble score of the Wagyu ordered.

“For example, if you were choosing a highly marbled cut, adding a rich bearnaise sauce with mashed potato would be too much. We would suggest something that is more acidic, such as a salad with a sharp vinaigrette dressing, that compliments and cuts through the fattiness of the meat. Or alternatively, a side that has a more traditional Asian flavour.”

When Trent started with Moo Moo’s seven years ago, it was not uncommon to explain to diners the meaning of marble score and what to expect from Wagyu beef. Now, he says, that is no longer the case where most diners understand that Wagyu beef sets the benchmark for quality steak. The restaurants now have a loyal customer base that come specifically for exceptional beef, and expect the Wagyu to be a destination meal.

We aim to source the best beef we can find. Not every steak can be $100, but it will be a benchmark product with proven consistency”

The specials offer of AACo’s A11 and A12 Wagyu is testament to that eating experience, as too the Japanese A5. Often diners will order a share platter of these dishes to share between the table to savour the luxuriousness of Wagyu beef.

“Moo Moo’s has come to represent the very best in Australian beef, and particular the range of cuts and marble score for Wagyu, which has set a benchmark for us to provide a fine dining experience, that people came back for time and again.”

Perfecting the production of quality Wagyu

Breeding objectives are crucial in any commercial herd, tailoring important genetic traits for sustainable production that meets specific market requirements.

We uphold strict criteria for our breeding objectives Above herd average (EBV) for milk, 200, 400, 600 day and CW. High fertility (short gestation length). Consistently high quality marbling (inc fineness) based on raw carcase data and EBVs. Free from all know genetic recessive diseases. Genetic diversity (low inbreeding coefficients).

Please direct your enquiries to Pete Bishop

PETE BISHOP Owner Bishop Wagyu | Director Quality Genetics International contact @bishopwagyu.com 0429 454 189