Yapari Japanese Steakhouse, Swanston St

I never thought I would eat so much beef buy due to a shortage in iron I have become a a regular beef eater (not the ones with giant collars in London). Heme iron is easiest to absorb by the body and beef is one of the best sources of heme iron. Having beef once a week or a couple of weeks beefs up my iron reserves. Too much iron places oxidative stress on the body which causes all sorts of issues like cardiovascular disease so there must be a balance between eating too much and too little. I do eat non heme iron as well, such as lentils and spinach and other heme iron sources like eggs and poultry so I need to be careful not to collect too much iron.

When we went to Yapari Steakhouse, I was nevertheless looking forward to eating my weekly beef. The cut of beef is served on a sizzling plate which one can cut and cook to their preference. I prefer mine to be fully cooked so the sizzling plate was very useful but spluttered a little too much. We were given disposable bibs and there are felt cubes for our bags on the ground next to the table but the oil from the sizzling plate will splatter onto one's arms, lap, bag if not careful. It is best to keep it away from oneself and not to make contact with the table surface around the plate (because the oil from the plate lands on the table and can soil your sleeves or hand). 

The fiddly part aside, I chose the Momo steak 150g for $19.90 and a side of rice, miso soup and mini salad for $4.90. The steak is a wagyu steak but is not very fatty. It is from the flank of the cow so it is a leaner cut. I really enjoyed it because it is just nice, not too oily or too lean. The meat comes unmarinated but there is a free flow of sauces in the self serve station like bbq sauce, mustard, chopped garlic, wasabi, yuzu soy sauce, mayo, sesame sauce, sriracha available. I enjoyed one of the soy based sauce, chopped garlic and wasabi with my steak. The sesame sauce goes well as usual, with the salad. 

I enjoyed the food and think it is an affordable steak experience to be tried. If anyone was really hungry, there are set menus that come with beer for around $70 to $90 which could be fun when eating with a group.