[Sendai] Umami Tasuke (旨味太助).
Ask any native Japanese which regional specialty is a must-try in Sendai, and chances are you’ll be pointed to gyu-tan (牛タン). Gyutan is beef tongue, and in the case of Sendai they generally slice it thinly and then grill it over charcoal and usually serve it with pickled vegetables, oxtail soup and mugi gohan (steamed white rice with barley).
And this is exactly what you get at Umami Tasuke (旨味太助) - in fact it’s pretty much the only dish they offer at this specialty BBQ gyutan shop. If you’re lucky you’ll get a counter seat where you can observe the chef grill the gyutan in front of you under the watchful eye of the proprietor; the latter sometimes reject improperly grilled pieces while scowling at the chastened-looking chef.
If you aren’t familiar with beef tongue, it has a texture that’s a bizarre combination of hearty beef steak and crunchy pork kidney. When grilled it acquires a delicious savoury smokiness that’s absolutely perfect with the mugi gohan. They have three serving sizes here, dictated by the number of slices you require - Esther and I each had 5 pieces.
Like most dining establishments in Japan, don’t expect to come dine here in big groups; it’s generally a long wait for groups of four or more. It’s worth it, though! - Daniel
Umami Tasuke (味太助)
Address 2-11-11 Kokubuncho,Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-0803, Miyagi Prefecture (Google Maps link) Tel +81 22-262-2539