SUBANG JAYA, Sept 23 — In Japan, the hamburger steak can be found in yoshoku (Japanese-Western) restaurants or even in home kitchens.
Hambagu as it’s referred to in Japan, isn’t a steak made from a single piece of meat but is fashioned from minced meat shaped into patties.
No bun is used, rice is the chosen accompaniment for the hambagu.
It is typically served with a rich brown sauce, known as demi-glace. Variations include pairing it with curry and even tomato sauce.
Hikiniku to Come changed all this the moment they opened their doors in Japan in 2019 with the philosophy: “Just ground. Just grilled. Just cooked.”
Shohei Yamamoto devised the concept with his partners, Toshiyuki Kiyomiya and Toshiyuki Konishi, pushing that Japanese philosophy to focus on one item and take it to its absolute best.
The brand has spread from multiple locations in Japan to Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore with Malaysia being the latest addition.
When you arrive at the Sunway Pyramid outlet, you may encounter a queue that starts from 10am before the place opens at 11am.
On weekdays, the queue is shorter. If there’s no backlog of people waiting, you will be seated quickly once a spot is available.
Weekends have a higher volume of diners. They manage the queue by asking customers to book their preferred time slots, allowing you to shop in the mall while you wait.
Ordering is done at the kiosk and a staff member will guide you to select your choices.
Everyone must order the set for RM67.90, which includes three Wagyu hamburger steaks (each weighing 90 grams), a raw egg, unlimited refills of Japanese rice, miso soup and daikon oroshi — their homemade ponzu vinegar paired with freshly grated radish.
Add-ons like a kimchi salad, minced meat potato salad (RM8.90) and their signature sauce (RM4.90) can also be ordered, but the set is sufficient since they already provide an assortment of toppings and seasonings at your seat.
Staff will lead you to your seat at a round-shaped counter surrounding a grill.
You will walk past an enclosed chilled room where workers diligently prepare the patties.
Every patty is freshly ground in-house daily and shaped with their rubber gloved hands.
According to Business World from the Philippines, each country has its own recipe for the patties, known only to the founder.
While the ingredient ratios are unknown, Hikiniku to Come in Malaysia confirmed in a social media post that their Wagyu patties are made from 100 per cent beef.
Once you sit down, the server explains everything so quickly that the load of information may bewilder you.
Thankfully, a card inside the drawer provides detailed information.
You get your miso soup and a bowl of freshly cooked rice scooped from the hagama pot.
It’s a three-part experience course to enjoy the hamburger steaks in various ways.
First, enjoy the patty on its own, delivered straight from the main grill to the small grill in front of you that keeps it warm.
Putting the patty on the bowl of rice lets the grains catch the juices that ooze out the moment you squeeze the patty with your chopsticks.
It’s incredibly juicy as you bite through the charred crust to relish the beefy flavour.
Various condiments are on hand to enhance the experience: crunchy fried garlic flakes, Mou’s Xinjiang spice mix for heat, oil-marinated green chilli for a spicy kick, salted lemon with green chilli pepper to cut through the richness and Japanese pepper sauce.
The salted lemon is my pick to relieve the palate from the beef patty’s richness.
Once you finish the first patty, the second beef patty arrives at your personal grill, together with a bowl of grated radish and their homemade ponzu vinegar.
The crunchy radish adds a freshness as you pour the ponzu vinegar over it, making it my favourite combination.
I slowly relish every bit of the patty, which takes on a different taste with the radish.
Once you finish, it’s the swan song for the last patty, which is the egg yolk version.
The Japanese are particular about how one should eat rice at the table, forbidding soy sauce from touching the grains.
However, for the hamburger steak on rice, you’re exempted from those rules so add soy flakes and top it with the egg yolk for a super rich experience.
As the golden yolk oozes over the patty, it becomes a rich sauce with a beefy flavour.
It drips down the rice, transforming the grains yellow and giving it a decadent flavour.
Those with bigger appetites can also order extra hamburger steak.
Prior to Hikiniku to Come’s opening, copycats had already appeared in Kuala Lumpur, attempting to mimic this similar concept of hamburger steak on rice, cooked right in front of you.
While they can follow the same method, they falter badly with the patty because it’s never as juicy and decadent as Hikiniku to Come’s.
Even their condiments aren’t as numerous compared to the spread at Hikiniku to Come, which is a major part of the whole experience.
Looking at other places’ pricing, they offer a variety of Angus beef, Japanese Wagyu beef and chicken patties, where three hamburger steaks cost RM74 with unlimited Japanese rice, miso soup and vegetables.
Your pasteurised egg yolk is an add-on for RM3.
All this makes Hikiniku to Come’s RM67.90 set reasonable.
If you plan properly to shop at Sunway Pyramid while you wait for your turn, the whole dining experience will be incredibly enjoyable.
Hikiniku to Come
G1.111, Ground Floor,
Sunway Pyramid,
Open daily: 11am to 9.15pm.
Same-day booking opens at 10am on a first-come, first-served basis.
Instagram: @hikiniku_to_come_myofficial
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
*Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
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