Braised Pork Belly or Char Siu? A Pork Showdown!
The battle between the big three beef bowl chains has become interesting.
When it comes to beef bowls, I prefer Yoshinoya by a wide margin among the major chains.
"Fast, cheap, and tasty."
For the Kinnikuman generation, this is already etched into our brains.
However, in the 2000s, the landscape of the big three beef bowl chains changed significantly.
With a strategy to attract families by offering any topping imaginable and table seating, Sukiya boasted an overwhelming number of stores and suddenly leaped to the top.
Meanwhile, Matsuya has differentiated itself from other companies with a unique strategy of strengthening its set meals.
In particular, items like the "Gorogoro Nikomi Chicken Curry" and "Shkmeruli Nabe Set Meal" have garnered attention and succeeded in attracting new customers.
The Gorogoro Nikomi Chicken Curry is delicious, isn't it?
Amidst this, while Yoshinoya has always upheld its "fast, cheap, and tasty" motto since its founding, it has fought in a way that is relatively beef-focused, pursuing its original high quality.
They were the first to introduce the "atama no omori" (extra meat) and have also launched premium menu items like the beef sukiyaki hot pot.
However, Yoshinoya has recently started to show changes.
I feel like the success of Matsuya's Shkmeruli was a turning point.
For beef bowls, there is a fair price that everyone remembers.
Currently, it's about 500 yen including tax.
That's why it's difficult for each company to raise prices significantly.
For all three major companies, the foundation of their strategy is to raise the average customer spend.
Matsuya has offered various set meals in the past, but
Shkmeruli presented two major successes to the world.
First, there is no price benchmark for new set meals.
People don't have a sense of whether the price is cheap or expensive.
Even if they sell a twice-cooked pork set meal for 860 yen or a delicious tomato hamburger steak set meal for 980 yen,
there is no benchmark to compare them with other companies (the other beef bowl chains).
If you just compare them to other local Chinese or Western-style restaurants, the price feels appropriate, or even a bit cheap.
This contributed significantly to raising the average customer spend.
Second, it can expand the customer base.
Something unfamiliar like Shkmeruli
went viral on social media for being delicious.
This resulted in a major gain in acquiring a new younger demographic (and even female customers).
The wind was at Matsuya's back.
Because of this, Matsuya itself
created new menu items that were not the usual curry or hamburger steak,
and realized there was a way to
strongly appeal to the demographic that Sukiya had captured through toppings.
This dealt a major blow to Yoshinoya.
So, they seem to have shifted their strategy to
strengthen menu diversification and high-value-added items,
not just relying on the strength of their beef bowls.
The first step was Yoshinoya's first-ever noodle menu,
"Beef Egg Stamina Mazesoba" (mixed noodles).
It's still available, but I don't really recommend it myself.
And then, the second step appeared.
That is the thick-sliced braised pork belly set meal.
Currently, Matsuya has a limited-time menu item called Imabari Char Siu Egg Rice.
Honestly, I thought, they're really going head-to-head.
It's a pork showdown.
It's like "Ultimate vs. Supreme" from Oishinbo.
I like this kind of battle.
It's exciting.
I love both braised pork belly and char siu.
So, I'm going to compare them both!
First up, going first is Matsuya.
Imabari Roast Pork and Egg Rice Bowl
This is a local specialty originating from Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, and it's a menu item that boasts high popularity even among "B-grade gourmet fans" nationwide.
Underneath the fried egg, many slices of char siu are spread out.
It's quite tasty.
The roast pork is soft and falls apart easily.
Being thinly sliced also makes it perfect for scooping up with rice using a spoon.
It's a shame that a slight porky smell remains in the roast pork, though...
The soy sauce-based sweet and savory sauce is also good.
It's not too heavy and suits the roast pork well.
Furthermore, I break the yolk and eat the creamy yolk and roast pork together with white rice using a spoon.
Yeah, that's delicious, isn't it?
I see, so this is Imabari's soul food.
However, there is one thing that bothers me about this fried egg.
The edges of the egg white are fried too hard, and
even when I try to cut them with a spoon, they don't cut well.
It's the same kind of fried egg you get when you order a sausage egg set meal for breakfast, and
I remembered that the edges of the egg white always annoy me.
Since I want to eat the Imabari Roast Pork and Egg Rice Bowl with just a spoon, it would be nice if this were improved too.
Oh, come to think of it, Matsuya includes miso soup by default with their beef bowls, doesn't it?
Free miso soup is one of Matsuya's strong points!
I tend to forget about it when it comes with a set meal, but it's one of the good things about Matsuya.
Next, going second is Yoshinoya.
Thick-Cut Braised Pork Belly Set Meal
The look is quite appealing.
It's about 10cm long and 2.5cm thick.
As someone who usually eats junk food, I've eaten too much braised pork that's overly voluminous, like in braised pork ramen, so it felt smaller than I had imagined, though...
I try cutting the braised pork with chopsticks.
Huh?
Despite the claim that it's simmered until it's melt-in-your-mouth soft, it doesn't cut smoothly with chopsticks.
I tear the firmer-than-expected braised pork into bite-sized pieces and bring it to my mouth.
Yeah, it's certainly delicious.
It has a quite meaty feel.
Unlike braised pork that's so soft it's hard to even pick up with chopsticks, this is easy to eat with rice and has a lot of meatiness.
And the thick, sweet and savory braised pork sauce is quite good.
However, this also has a lingering porky smell...
I don't think it's that difficult to remove the odor, but
it does take time and effort, after all.
However, in Yoshinoya's case,
this porky smell is significantly reduced by adding mustard or eating it with green onion chili oil.
So that's why mustard comes with the braised pork!
An eye-opener.
In particular, eating the braised pork together with the green onion chili oil is quite tasty.
It makes the white rice go down easy!
Roast Pork vs. Braised Pork Belly Results
Price
Matsuya's Imabari Roast Pork: 880 yen (tax included)
Yoshinoya's Braised Pork Belly: 1097 yen (tax included)
Taste
The sauces for both go well with white rice.
The braised pork belly is a bit more porky, but that can be resolved with green onion chili oil or Japanese mustard.
Since the Imabari roast pork is simpler, it seems harder to mask that porky smell.
If I had to choose, I might prefer the sauce of the braised pork belly. Including the green onion chili oil.
Volume
Both have a decent amount of volume.
However, I feel both lack visual impact.
The braised pork belly feels smaller than I expected, and with the Imabari roast pork, the volume of the meat is hidden by two fried eggs, so you can't really see it.
Overall,
the verdict on Imabari Roast Pork vs. Braised Pork Belly is
a draw.
Still, I'm looking forward to seeing more of these kinds of battles in the future.
Keep it up, do more!
Perhaps because I was enjoying this pork showdown so much,
I ended up eating pork again at a place I just happened to wander into in Hibiya.
Ganso Nikutama-meshi Robata Honten @ Hibiya
The braised pork here has a hint of star anise.
It's like Lu Rou Fan.
So, the porky smell is resolved by this.
There are three pieces, but combined they are about 10cm long by 3cm thick.
Maybe a bit bigger than Yoshinoya's.
It also comes with a seasoned egg and a salad,
As for the miso soup, it was a red miso soup with seaweed and deep-fried tofu,
and it was delicious enough to overwhelm the chain restaurants.
And for this location in Hibiya, it's 950 yen (tax included).