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    Home » World Travel » Japan » Tokyo

    Shima Steak Tokyo - The famous steak sandwich

    Published: Jul 30, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    Shima Steak Tokyo
    Shima Steak Tokyo

    We've had Japan's famous steak a number of times.

    We tasted it grilled at 3-Michelin starred Taian in Kyoto. We've enjoyed it in shabu shabu (hot pot) at Seryna, and we've had it teppanyaki style at Ukai-Tei (2 Michelin stars). All of the meals have been excellent, and I've enjoyed each one for different reasons.

    However, my fondest memories would have to be from the new place I visited this past February, Shima in Tokyo.Shima Steak Tokyo
    Shima is located in a non-descript basement of an office building in the Nihonbashi neighborhood in Tokyo. Chef Manabu Oshima uses steak from his hometown of Kyoto that he ages himself and then cooks over binchotan, Japanese white charcoal.

    Diners have a choice between sirloin or fillet steak. A 150 gram portion costs 13,000 JPY ($120 USD) , which is very reasonable compared to most of the other top steak places in the city.
    Shima Steak Tokyo Shima-Steak-Tokyo-5.jpg
    On top of steak, there are also appetizers and small snacks. We started with some awesome black ink bread with butter.
    Shima Steak Tokyo Shima-Steak-Tokyo-7.jpg
    We also enjoyed some olives and a decadent but perfectly made crab croquette.

    The menu includes other dishes such as fresh seafood with lemon, boiled abalone with seasonal vegetables, and duck liver with green peppercorn. There were a few soups as well.

    We didn't order any of those. After all, our main reason for coming here was for the steak.
    Shima Steak Tokyo
    And the steak was awesome. It was tender, not at all too "fatty" tasting, and full of meaty flavor. Shima Steak Tokyo
    I loved eating it with the fried garlic pieces. It reminded me of the steak + fried garlic we had at Ukai-Tei, though the steak at Ukai-Tei was definitely more buttery and "melt-in-your-mouth". Shima Steak Tokyo
    The BEST part (IMHO) is the takeaway steak sandwiches you get at the end of the meal. I believe they are made with smaller, scrap pieces. You can't just order the sandwich. You only get a sandwich if you order a steak at the restaurant.

    The sandwich is made with this lovely thick Japanese toast, and it's DIVINE.
    Shima Steak Tokyo
    Perhaps I'm biased.

    It just so turns out that we were flying back to the US that day.  So naturally, I took my steak sandwich onto the airplane. About 8-10 hours into the flight, I was famished and decided to eat my sandwich. Yes, I know it was at room temperature. And yes, I know the meat had been sitting out for HOURS.

    But I still ate it, and it was amazing.

    It was by far the best steak sandwich I'd ever eaten in my life.

    I will never forget this sandwich. This sandwich makes me want to ensure I visit Shima again on my next visit to Japan. In some ways, I almost think I enjoyed the sandwich more than the steak, ha ha.

    For fun, here's a video of the steak sandwich being made.

    So cool!
    Shima Steak Tokyo Shima-Steak-Tokyo-14.jpg
    Dessert was simple. We just had some ice cream and little cookies, and they were nice.

    Shima Steak Tokyo - General Thoughts

    I really enjoyed my meal at Shima. I'm sure a big part of it is that Chef Manabu Oshima speaks excellent English and is genuinely a really warm guy. We sat at the counter, which gave us more opportunities to talk to him and also watch the flurry of activity behind the counter.

    The steaks are very good, and his prices are very reasonable compared to other high end steak places (which can be 3-5x the price!). The best part, of course, is that the already-reasonable price also includes the very awesome take-away steak sandwich.

    So worth it, and so fun! Can't wait to go back!

    IMG_2746.jpg

    Shima Steak Tokyo
    3 Chome-5-12 Nihonbashi
    Chūō-ku, Tōkyō-to 103-0027, Japan

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    Reader Interactions

    Trackbacks

    1. Tsukiji Fish Market Auction + Sushi Bun Breakfast - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      August 6, 2017 at 12:33 am

      […] super long waits. We decided we didn’t want to wait that long (after all, we had plans to eat Japanese steak at noon that day), so we went to Sushi Bun instead, also a highly recommended place that had […]

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    2. Happy New Year! A look back at 2017 - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      February 24, 2018 at 10:29 am

      […] be the yuzu-flavored ramen at Afuri Ramen and the the best steak sandwich I’ve ever had from Shima. The most memorable part of the trip had to be our visit to the Tsukiji Fish Market auction. […]

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    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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