Inside Yakiniku Yama Oku: The Art of Luxurious Kappo Yakiniku

Premium beef leads a selection of high-quality ingredients from across Japan, expertly grilled by Japanese master chefs at an inviting 12-seat dining counter.

Hong Kong — Yakiniku Yama Oku, a refined and cozy new venue focusing on elevated yakiniku kappo dining, officially opens its soft launch at CUBUS in the lively Causeway Bay district. Led by an experienced Japanese culinary team, the restaurant carefully chooses premium wagyu beef and high-quality ingredients directly from Japan, all infused with a global culinary outlook. Guests at the counter enjoy an interactive barbecue experience, where they can engage with the chefs as they perform traditional kappo-style ‘cut and cook,’ demonstrating their culinary skill in a theatrical and captivating way.

Chef Koji Takazono (left) and Chef Koichi Kuga (right)

Yakiniku Yama Oku, sister to the acclaimed Sukiyaki Nakagawa and Teppanyaki Mihara Goten at CUBUS, translates to “barbecue in the mountains’ heart.” It revives a secret culinary tradition from Japan’s pre-Meiji Shogunate period, when Buddhist bans on eating livestock led villagers to gather in remote huts, cooking over hearths and using obscure names for meats. Today, the restaurant recreates this secluded and mysterious atmosphere in a modern, cave-like setting, where guests enjoy the flickering glow and rich aroma of premium meats grilling on side-by-side hotplates.

Alongside a curated selection of premium Wagyu cuts, the menu includes specially chosen beef tongue and offal; Japanese pork and chicken are also offered. In keeping with the countryside theme, the restaurant will feature game such as venison and wild boar when in season, creating a distinctive experience that blends cultural heritage with unexpected flavors.

Cutting and grilling—central to yakiniku kappo—are performed with skill by two talented chefs from Fukuoka. At the helm, Chef Koji Takazono leverages nearly 20 years of experience gained at Tokyo and Fukuoka establishments like Akami Yakiniku Ushio, renowned for its premium lean black beef, and Yakiniku no Bakuro, known for its coveted Kagoshima wagyu.

Joining him is Chef Koichi Kuga, whose love for Japanese culinary heritage started at his family’s washoku restaurant in Sasebo, Nagasaki. Before coming to Hong Kong, he managed banquet teams at top restaurants and five-star hotels in Yamaguchi and Nagasaki. Inspired by the region’s natural landscapes and traditions, his artisanal techniques are enhanced with creative elements.

The two chefs present carefully curated menus that demonstrate versatile skills, from slicing and grilling to boiling and steaming. They engage with diners at the counter as they share the secrets of yakiniku kappo. To guarantee exceptional flavor, only the best seasonal wagyu is used: Omi beef from Shiga, known for its fine marbling and rich flavor, and award-winning Oita wagyu from Bungo cattle in Oita, praised for its delicate texture and melt-in-the-mouth quality.

Yakiniku menus start at HK$480 per person for lunch and HK$880 for dinner. Wagyu beef is the highlight on three omakase dinner options, especially at Yakiniku Rei (HK$1,480 per person). These menus feature a variety of culinary delights, including Sea Urchin and Wagyu Ichibo (Aitchbone) Tartare, Wagyu Lean Beef Seaweed Roll, Wagyu Tenderloin Shabu-Shabu, grilled Chateaubriand aged for 7 days with Foie Gras Truffle Sauce, Yamaoku-yaki, and a Special Selected Wagyu Roll with Tare Sauce.

Straw Grilled (Warayaki) 7 Days Aged Chateaubriand

The Sui menu (HK$1,180 per person) includes highlights such as Smoked Cheek Meat with Japanese Sauce, Aged Tongue with Lemon Koji Salad, Special Selected Lean Meat with Salted Kelp, Grilled 7 Days Aged Chateaubriand, Yamaoku-yaki, and premium Wagyu cuts enhanced by artisanal soy sauce from a century-old brewery. Meanwhile, the Roku menu (HK$880 per person) offers 14 Days Dry-Aged Rump, Grilled Ox Tail, and 7 Days Aged Lean Meat cooked over straw.

In the evening, a dedicated Chicken and Pork yakiniku menu is offered as a beef alternative, with prices of HK$880 or HK$1,180 per person. Highlights include Confit Gizzard, Itoshima Pork Pâté de Campagne, Iberico Pork Shoulder Loin, Lemon Koji Salad (1pc), Mitsuse Chicken Thigh Tataki with Salted Kelp (1pc), and Pork Belly Shabu-Shabu. Exclusive options for those choosing the full feast include Grilled Magret Canard with Foie Gras and Yamaoku Roast with Sea Urchin.

Choose between two yakiniku lunch sets: Kan at HK$480 or Ji at HK$780 per person. Both include Appetisers, Korean-Style Salad, Steamed Egg Custard, a Yakiniku Wagyu Beef Platter (featuring four types daily), Nagatanien’s Special Claypot Stew, freshly cooked rice in a Nagatanien claypot, Miso Soup, and Dessert. The Ji set also offers 14-day dry-aged loin shabu-shabu made with 72-hour-cooked beef bone and ox tail secret stock, plus grilled seven-day aged lean meat roasted over straw for added flavor.

Dipping sauces play a crucial role in the yakiniku experience, and Yakiniku Yama Oku enhances its premium cuts with Kodawari Tamago eggs from Hyogo Prefecture, known for their rich aroma and smooth texture. Each tender piece of meat, when dipped into the golden yolk, becomes even softer and more complex, amplifying the sweetness of the fat and providing a silky, indulgent finish.

100 years history Nagatanien Clay Pot Freshly Cooked Rice dish — 100 years of history, Nagatanien Clay Pot, Freshly Cooked Rice dish

At Yakiniku Yama Oku, cooking rice is a ceremony using the rare “breathing pot” donabe made by Nagatanien, a kiln-master family dating back to the late Edo period. Crafted from Iga clay and cast iron, this traditional cookware offers excellent heat retention and breathability, resulting in rice with distinct grains that are tender, sweet, and fragrant. The chefs use Onsen Water 99, an ultra-soft alkaline spring water from Kagoshima’s Tarumizu hot springs, to prepare Nagano Yaehara Koshihikari, one of Japan’s top rice varieties. Grown in volcanic soil beneath Mount Asama with temperature fluctuations between day and night and pure water, it yields plump, glossy grains with a smooth yet sticky texture, consistently earning the highest Toku?A (Special A) rating from the Japan Grain Inspection Association. This unique Igamono pottery functions not just as a cooking vessel but as a stage for the chefs to showcase their skills—perfecting rice, simmering dashi, slow-braising meat, and uniting fire, iron, and earth to bring out the purest flavors.

Aged Loin Shabu-Shabu with 72 hours cooked Beef bone and Ox tail secret stock

The restaurant enhances its yakiniku experience by pairing classic whisky highballs with high-quality soda water, providing a crisp contrast to the rich, smoky flavors. Central to this pairing is Kanosuke, produced on Kagoshima’s Fukiagehama coast by Komasa Jyozo, a company with over 140 years of experience. Using unpeated barley, three different pot stills, and aging in charred American white oak casks previously used for rice shochu, the distillery creates whiskies of exceptional depth. Four variants – Kanosuke Single Malt (2021, 2023), and Double Distillery – can be matched with artisanal sodas like London Essence, Fever-Tree, Suntory, Fentimans, and Chang, offering a sophisticated dining experience that highlights Japanese craftsmanship.

Other pairing options include Fentimans Ginger Ale and Ginger Beer, both crafted with premium ginger root. The British brand’s exotic Oriental Yuzu Tonic offers a refreshing triple citrus aroma of grapefruit, lemon, and mandarin, complemented by herbal undertones.

Sea Urchin and Wagyu Ichibo Tartare, Wagyu Beef Sushi, Smoked Cheek Meat with Japanese Sauce

Seasonal sake pairings further enhance the dining experience by highlighting the freshness and savory richness of the restaurant’s yakiniku specialties. Experts will value flagship bottles from Minaki, such as GOKUGEN and GOKUGEN FORMULA.2, which are served only at select locations worldwide. GOKUGEN, awarded at the 2022 International Wine Challenge, is crafted using 100% Yamadanishiki rice from Hyogo Prefecture and offers a smooth, radiant taste of ripe fruit and subtle white floral notes. GOKUGEN FORMULA.2, a more refined option, emphasizes the gentle sweetness and pure crystalline quality of Yukimegami rice from Yamagata’s snowy mountains.

Yakiniku Yama Oku, a cozy 400 sq. ft. space, provides a tranquil dining retreat where 12 guests sit around a welcoming counter in an exclusive setting. Textured wood accents warm the dark walls and floor, while soft linear lighting creates a gentle interplay of light and shadow. Above, wave-like ceiling designs cast a sunset-red hue that complements the crimson counter chairs, creating a striking backdrop for chefs to display their skill and creativity at the grill.

Managed by CSC Collectives, Yakiniku Yama Oku is situated on the 3rd floor of CUBUS at 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. The restaurant is open daily from 12:00 noon to 2:30 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For inquiries or reservations, contact us via email at yakiniku-yama-oku@csccollective.com, WhatsApp at (852) 4497-5412, or phone at (852) 5394-3681.

Like and connect with Yakiniku Yama Oku on:

Facebook – www.facebook.com/yakiniku.yamaoku/
Instagram – www.instagram.com/yakiniku.yamaoku/

Hong Kong Travel Tour Packages You Should Try

Klook.com

Follow and subscribe to OutofTownBlog.com on Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for more Travel-related updates.

Read: