Mad for Wagyu at HEAT, EDSA Shangri-La Manila

HEAT, the all-day dining restaurant of EDSA Shangri-La Manila, has recently launched Mad for Wagyu, another innovative concept in its specialty buffet offerings. A first of its kind in the Manila dining scene, guests at HEAT can indulge in a dinner of unlimited servings of international dishes made with premium Wagyu beef for only P2,415 nett per person. That's about the same price you would pay for a 220g Wagyu tenderloin steak. A value-for-money deal right?

Wagyu Beef saurced from Australia

But what is Wagyu in the first place, and why is it so expensive? Without being too technical, Wagyu beef is the meat coming from the Wagyu cattle breed. They are raised in a specific method so that the cattle would store less fats under the skin, and more fats in between the fibers of its muscles, thus creating the "marbling" effect to the meat. This results to beef that is very soft and tender that it almost melt in your mouth.

A photo posted by Pinas Muna (@pinasmuna) on Dec 26, 2015 at 8:05am PST

A photo posted by Pinas Muna (@pinasmuna) on Dec 26, 2015 at 5:02am PST

The premium quality of Wagyu Beef makes is very versatile that it can turn any ordinary beef dish into a super special one. If you tour around the buffet spread at HEAT, you will notice that there is a Wagyu dish on every food station. From appetizers to mains, from Japanese to Chinese, and from Grilled to Stewed, there is a dish that will definitely suit you Wagyu craving. Here are some of the dishes I tried that night.

Wagyu Beef Jerky

On the first look, we thought it's bacon, but when we were told that it's actually Wagyu Beef Jerky, everyone just got crazy curious about it and grabbed a piece to try it. Ultra crispy, sweet, salty, savory and spicy. The taste is definitely beef jerky but the texture in even better than bacon! This was one of the most loved dishes in our group that night, and we were just starting!

Xiao Long Bao with Minced Wagyu

If you love Xiao Long Bao, you'll even love it more if it were made with minced Wagyu. The fatty and tender Wagyu beef added extra richness to soup trapped inside the dumpling. The Wagyu Beef Shawarma is made with shavings of grilled Wagyu beef, mayonnaise, chopped onions, cucumber and shredded cabbage, mixed with spices and seasonings and placed inside pita pockets.

(L) Wagyu Beef Shawarma, (R) Wagyu Tomahawk Steak

The Wagyu Tomahawk Steak was another top-favorite that night. You start by telling how thick you want the slice is and how many slices you want. Your steak will be grilled based on your preference. I usually have mine cooked medium to medium-well. And because they used Wagyu beef, the steak was very tender you wouldn't even need a steak knife to cut it into pieces.

Taco with Minced Wagyu Beef

If you feel like having Mexican, there's Taco with Minced Wagyu Beef for you. Here, you can customize your taco with your choice of filling and sauce. I prefer my taco with a soft shell, so I grabbed a pita pocket from the Shawarma station and topped it with vegetables, Wagyu Beef and loads of sourcream, cheese and guacamole.

Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek

Chef Tobias Unger, Executive Chef of EDSA Shangri-La Manila, also included two equally delicious European beef dishes on the buffet. The Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek is made with large cuts of Wagyu beef cheeks, seared and finally slow cooked.

Wagyu Beef Goulash

The Wagyu Beef Goulash are made with smaller cuts of Wagyu Beef, seasoned with paprika and slow cooked. Since both dishes used wagyu beef, the resulting meat are very juicy and tender, and the sauce was very flavorful. These are best served with potatoes and for us Filipinos, with steaming hot rice.

Wagyu Beef marinated with Salt & Pepper

If you prefer a more Asian flavor to your steak, they also have Marinated Wagyu Beef available for grilling. You can choose between Wagyu Beef marinated in plain salt and pepper or Wagyu Beef marinated in soy sauce, garlic and other seasonings.

Wagyu Beef marinated with Soy Sauce, Garlic and other Seasonings

Here's how my dinner plates looked like. For my first plate, I had Wagyu Beef Shwarma, Minced Wagyu Beef Taco, Wagyu Beef Cannelloni, Wagyu Tomahawk Steak and Wagyu Beef Tartare.



My second plate consisted of Grilled Marinated Wagyu Beef, Wagyu Beef Shawarma (because I loved it so much), Xiao Long Bao with Minced Wagyu Beef, Mini Wagyu Sliders, Stewed Wagyu Beef Brisket, Wagyu Beef Goulash, Wagyu Beef Chili Con Carne, and Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek.



Looking at the photos, I am quite surprised by the number of beef dishes I had that evening. I don't usually eat beef when in a buffet, and I am not really a steak person. All of that changed thanks to HEAT's Mad for Wagyu. I am now a certified Wagyu lover! And what's great about Mad for Wagyu is that for the same price, you don't only get a Wagyu Steak, you also enjoy a wide selection of buffet dishes made with Wagyu beef.



So if you are a Wagyu lover in search of Wagyu heaven, there's only one place to go. Mad for Wagyu is available every Saturday for dinner (6:00pm to 10:30pm) for P2,415.00 nett per person. For reservations you can call +63 (02) 633-8888 local 2740 or email them at heat.esl@shangri-la.com. For the latest promos, you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram.

STAYCATION: Check Room Rates now!

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HEAT 
Ground Floor EDSA Shangri-La, Manila
1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Contact Number: +63 (02) 633-8888 extension 2740 or 2741
Email: heat.esl@shangri-la.com
Facebook: fb.com/edsashangrila
Twitter & Instagram: @edsashangrila