New Yakiniku & Sushi June 牛也&山居

Article By David Lee

A3 Buliding, Hai Gang Cheng 9 Jie, No.659,Yan Nan 1 Road, Qu Jiang New Street, Qujiang District
曲江区雁南一路659号,海港城9街A3栋四层
(029) 8550 1155
11:30am – 2:00pm
6:00pm – 10:00pm

Average Price per Person /人均消费: 249RMB

PROS: Very high quality dining experience
CONS: Quality will cost you

Ihad forgotten what beef tasted like until I ate my first piece of short rib at Niuye. A Japanese-style barbeque restaurant specializing in turning cows into dreams, Niuye highlights its incredible ingredients and serves them the way they are supposed to be eaten. Although a bit pricey for regular visits, the restaurant should be a go-to destination for guests and special occasions. I could not recommend it any more highly.

Most beef I find in Xi’an is usually covered in some sort of sauce or seasoning that hides the quality of the meat and makes it more of a textural experience than a flavorful one. The beef here, all imported from Australia, stands alone. It is cooked right in front of the customer on a beautiful copper tableside grill. Each cut of meat completely coated my tongue and elicited one of those “lean-back eyes-roll-up-into-my-head” physiological responses. There is no seasoning on the meat when it is cooked, although it is available for dipping. I left feeling like it could not have been any other way.

The side dishes were an incredible complement and could have been an amazing meal in their own right. I had a seafood stew, cold abalone, cheesy scallops and a salad. The scallops were especially heavenly, beautifully presented in their shells and covered in an airy cream sauce. The dish is served with three scallops. When my friend offered that I could eat the last piece, normally I would refuse, to be polite. Not this time—it was his loss. To wash it down, I had a choice of Japanese wine, sake and draft beers, as well as an assortment of teas and juices.

The beautiful restaurant is tucked into the fourth floor of a building just to the south of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, above two floors of a dance club. But once I walked in, I felt like I was in Japan. The bright, wooden interior and traditional-looking sliding doors make this restaurant stand out from other high-end establishments. The copper, charcoal grills and elegant silverware add to the vibe. Even the salt on the table was pink Himalayan rock salt.

If you want to take a bit more of a budget-friendly option, noodle dishes such as ramen and udon are also available. I am even willing to vouch for these dishes, as well as others I did not even try—that is how confident I am after my experience here.

David Lee is a reviewer for Xianese hoping to eventually write something as good as “real g’s move in silence like lasagna.”
He can be reached at
reviews@xianease.com

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