Antwerp Welcomes Wagyu District: The Best Steak in the World Now Available in Belgium

From April 15 you can buy the best of Japanese super meat wagyu in the Wagyu District meat boutique in Kloosterstraat. It is not surprising that this comes with a price tag, because creator and pilot Kiarash Nabavieh works with prestigious suppliers. His mission is clear: to bring the best steak in the world to Antwerp.

Guests from all over the world come to restaurant Mey on Schengenplein in Antwerp. There, Kiarash Nabavieh serves an exclusive range of wagyu. Now there is the next step: a meat boutique, refrigerated display cases full of the world-famous wagyu meat (pronounced: wah-gjoe). Kiarash Nabavieh: “It is not a butcher’s shop, but a point of sale, directly from the producer to the consumer. The meat is offered in various vacuum-packed formats.” Prices vary from 20 to 50 euros per steak, meat that is not available at the regular butcher.

Anyone who delves into the mythical meat of Japanese origin will have a lot to enjoy. There is the history, there is the special way of breeding, there are the different breeds, the regions and producing countries, the various classifications, the taste and the associated marbling of the meat, the crossing with other breeds, and so on. Through. Kiarash can talk about it for hours and, in addition to the boutique, is also launching two specialized websites with the necessary background. Those sites will be online soon.

Steak Challenge

Kiarash Nabavieh concluded exclusive contracts for the Benelux with the most prestigious suppliers of wagyu meat. And they are not just in Japan. He brings in a large cardboard box, full of vacuum-packed pieces of meat. ‘The best steak in the world’, say the stamps on the box. No idle words.

“This comes straight from Jack’s Creek Farm, a specialist farm in Australia. They have won that title two years in a row at the World Steak Challenge. Here, the Oscars are awarded on a global scale, by an independent eighty-member jury of experts. Jack’s Creek Farm won with a cross between Wagyu and Black Angus. The exact cuts of beef we receive depend on the quota. ”

White stripes

The hallmark of wagyu meat is the marbled fat, those visible white stripes. The more, the higher the quality. That marbling is a genetic inheritance that goes back 35,000 years. When frying, fats give the exceptional taste, the meat marinates, as it were, in the melting fat.

Kiarash Nabavieh: “Those Japanese cows were pack animals, the fat gave them more energy. Only at the end of the 19th century did people in Japan start farming for meat. Wagyu cattle are now cultural heritage there. Japan has kept the market closed for a long time to ensure bloodlines.”

Embryos were allowed to leave the country, and this is how specialized breeders emerged outside Japan. Ranked first in Australia and the United States. The largest supplies to Wagyu District come from there, from Jack’s Creek Farm and Snake River Farm. Kiarash tells an anecdote: “An American couple came to Mey on a trip especially to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They had once eaten wagyu meat from Snake River Farm, but could no longer eat it. After all, these American producers export everything to high-end destinations such as Taiwan, Singapore and Dubai. That couple once paid $950 for their steak, but here they got it for $150.”

Regio’s

Meat in the meat boutique. — © Joris Herregods

Until now, you could find wagyu meat in our country at a few specialized butchers. Kiarash: “Mostly from the Kagoshima region. It formed a monopoly. We now have contracts with other regions, including Kobe. Kobe is by far the best known – and most expensive – region. We are the only distributor in Flanders. Kobe is absolute top, very pricey but also very greasy. To reduce that fat, people started crossing with pure breeds such as Holstein or Black Angus.”

Another Japanese exclusivity is the Hoikkado snow beef. Kiarash: “It comes from cattle from the north of Japan, which live on snow. The supplier only slaughters two cows per week.”

Healthy fat

In addition to the exceptional taste, Kiarash especially wants to emphasize the health aspect of this meat. “It is 80 percent unsaturated fat. It’s not without reason that keto enthusiasts love it. That fat has little effect on cholesterol. The remaining fat, the saturated fat, is also fifty percent healthier.”

Kiarash is also a pilot and runs the FlyEtic company. He rents out private jets and passes on more than the full ecological cost to his wealthy customers. He wants his jets to play the same pioneering role as commercial vehicles in electric driving. FlyEtic is currently flourishing and it is through those flights that the idea of ​​the boutique matured. “The customers are offered that meat during the flight. Many passengers then also wanted to be able to buy it themselves. That’s how the idea came about.”