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There is a ritual to dining at Hikiniku to Come
IT HAS happened again and again and we’re happy for it: Japan took another thing from the West and made it better. We’ve seen it in jeans, in whiskey, and even in jazz, but this time, they did it to a burger patty.
Hikiniku to Come was founded in 2020 by Shohei Yamamoto, and aims to make the perfect burger patty (popular in Japan since the 1960s, where they serve it over rice, instead of between buns like they’re served in the West). They have been brought to the Philippines via the Standard Group (the company behind brands Yabu: House of Katsu and Ippudo ramen, among others), which lines up perfectly with the group’s ethos of focusing on just one dish, and making it perfect. Nicole Concepcion-Salud, group brand manager of The Standard Group told BusinessWorld in an interview, “Hikiniku is probably the most aligned to the concept of focusing on one thing and doing it well.”
Hikiniku to Come is opening its second branch in SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall on Sept. 18, as a response to the excellent reception of its first branch in the Philippines, in Bonifacio Global City’s (BGC) Uptown Mall, which opened in October last year.
The second branch’s preview on Sept. 14 was our first time trying it, owing to the long lines in its first branch (we have tried — we went there late one night and there were still about six people ahead of us in line). “The recep-tion has been insane. Our store has been consistently full,” said Ms. Concepcion-Salud. “Our lines are still out the block.”
What’s the deal anyway? We can line up at any fastfood restaurant and get a patty with rice, but no, no, Hikiniku has elevated the game. It should, at P885 for the set meal — but that comes with three 90-gram Hamburg steaks, miso soup, unlimited freshly cooked rice, unlimited condiments, and one egg.
The beef patties, made of choice cuts of wagyu, are freshly ground and shaped in-store daily. The patties are grilled in front of you using Japanese Ogatan charcoal, while the rice is cooked in high-pressure pots and changed every 20 minutes. Truly, this is not your fastfood burger steak. “They move it like clockwork, so that every patty is perfectly cooked.”
WHAT’S THE BEEF?
Every country where Hikiniku is in gets its own recipe (it is present in Japan, obviously, but also in Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, among others), and it is a secret, and the founder himself helps develop the recipes.
Even eating it has instructions, the better to enjoy all this hard work: we were instructed to first eat the patty as is, then with condiments. There’s soy sauce, salted lemon with green chili, oil-marinated green chili, a Chinese spice mix, Japanese pepper sauce, and fried garlic flakes. Personally, we really liked the salted lemon because it added some tang, but we went back for the oil-marinated green chili several times because it added some earthiness.
We also really liked the solid soy sauce (basically soy sauce with the soybeans still in there), and that’s part of why I now know the difference between umami and just plain salty.
The patty itself had a well-balanced beefy flavor and my word, it was juicy. The juice dripped all over the rice and flavored it, so frankly, it didn’t feel like I was having plain rice at all. Adding the condiments felt like I was eat-ing a new meal every time.
The second patty is meant to be eaten with daikon and a ponzu-soy sauce, and there’s a nice play of textures and flavors; the crisp and cold daikon soaking up the tang of the sauce and adding that to the beef patty.
The third course however, had me cracking an egg in a bowl and adding its yolk to my rice — not as exciting as my previous servings, but I guess it was comforting.
With those prices, I’m not sure I can make it into a staple meal, but for the story and for the experience, I think everybody should try it once.
Ms. Concepcion-Salud told us that they are opening a third branch in Greenbelt early next year, and a fourth is in the works. As for the Standard Group, they’re bringing in a new concept at their Kiwami Master Kitchens food hall in BGC.
Hikiniku to Come’s second branch is officially opening on Sept. 18 at the 3rd floor of the Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong. — Joseph L. Garcia
