Visited Yakiniku Gyusei Minami-Senju. The meat is tender with a rich, savory flavor, and very satisfyingly delicious. Despite the reasonable price range, the quality is high, and the great value for money really shines. The interior has a calm, comfortable atmosphere, and being able to enjoy a leisurely meal is another plus. It's perfect for everyday dining, of course, and also for when you want to enjoy yakiniku casually.

Sold on Gyusei's great value for money, I usually go to the Mikawashima branch, but this time I tried Minami-Senju to suit my companions' train lines. Honestly, it was meh. It seems to share its kitchen and staff with the seafood izakaya next door, so both the menu and service feel more like an izakaya than a yakiniku restaurant. In particular, there was one young female staff member who was blatantly unmotivated, constantly acting and talking listlessly, which was very unpleasant. Still, the quality of the meat and dishes was, as expected, that of a yakiniku restaurant, which was good. But the bill at checkout didn't reflect Gyusei's good value; it felt like the bill at an ordinary yakiniku place. It might suit people who want yakiniku in a drinking-spot mood, but if yakiniku is your goal, my honest take is that you're better off going one station over to Mikawashima.

I'd been to a different branch before, and that time I compared the most expensive and the cheapest options. I remembered that ordering the cheaper one was good value back then, so this time I came to this branch. The recommended Young Kalbi had even more fat than in the photo. In the reasonable price range, the one with the most delicious lean meat was the beef zabuton, followed by the Gyusei Kalbi. For the yakiniku you can choose salt or sauce, but even the salt version has quite a bit of oil on it. It was nice to enjoy condiments like roasted salt and yagijan too. The namul platter and the garlic came in quite generous portions. For dessert I ordered a set of 3 Yukimi Daifuku, but they were dango-sized and very small. Maybe because it was a weekday night, drinks came out quickly after ordering. The entrance might be a little hard to find. The interior was clean, and I was able to spend my time there comfortably. There's nowhere to put coats or bags, so it might be good for when you don't mind that and want to eat with a focus on value. When I went again at a later date, the harami was the most delicious, better than the Gyusei Kalbi or Nakaochi Kalbi. The loin is a classic too, and the flavor of the lean meat came through nicely. I was happy they poured the glass of wine a little generously. It's the same wine as the bottle, so the bottle is a better deal.

When I came back after a long time, the menu had changed and the prices had gone up too. It used to be really reasonable, so it can't be helped. I had thick-cut beef tongue, liver, kalbi, and kalbi gukbap. It was delicious. I poured my own water. It was room temperature. You grab the ice with tongs, but it was a shame that it had melted quite a bit.

Since it just opened, the interior is very clean. Most of the seats were box-style sofa seats. They were wide enough that it didn't feel cramped even while holding a child. There may still be some parts of the operation they're not used to yet, but the support from the manager, or maybe someone higher up?, was polite and good. It was early, but I think it was nearly full. It's on the cheaper side for yakiniku, but it was good value! The pot-marinated kalbi and the loin were so-so… The loin was thick-cut but extremely bland, so it was meh, and I thought thin slices might be better. I don't do well with fatty cuts, so I'd be happy if the loin were tasty, though. The pot-marinated kalbi also somehow didn't feel like kalbi.. But the sagari, harami, kalbi, etc. were delicious!! The harami seemed to have pretty strong pre-seasoning. The salted tongue is good I think, but it's seriously chewy. Squishy-squishy. I don't think kids could bite through it. For rice, after medium the only next size is extra large, so I'd like them to add something in between. lol There were kids' sharing plates and spoons, but I'm not sure about booster seats for kids. There's no kids' menu, so I figured something like egg soup would be easy for them to eat. The atmosphere made it easy to come with family. ------------- Revisited May '21 I ordered the sirloin steak, but it was just plain tough… (tears) I had the impression that sirloin usually has some fat and is tender.. I grilled it until there was still a bit of pink inside, but maybe I should have taken it off even earlier… Anyway, not ordering it again.. The basashi isn't what you'd typically call basashi I think, but.. it was tender in its own way, with no gaminess, and delicious. lol