Chef Lewis Lin, the chef/owner of Juju and Susuru, is testing a new charcoal-grilled Japanese hamba-gu concept at his Colonialtown restaurant this winter.
Chef Lin’s new concept is called Hikiniku To Sumi (Instagram), with “hikiniku” being a Japanese term for various kinds of ground meat, and “sumi” meaning charcoal. Hamba-gu is a Japanese-style Salisbury steak, often made with ground meat mixed with onions, egg, and panko breadcrumbs, pan-fried, and served over rice.
“We want to serve seriously delicious Japanese hamba-gu with focus on Japanese wagyu that is freshly ground and grilled.”
– CHEF LEWIS LIN, OWNER
The hamba-gu will be prepared with wagyu that is ground in-store every morning before service. Then it will be grilled over a Japanese charcoal fire in view of guests before being served with rice cooked in a donabe pot. The menu will offer teishoku-style hamba-gu set where guests will be able to choose from an array of condiments such as house-made tsukemons (pickles) and other okazu (sides). Fish-hikiniku can be expected on the menu as well.
Hikiniku To Sumi will launch as a lunch pop-up series on select dates at Juju’s Kappo bar until a new location is announced. Guests can expect to book seats this winter. Follow their socials for more information as it becomes available.
