My recent business trip to Kobe provided me with a welcome opportunity to try out Kobe Beef on its home turf. So why is it so highly rated around the world? Even the Japanese are wild about it.

I was entertained in a traditional Teppanyaki style restaurant with a chef preparing and cooking in front of our group. The meat was cooked with garlic and served with sliced daikon, beansprouts and peppers. Very rich in flavour and an amazing tenderness that I have never experienced before.

Kobe Beef is in fact one of the top grade beef in Japan. There are mainly four breeds in Kobe beef termed as Wagyu (wa means Japanese and gyu means cattle): Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled, and Japanese Shorthorn.

Japanese Kobe Beef is from Tajima-ushi, which is one of Japanese Black. So why does it taste so good? Well, the Wagyu cattle are fed organic grains, Japanese beer, and even sake mash.

On the evening in question, our chef proudly showed off his license permitting him to sell Kobe beef, and furthermore his training certificates. His skill was awesome with the way that he handled the meat, slicing so carefully and cooking to perfection. Slightly pink in the middle.

Such a delicacy will of course attract a high price. £60 per head to be exact, not bad when you consider the truly magnificient taste of the beef.