What Makes Sirloin Steak So Special
It’s lean without being dry, tender without being soft, and beefy without being too rich
May 26, 2025
Why Wagyu Beef is Worth the Hype
- Published:
Scan any quality steakhouse menu and you’ll spot it, wagyu.
Scan any quality steakhouse menu and you’ll spot it, wagyu. It’s often listed with a higher price, maybe even a note about its origin or grade. And it makes people pause. Is it worth it? For most of our guests at Volcanos Steakhouse, the answer is yes, and not because it sounds premium, but because it performs.
There’s nothing dramatic about how we serve it. It’s not a showpiece. It’s a reliable part of the experience, sitting right alongside sirloin steak, OP ribeye, and our dry-aged specials. You’ll find Wagyu beef on the Volcanos menu because it works, on the grill, on the plate, and under your knife.
This article lays it all out. No hype. Just the facts that make Wagyu a serious cut: the genetics, the feeding, the texture, the grading, and the flavour. And we’ll walk you through how we handle it, why marbling matters, and how you can book it next time you’re at one of our Volcanos locations in Parramatta, Blacktown, Wetherill Park, Epping, or Bankstown.
What Makes Wagyu Beef Different from Everything Else
The edge that Wagyu beef has over other types of steak starts with the cattle. Wagyu isn’t a marketing word, it’s a category of cattle breeds. In Japan, these include Kuroge, Akage, Nihon Tankaku, and Mukaku. In Australia, Wagyu cattle are often crossbred with Angus, but the line remains clear. The goal is the same: build muscle with fat threaded through it, not just around it.
The cattle are raised longer. Regular beef cattle are usually fed for around 120–180 days. Wagyu gets up to 600. That slow feeding on grain diets allows fat to form inside the muscle. It’s called intramuscular fat, but everyone knows it as marbling. And it’s that marbling that makes Wagyu beef so different to cook and eat.
You’ll notice it immediately on the plate. Wagyu is redder, finer grained, and streaked with thin white lines that melt early on the grill. The result is a steak that tastes rich, stays moist, and doesn’t need butter or sauce to carry it.
Fat isn’t just about flavour. The specific fat profile in Wagyu contains more monounsaturated fat and oleic acid than conventional beef. According to most Australian beef research, that makes it easier to digest. You leave the table full, not heavy.
Wagyu also uses a different grading system. In Japan, it’s the BMS (1–12). In Australia, we use the Marble Score (MBS). Our cuts sit in the MBS 4–9+ range. You can ask our team about it when you order. We’ll walk you through what the score means and how it tastes.
Why Marbling Makes All the Difference
Every Wagyu beef cut begins with its structure. That starts with marbling. We don’t mean chunks of outer fat, we mean the lines that run through the meat. These melt early as the steak cooks, which means your steak bastes itself from within.
This makes a real difference on the grill. Most steaks dry out if left a few seconds too long. But with Wagyu beef, the marbling starts to liquefy at around 30–35°C. That keeps the fibres soft and the flavour evenly distributed, even in medium or medium-well applications.
At Volcanos, we aim for MBS 4–5 for balance. It gives a rich mouthfeel without being overpowering. For people trying Wagyu for the first time, this range is approachable. It’s why so many of our regulars come back for it again.
You’ll see the marbling show differently depending on the cut. In sirloin, it’s tighter and straighter. In ribeye, it spirals through the eye. Our team uses this as a cue. It affects how we sear, rest, and plate every steak.
We don’t use heavy sauces or rubs on Wagyu. Just salt. Maybe pepper. That’s it. Because if the marbling is done right, that’s all you need. You get flavour that carries and finishes clean.
And texture? It doesn’t chew like regular steak. It breaks apart on the bite. That’s not softness, it’s structure. Marbling interrupts the muscle grain, letting your teeth do less work. That’s the melt-in-the-mouth feeling people talk about. It’s biology, not branding.
Wagyu at Volcanos Steakhouse, From Butcher to Flame
At Volcanos, we source Wagyu beef only from long-fed, grain-fed programs. Cattle are fed for at least 270 days and meet strict grading before we even start the prep. That’s our baseline. We don’t serve lower scores. We don’t take cuts we didn’t inspect.
We start with whole primals. Every steak you eat has been trimmed and portioned by hand, by someone who knows what the grain should feel like. Cuts are dry-aged where it adds value and sometimes lightly infused with Wagyu fat to lift the flavour.
When we grill, we go fast and hot. This locks the surface and lets the marbling go to work. We rest every steak properly. Resting keeps the moisture from spilling out and the temperature steady from edge to centre.
Steaks are cut across the grain. Plates are kept hot. Sides are simple, grilled greens, mash, maybe charred corn. It’s not about making it fancy. It’s about making it work.
What you won’t see is shortcuts. No vacuum-packing. No frozen trays. And definitely no steaks cooked straight from chilled. We bring every piece to room temperature before it hits the grill. That’s how you get even doneness.
We follow this routine across every location. It’s what makes us a proper Steakhouse in Sydney. It’s not just about getting it right once. It’s about doing it the same way, every day.
Wagyu, Halal Standards, and Local Taste
We’re a certified Halal Steakhouse, and that includes our entire Wagyu beef range. We follow the full halal slaughter process, source from trusted suppliers, and only serve cuts that meet our standards.
That matters to our guests. Western Sydney is full of people who care about what they eat, and how it’s handled. From Parramatta to Bankstown, to Epping Victoria, guests ask about sourcing, grading, and prep. They want more than just a menu label. They want transparency.
That’s what we offer. Our team is briefed on MBS, feeding cycles, sourcing, and portioning. We can answer questions at the table because we expect them. And we respect the people asking.
Our suppliers follow ethical sourcing practices, and we’ve built relationships with producers who raise cattle with care. We don’t cut costs by importing questionable products or mixing cuts from different sources. What’s on the plate is what we say it is.
Wagyu isn’t treated like a novelty here. It’s part of the rotation. It’s something you can order on a weeknight or during a casual Sydney lunch with mates. You don’t need a big event. You just need a seat.
That’s why we say Wagyu fits the Western Sydney palate. Big flavour. Clear prep. No fluff. It works for a quiet night or as one of your go-to Sydney Eats. And when it’s served right, it leaves a lasting mark, without leaving you feeling weighed down.
There’s no trick to Wagyu beef. It’s not something you have to “get used to.” The moment it hits the table, most people can tell there’s something different. The colour is richer. The cut looks cleaner. And the first bite seals it.
You get flavour, moisture, and balance all in one. The finish is clean. The fat doesn’t coat your mouth; it disappears. That’s what makes Wagyu memorable. Not hype. Just results.
It’s also flexible. It works as a shared plate or a main. It can be sliced thin or served thick. It’s a hit on Sydney Date Ideas lists, and it’s regularly listed on food blogs covering the Best Restaurant in Sydney. But here, it’s normal. Part of the menu. Not a special request.
We serve it every day because people ask for it every day. Regulars don’t even need to look at the menu. They ask what MBS we’re serving, or which cut is looking sharp this week.
And when someone tries Wagyu for the first time, they rarely ask about price again. They get it. They feel it. They usually come back with someone new. That’s how it spreads, plate to plate, not through hype.
It’s earned its place. And at Volcanos, we give it the treatment it deserves.
You don’t need a big reason to order Wagyu beef. You just need the right table, a bit of curiosity, and a solid grill team to back it up. We’ve got the rest covered.
We prep every cut fresh. We trim to spec. We cook to order. And we explain what you’re eating, not to make it feel fancy, but to make it real.
So next time you’re looking up Restaurants Near Me, or browsing Places in Sydney You must visit, or just want to try a steak that delivers, put Volcanos on the list.
Book with Volcanos, ask for the Wagyu, and let the steak do the rest. And if you’re already a regular, sign up for Volcanos Family Rewards. You’ll get points, updates, and first dibs on new menu cuts.
Because when Wagyu’s done right, it’s not a trend. It’s a standard.
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