Las Vacas Meat Shop

Feature on Business Today, April 2011.

...from Sunday Star article by Abby Lu on March 20, 2011...

For the gourmand
Although there are some 25 tables at its Mont’ Kiara outlet, which opened in mid 2010, Dayan is adamant that they are not a restaurant. “If you take a look at our sign, it says Kedai Daging (meat shop) and that is really the core of our business.”

The eatery, he says, is simply a complementary extension.

“It’s quite a novel experience; being able to go to the counter, point to the meat that you want, select the weight and how you want it done. Whether it’s 150g, 200g or a kilo, that’s completely up to you!”

Dayan says this model is advantageous as it allows his patrons to try the meat. Also, it makes them realise how easy it is to make it on their own.

They don’t even have a proper chef. “Before we started serving meals at our outlets, I used to get friends over and serve them simple steaks that are pan-fried with salt, pepper and olive oil,” he says, remarking that his guests constantly commented on how nice it was. And since there is a pantry at the Kelana Jaya outlet, they started out with two tables to see if people were receptive. They were, apparently. According to Dayan: “The two tables were overbooked for one month!”

That outlet has now been expanded to accommodate 22 tables.

At Mont’ Kiara, it is close to impossible to get a table on a weekend without prior booking.

The star product there, without doubt, is Wagyu beef. Cooked to a tender perfection, you can almost imagine yourself slicing it with a butter knife and encountering no problem at all.

It is marinated with salt and pepper 15 minutes before it goes onto the grill. Unlike other meats, however, no olive oil is necessary because the fat content is high enough.

The Wagyu ribeye is one of the most popular cuts at Las Vacas, Dayan confirms.

How do you tell if it’s a good piece of Wagyu?

“One general indication is its marbling score, which ranges from one to 12, the latter being the highest possible grade,” he explains. At his outfit, the Wagyu meat is ranked eight and it is already so good that you can almost feel it melting in your mouth.

The minimal and simplistic preparation also ensures that you can taste the freshness of the beef.

Other beef varieties there include the Angus and grain-fed beef. These are all imported from Australia.

It must be noted that beef is not the only delectable offering at Las Vacas. Lamb is another speciality and the chops are cooked to a perfect succulence without being gamey.

Las Vacas’ unofficial mantra that “simple is best” is once again exemplified and the lamb cuts are spared from any over-exuberant spread of sauce.

According to comments left on the location-based social networking site Foursquare, Las Vacas’ lamb burger is another excellent choice.

If you want to try Las Vacas, the outlets are at 23, Jalan SS5A/11, Kelana Jaya, PJ; and LG, Lot 1A, New Wing, Mont’ Kiara Shoplex, Jalan Kiara, KL. Call 03-62052258 or 03-78740711 for reservations.

They also have a website (lasvacasmeat.blogspot.com) and Facebook page with the latest updates and more information.

by Adly, friedchillies.com on Tue, 22 Feb 2011

Believe it or not, 62 carnivores chomped down 93 kg's of prime steams in 45 minutes for a chance to win 2 tickets to Australia. This event was the Las Vacas Steak Challenge which was in its third year and this time, it was held at their flagship Mont Kiara branch.

To read more and watch the video, go to friedchillies.com, link: http://www.friedchillies.com/index.php/gastronews/detail/las-vacas-steak-challenge-2011/

93kg of meat consumed by 62 participants, averaging at 1.1kg each. 230 pieces of Black Angus Ribeye grilled that afternoon was enough to warrant another mass protest by vegetarians like last year's edition. Las Vacas truly believes in advocating good meat, steaks and makes a point to share with you their thoughts in choosing the best cuts everytime.

They believe that they're 'Raising The Steaks' to greater heights!

It was an overcast afternoon that soon turned to be scorching hot at their second outlet, Mont Kiara.

The stage and tables were set to fit 62 carnivores who will be flocking down soon to register themselves.

 

Each participants are numbered to their plates for easy tracking.

Grills are heated up.

Grillers getting ready. There were 4 grillers that afternoon to ensure a steady serving of steaks to everyone

Angus Ribeyes on the grill for medium rare preparation. They were grilled to medium just before the challenge started.

Founders, Dayan & Freddy calm before the storm.

Your crew for the afternoon. Ready to serve.

Mr Fish was the first to arrive. It would be his debut participation.

He was definitely the top contender for the challenge. He once ate 1.1kg of Rump Steak in 15 minutes. Yes.

The Angus Ribeyes grilled to perfection. As always.

Here's how the challenge works. Each partcipant will start with 2 pieces of 300g steak. That's 600g already. Once they finished the two, they will given a subsequent piece from the servers around their tables.

Each piece of steak will be tracked by a sticker placed on the participant's back. For example below, 6 stickers means 6 pieces of steak. That's 1.8kg. The partcipant with the most steaks consumed within 40 minutes will be declared the winner.

Riz Ainuddin of Hero Malaya sports a Johnny Cash look. He was a returning participant. He hopes to beat his previous record of 1.1kg. And the challenge begins! (photo by Adi Arfan Mikhail)

'Cutting it into small portions' approach.

Ngap!

Number 50 was leading halfway through the challenge at 7 pieces of steaks. That's 2.1kg. Insane!

Intense and pure concentration from the participants indeed. (photo by Adi Arfan Mikhail)

Some were already throwing in the towel.

The new leader. 8 steaks with 5 mins to go. Yes.

And 40 minutes is up! (photo by Adi Arfan Mikhail)

All participants were required to stay in their seats while the Judges tally the result. Who will it be? (photo by Adi Arfan Mikhail)

Here's your 3rd place winner with 1.4kg consumed. (photo by Adi Arfan Mikhail) Slow and steady he was. 6 steaks in total. That's 1.8kg earns him a 2nd place. No surprises on who was the outright Champ that day. With 8 steaks and total of 2.38kg! Mind boggling! (photo by Adi Arfan Mikhail)

Our Champ is a bodybuilder, it seems. Check out em biceps. Apparently he has a steady protein diet of boiled chicken and steaks everyday. No surprises there. (photo by Adi Arfan Mikhail)

Our Champ's girlfriend is a bodybuilder too. Winning the challenge earns them a Grand Prize of flying to Gold Coast, Australia.

Our Champ with Dayan and Freddy.

Participants doing a customary "Mooooo!" in paying tribute to The Cows - Las Vacas. (photo by Adi Arfan Mikhail)

Here's a video of the event, shot by Friedchilles.com

 

For those who are new to Las Vacas, please be informed that both our outlets are closed every Monday and due to upgrading works happening today, we will also be closed tomorrow (Tuesday, 22 February 2011). We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Our Kelana Jaya renovation has now been postponed to 21 & 22 February 2011. We will reopen on Wednesday, 23 February 2011. Business will be as usual next week.

Our Kelana Jaya outlet will be closed on Tuesday,15 February 2011 due to renovation and will reopen on Wednesday, 16 February.

The Mont Kiara outlet will be opened as usual.

Our shop will open as usual during the Chinese New Year holidays. We would like to wish our Chinese customers a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year. GONG XI FA CAI!

goreng.my had a talk with our very own Mr Yusof Dayan

Jan 27, 2011
By Melissa Zavier

The meat at Las Vacas... all ready for you to take home and enjoy.
Just three years ago,Yusof Dayan Iskandar wasn't really much of a meat eater. So what made him decide to open – together with his business partner Freddy Azman – a meat deli selling only premium cuts of beef in Kelana Jaya?
In fact, Las Vacas is more than just a meat deli... you can also eat on the premises. On offer are steaks, burgers, kebabs and meat wraps.
“I could eat two 200 grams of steak per serving but I would love to eat a whole kilo of it," said Yusof. And if you ask him what’s the best way to prepare a steak, he would say,“Salt and pepper is the key to a good steak and no sauce. Ever!” His steaks are served with French fries, salad and Dijon mustard.

Today, Las Vacas is so popular there are even days when he is forced to turn away dine-in customers due to lack of space. And last October, they opened another Las Vacas in Mont Kiara.

Before venturing full time into the meat business, Yusof worked for a stockbroking firm for four years until he had the opportunity to go overseas in 2001. In Cambodia, he continued working in finance, but in the meat and livestock industry.
He enjoyed his work so much that he even took an interest in and became knowledgeable about meat. This was when his boss guided him and gave him the confidence to start his business.

“I left Cambodia in 2005 and worked on a farm in Johor which belonged to my former boss,” said Yusof who also speaks Khmer.

At Las Vacas Mont Kiara, Yusof even offers cleaving classes for just anyone who is interested in learning how to cut their meat professionally. “At RM500 for two hours, I will provide my students with the meat and give a detailed explanation on how to treat, cut and identify good or a bad meat,” said Yusof who believes in simple but good food.

Each person will also get the chance to grill the meat during the crash course. It is Yusof’s dream to have longer detailed classes in the future but due to his busy schedule, his options are limited.

“Even if it takes years to be good at cleaving meat, it’s important to know the basics,” said Yusof. And his pet meat peeve? "People who press the meat to see if it’s good!"

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