Kamitoku established its brand as a beef ramen specialist in Tottori, Japan, 74 years ago, versus much more pervasive pork specialty shops.

Now, the company has branched into beefy hot pots, with Kamitoku Japanese Hot Pot recently opening its doors at Market City Shopping Center.

The beef connection is rooted in the Tottori region’s renown for cattle ranching dating to the 1700s, long before Japan’s elite developed a taste for beef, following Westerners’ lead during the Meiji Restoration beginning in the late 1800s. Beef only gained wider acceptance among Japanese consumers after the country’s post-World War II economic boom.

Which brings us to a menu focused on American brisket, short rib and rib-eye, and washugyu brisket, chuck roll and rib-eye, swished into one of four broth options.

The Beefy Marina is Kamitoku’s original shoyu beef bone broth served since 1949. Beefy Wild is the current signature creamy beef bone broth. For those with a love of heat, beefy spicy is the broth of choice, and the lighter, refreshing beefy yuzu is the only one that has a $1 price tag. Otherwise, the broth is complimentary with a la carte or set meal choices.

Before hitting the hot pot, you might want to start with appetizers unique to this site such as tamago tofu ($7.25), a soft cold steamed egg custard sprinkled with tempura flakes for crunch, as well as ahi toro takuan ($8.75), more typically known as torotaku. This combo typically served in maki sushi or hand roll form at sushi bars is served here with ahi and pickled radish chopped into a bowl to be spread over sheets of nori. The sweet-sour flavor of the takuan perks up the flavor of the fish.

For gyoza with a difference, there is the beef chasu-filled deep-fried gyoza served in regular ($5) or a nanban ($6) version with green onions and tartar sauce.

You can also enjoy true-to its-namesake okonomiyaki fries ($6).

The easiest way to order your hot pot is to start with one of two $28 sets, American or Japanese. Both sets come with one choice of 6 ounces of meat from the beef cuts mentioned earlier, plus black pork belly and premium Canadian Mugifuji pork. Different cuts come with additional costs ranging from $1 for the Mugifuji pork to $7 for the washugyu rib-eye (4 ounces).

The difference in the sets is in the vegetables included. The American set features won bok, bok choy, tofu, gyoza, oyster mushrooms and mochi pouches, and ends with a ramen or zosui set of egg, rice and nori. The Japanese set features won bok, chrysanthemum leaves, shiitake, glass noodles, tofu and deep-fried bean curd, and also ends with a ramen or zosui set.

There is also a $27 motsunabe set comprising 4 ounces of washugyu beef intestines, cabbage, chives, bean sprouts, red pepper, garlic chips and that ramen or zosui finale.

You can always add more selections from the a la carte menu that also includes washugyu intestines (4 ounces, $8.50), arabiki sausages ($5), chicken breast (4 ounces, $5), veggies, plus an array of condiments such as daikon oroshi, cilantro, yuzukosho or sesame seeds for $2 each or three items for $5.

For those who love to see a little table drama, the restaurant follows in its sister restaurant’s footsteps in creating a buzz with the launch of its colossal Beefy King ramen. Here, the Beefy King ($85) is a tower of 12 ounces of washugyu brisket and chuck roll wrapped around won bok, that eventually melts into a soup of veggies, mushrooms, mochi, deep-fried bean curd and beef gyoza, ending with a ramen or zosui set and dessert of sorbet.

There is also the comparable Piggy Queen ($65) that comes with 12 ounces of black pork belly. Maybe all my friends are small eaters, but this dish easily feeds four. Perhaps I did overindulge, but I didn’t feel bad about it. The Japanese hot pot is still one of the healthiest ways to eat as long as you maintain a balance between meat and veggies.

Kamitoku Japanese Hot Pot

Market City Shopping Center
2919 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu
Food: ***½
Service: ****
Ambiance: ***½
Value: ***½
Call: 808-784-0121
Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m daily; Dinner 5-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; And 5-9 p.m. Sundays
Prices: About $60-$70 for two

Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).