Premium Cuts in Ilioupoli, Athens: Ribeye, Picanha, Wagyu and Black Angus

The premium selection includes: Ribeye Αμερικής creekstone, Rib-eye Βραζιλίας, Μοσχάρι Rib-Eye Ουρουγουάης, Μοσχάρι Wagyu A5 Rib-Eye, Μοσχάρι Picanha Αμερικής, Μοσχάρι Striploin Αμερικής, Rump steak Αμερικής, Flap steak Αμερικής, Outside skirt Αμερικής, Μοσχάρι flank-steak Αμερικής, Φιλέτο black angus, Μπιφτέκι Black Angus Χειροποίητο 220g and Μοσχάρι γάλακτος μπριζόλα με κόκκαλο Ολλανδίας, a bone-in veal chop from the Netherlands.

Ribeye comes from the rib primal, roughly ribs six through twelve. It is really two muscles: the central eye and the fattier cap wrapped around it, which is the juiciest part of the steak. We carry ribeye from four origins (USA, Brazil, Uruguay and Japan), and each one eats differently in marbling and depth of flavour.

Striploin sits just behind the ribeye, firmer in texture with a strip of fat along one edge. Picanha is the top sirloin cap, sold with its fat layer intact, while rump steak is cut from the muscle underneath it, leaner and tighter. Flap steak, outside skirt and flank steak are the classic butcher's cuts: coarse visible grain, big beefy flavour, very short time over the fire. Φιλέτο black angus is the tenderloin, the softest and leanest muscle on the animal. The Dutch veal chop is paler, milder and lower in fat, with the bone helping it stay juicy. And for burger nights, the Μπιφτέκι Black Angus Χειροποίητο 220g patty is heavy enough to stay pink in the middle.

First the basics: take the meat out of the fridge 30 to 45 minutes ahead and pat it properly dry. A wet surface steams instead of searing.

For ribeye, ask us for 3 to 4 cm. Anything thinner cooks through the centre before the outside colours. On a hot grill or in a heavy pan, 3 to 4 minutes a side, then move it to gentler heat. Target 52-54°C for medium rare, 57-60°C for medium. Past 65°C the intramuscular fat has already rendered out and taken half the flavour with it. For anything over 4 cm, reverse sear works better: oven at 110-120°C until you are 8 degrees below target, then 60 to 90 seconds a side over very high heat.

Picanha needs its fat cap. Score it in a crosshatch without cutting into the meat and start fat side down so it renders and bastes the cut itself. Stand the striploin on its fat strip for a couple of minutes before laying it flat. Outside skirt, flap steak and flank steak want fierce heat, 2 to 3 minutes a side, and never past medium rare or they tighten up.

Wagyu A5 is not a grill steak. A5 is the top band of the Japanese grading system and means extremely dense intramuscular fat that melts at a low temperature. Slice it thin, put it in a dry hot pan with no oil since it renders plenty of its own, seconds a side, and finish with nothing but coarse salt. Φιλέτο black angus, being so lean, should not go past medium: cut it into 3 cm medallions and hold it at 52-54°C.

How much to buy. For a bone-in chop, count on 350 to 400 g per person, since the bone is part of the weight. For boneless cuts such as striploin, picanha or rump steak, 250 to 300 g is a generous plate. Tenderloin, denser and with no fat, works at 200 to 220 g. Wagyu A5 is a different calculation: 80 to 120 g per person is plenty, because the fat fills you up fast. It serves better as a small first course in thin slices than as a main.

Resting is not optional. Give the steak 5 to 10 minutes on a warm plate, loosely covered, so the juices redistribute through the fibres. A workable rule is resting time equal to about half the cooking time. Remember that the internal temperature climbs another 2 to 3 degrees off the heat, so pull it slightly under your target.

Slicing decides the rest. Flap steak, outside skirt and flank steak are always cut across the grain, thin, with the knife on a slight angle. That shortens the fibres and the meat eats far more tenderly. Picanha is cut into two-centimetre steaks with the grain before cooking, or across it afterwards. A ribeye separates easily into eye and cap, useful when you are sharing one steak between two. If you want a particular thickness or a specific way of trimming, just say so before we wrap it: everything is cut by hand in the shop, every morning.

The shop is at Katonos 6-8, Ilioupoli 163 45, Athens. Open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 08:00 to 17:00, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 08:00 to 20:00, closed on Sunday. Phone 210 9758744.

You can order and pay online through the shop's app. It shows what is actually in the case that day, which matters with premium cuts: not every origin arrives every week and availability moves around. If you need something specific for a particular date, such as Wagyu A5 or picanha for a weekend cookout, a phone call a day or two ahead settles it.

Delivery runs daily from 12:00 to 16:00 in Ilioupoli and the surrounding neighbourhoods. If you are not sure whether we reach your address, call 210 9758744 and we will tell you straight away. Use the order notes to tell us the thickness you want, whether the meat is going on a grill, in a pan or into a tagliata, and how many people are eating. We cut to that. If you are feeding a group, tell us what you plan to put over the fire and we will work out the weight together, so you neither run short nor end up with half a kilo nobody touches.