Moving again...

I started this blog two months ago, and I need to tell you guys already that I will move to another country again. Next destination would be Taipei, Taiwan. Well, of course I will continue sharing my experience (mostly food), but I am sad that I cannot share good-looking Sapporo foods for a while, which was my purpose to start this blog…

I am still same person who loves to eat and find delicious food with reasonable price, and there is a direct flight between Taipei and Sapporo. I am sure I try to come back here as much as I can, or I go traveling to Taiwan, Japan or other Asian countries.

I will stay at Tokyo for a few days, then leave to Taiwan in the middle of this week.

If you know any good local restaurants, please let me know!

Restaurant #16: Toppii, Sapporo

It was so cold today at Sapporo. I saw the snow covering the top of the mountain. Several days ago, one of popular ski resorts was opened. Yes, skiing/snowboarding season came! I really wanted to eat sushi for lunch, so my family and I tried Kaiten-zushi called “Toppii”.

I used to eat fresh, expensive sushi only, because my grandfather was a fisherman. Our family can tell the difference, fresh or not, easily. But since I was away from Hokkaido for a while, now I start eating all kinds of sushi, cheap or expensive it does not matter. Kaiten-zushi (回転寿司), also called sushi-go-round, is like fast-food sushi. Usually, the price is reasonable and neta (raw fish for sushi: ネタ) is so-so. Recently, many Kaiten-zushi use fresh neta, otherwise customers don’t go back there.


Sushi plates are placed on a rotating conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant and moves past every table and counter seat. You may order directly to the sushi chef, or simply pick the moving sushi plates on the conveyor belt. The bill is based on the number and type of plates. For instance, this restaurant has three types of plates; pink (105 yen), red (130 yen), and red with white edge (240 yen). You often see Chicken Karaage (Japanese style Deep Fried Chicken: 若鶏のから揚げ) or Chawan Mushi (Savoury Egg Custard: 茶碗蒸し) or other extra dishes.


First round: clockwise from the top left, Samma (さんま), Salmon (サーモン), Toro Salmon (とろサーモン), and Chawan Mushi with urchin (新鮮うにの茶碗蒸し). I barely eat Chawan Mushi (Savoury Egg Custard) outside, because their Chawan Mushi is usually sweet. Yet, this one was not sweet… However, after I ate some bites, I saw urchin and the taste immediately changed from perfect to salty! Hhmmmm… I liked the taste of urchin, but they used it too much. Toro salmon was my favorite among those four.


Second round: Squid with grinded ginger (いか) and Chicken Karaage (若鶏のから揚げ). I know I know. This is a sushi place… I guess I was so excited to see all kinds of dishes passing through in front of me on the conveyor belt. It is just funny to see it. I accidentally picked chicken. Oh my… the taste was not good... What was I thinking? Well, now I learned… My mother and aunt enjoyed squid.


Third round: clockwise from the left, Saba (Mackerel: さば), Aburi Toro Salmon (Broiled Toro Salmon: 炙りとろサーモン) and Chu-Toro (中トロ). Chu-Toro came with 240 yen plate. I don’t know I usually have to pay for it in regular sushi restaurant. This Chu-Toro made me very satisfied; this price and this taste… It is reasonable.

Scallop

My family ate scallop (ほたて), so I missed it.


From the left: Hamachi (Young Yellowtail: はまち) and Aburi Anago (Broiled Conger Eel: 炙りあなご). I liked yellowtail. Taste was fine, but neta was very thin. Aburi Anago was my aunt’s choice, so I didn’t eat it… I should’ve try one…

Octopus

Octopus (たこ) was very fresh! It had appropriate firmness and tasty. How come they put a slice of lemon on the neta? It looks pretty with it, but it tastes better without it.

Natto Maki

Natto (納豆) is a traditional Japanese food, made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis. People from overseas often surprise (or is confused) its strong smell and sticky consistency, even people from some area in Japan. I, as from Hokkaido, like natto and natto maki (納豆巻き). This natto maki pleased me with shredded squid and green onion.

Toro Salmon

We ordered Toro Salmon again as our last dish. With or without onion, salmon was fresh enough with this price, and definitely it was today’s favorite.


Overall, we really enjoyed it. It costs only $14 per person and ate a lot! It is reasonable price, don’t you think? If you want more variety of sushi and small dishes, there is another good Kaiten-zushi in Otaru. I will write a report next time I go there.

Total: 4000 yen (240x12, 130x7, 105x2: for 3 people)

Toppii
http://www.toppii.jp/

Café #01: Inoda Coffee, Sapporo

After the lunch at The Buffet, my friend and I enjoyed window shopping at the department store for a while. I found some beautiful plates and tea cups. I often appreciate dinnerware and pottery. Japanese and European style… Beautiful pottery makes the food delicious. I like enjoying the meal by stimulating all my five senses; taste, smell, sound, firmness of the food and beauty of the food’s layout.

We stopped by at small old café at Daimaru, called Inoda Coffee. This café, since 1940, is originally from Kyoto. The interior reminds me of old fashioned café from Showa period (Dec 1926 to Jan 1989). They have variety of coffee menu, plus some popular café dishes, such as sandwiches and spaghetti. Of course, they prepare some dessert menu, including Japanese sweets! Wonderful! I tried Iced Café au Lait (560 yen), and my friend ordered regular Iced Coffee (530 yen).

Iced Café au Lait and Iced Caffee

Both items came with crystal glasses, beautifully poured. Let’s take a look how much they poured the coffee. Maybe some people think they should put more Iced Café au Lait. Yet, I feel the beauty that they don’t pour too much or too less. The quantity of ice was perfectly controlled. It was beautiful. I asked them to put a bit of syrup, so that the taste of café au lait became rich and creamy. The evening view of Sapporo downtown from the window was stunning… Time passed very slowly, and we enjoyed our conversation for another two hours.

Total: 1090 yen (for 2 people)

Inoda Coffee
7F, Daimaru Department Store Sapporo
7, Kita 5-jo Nishi 4-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
10:00-20:00 (non smoking)
011-271-7712
http://www.inoda-coffee.co.jp/index.html

Restaurant #15: The Buffet, Sapporo

On Tuesday, I met my friend at Daimaru department store. Ha ha, yes I went there again! This department store is my favorite place these days. I’ve known this friend since I was in college. I used to work at a movie theater as a part time job. She was one of the part-time workers like me.

My friend told me that she had never tried this buffet restaurant, called “The Buffet”, located on eighth floor of Daimaru. I’ve been there several times. The price is attractive; all you can eat for lunch (90 minutes) is 1490 yen. Their food choice is various, and the taste is not bad. So we decided to have lunch here.

We came here after we had some snacks and coffee, but we were already hungry. We came here at around 1:30. I recommend you to come here either early (11:30) or late like us, otherwise you need to wait for a while on the long line. The décor was simple, but huge! And you can see the view of beautiful Sapporo downtown. Lunch view is nice, but dinner view would be much better and romantic. The regular all-you-can-eat course does not come with drinks, so we added drinks (210 yen).

Pasta Plate

I liked their pasta. I chose three different tastes of pasta; clockwise from right, Karasumi Spaghetti (カラスミのパスタ), Carbonara (カルボナーラ), and Tomato Spaghetti with mushroom and squid (きのこと烏賊のトマトパスタ). There was another one with Kimchi, but I didn’t try it this time… Carbonara was the best among these three.

Chinese Plate

The plate in the front was my choice. From the top; Squid and Eggplant with Chinese sauce (烏賊と茄子の油淋ソース掛け), Shrimp with Sauce Aurore (海老のオーロラソース), Stewed Tofu Nuggets in Cream sauce (豆腐ナゲットのクリーム煮), Shumai (焼売), and Spinach Dumpling (ホウレン草餃子). All-you-can-eat I tried last time was at Grand Park Otaru. Their food choice was less than here, yet, to be honest, the quality was better over there, especially their Chinese dishes. My friend didn’t like most of Chinese dishes in here. I understand… For me, it was okay. I finished everything anyway. Unfortunately, most of Chinese dishes were already cold. It has to be hot…

Main Dishes

Their main dishes were better than last time. I prefer, however, Terrace Brasserie at Otaru. Sorry… The plate in the front is mine. From the top right; Coleslaw with Broccoli (コールスロー), Tofu Salad with Rock Laver and Shrimp (岩のりと小海老の豆腐サラダ), Organic Millet Rice Salad (16穀米のサラダ), Grilled Salmon with Yuzu Mustard Sauce (サーモンソテー柚子とマスタードのソース), Potato Croquette, French Fries and Chicken Chasseur (ポテトコロッケ, フライドポテトとチキンシャスール), and Fritto di Samma with Genovese Sauce (秋刀魚のフリットジェノバソース). Among those, my favorite was Salmon. Salmon was warm enough and perfectly salty. It came with Mizuna, which gave the freshness into my mouth. Chicken Chasseur was appropriately tender and a bit sweet because of the fresh tomatoes. Good! Tofu salad was one of healthy items they had, and I liked it. But tofu is not special, so please don’t expect too much.

Last Plate

This was my last plate, because it passed 90 min already! Too fast! We talked too much! We should’ve concentrate on eating more… My last plate was my favorite items of the day, and added sliced pizza with ham and tuna, and petite donut in the middle. Donut was still warm and was not that sweet. It was my taste.

I really should’ve tried more items… But no time... I couldn't eat desserts...

Overall, their food choice was various enough, and I enjoyed their dishes. If you care about the quality, you should pay more and go to a hotel buffet. If you want to eat different dishes and eat a lot, The Buffet is a good place to try. I really think they should allow people more time to enjoy lunch. How about 120 min instead of 90 min?

Total: 3400 yen (for 2 people)

The Buffet
8F, Daimaru Department Store Sapporo
7, Kita 5-jou Nishi 4-chome, Chuo-ku
Sapporo
011-828-1263
http://www.buffet.jp/the/index.html

FastFood #02: Gura-Koro Burger @ McDonald’s

I am not a huge fan of McDonald’s. Their French fries were unhealthily salty and not hot. Their menu is not special compared to other burger stores. Yet, the good thing for them is that their target is kids. Most of their stores have playground; kids are playing games and running around, happily. I was amazed by their business strategy. McDonald’s Japan, however, has to think different strategy, because they cannot only focus on kids. Our McDonald’s doesn’t have a playground, although we have special menu for kids. Creative original menu, free McCafe and reasonable price brought them business successful in recent years.

I usually eat shrimp sandwich (えびフィレオ) at McDonald’s in Japan, but this time I tried a limited item called Gura-Koro Burger (Gratin Croquette Burger: グラコロ) (300 yen).

Gura-Koro Burger with a cup of coffee

Macaroni Gratin is my favorite dish in my life so far. The important part of making perfect gratin is white sauce. Not too creamy, definitely not sweet. The perfect white sauce can make the delicious gratin. Of course, I didn’t expect perfect sauce for this burger, although the taste was pretty good. Korokke (コロッケ) is the Japanese name for a deep fried dish originally from French croquette. Inside of korokke, there are macaroni and shrimp mixed with white sauce. For me, the sauce was too creamy and a bit sweet. So bulldog sauce on the korokke helped me to adjust the sweetness.

By the way, one thing I thought it was interesting is that chicken sandwich is called “Chicken Burger” here. Anything with hamburger bun and meat is called “burger”. In the U.S., people distinguish burgers (beef) and sandwiches (other meats). No wonder workers made face to me everytime I ordered saying “filet-o Fish burger”. (^^;)

Total: 300 yen

Restaurant #14: Brasserie Avion, Sapporo

Appetizer (Plate: Hana Sarasa, Noritake)

Today was a great day. My friend called me to have lunch together. This restaurant, Brasserie Avion, was the one that she tried to take me a few months ago, but unfortunately, the restaurant was booked for a private party on that day. So finally, I could visit there with my friend. She recommended me because she loved their lunch course. Okay let’s try!


The restaurant is located in near Hokkaido University, so it is easy to access. You may take a walk on campus after you eat delicious lunch. The restaurant was pretty quiet. The décor was organized and beautifully decorated! It was interesting that the chef sometimes draw cute pictures on the wall. I saw some recipe books on the shelf and some ingredients. There are one chief and a waitress. Waitress was friendly, and each time she served foods, she explained about the dishes. If you want to go, it is better to make a reservation.


They provide three lunch courses; 1700, 1800 and 2000 yen. Each have slightly different, and also their main dishes are also different. I ordered 1700 yen course, and my friend ordered 1800 yen. The difference was that my order came with the pasta, instead of today’s special soup which came with my friend’s order.

Hot Lemon

They served a hot lemon for to serve my tea at the end with the dessert. This hot lemon was actually home made my friend. I asked them, and it was not sweet that much when it was hot. After 5 min, sweetness became stronger.

Appetizer

All the dishes came with beautiful Noritake plates. One was with a new design called Hana Sarasa, my recent favorite from Noritake. Appetizers looked gorgeous with beautiful layout. Five pieces of appetizers on a plate: spinach Spanish omelet (ほうれん草のスパニッシュ・オムレツ), beet bavarois with Italian herb (ビーツのババロア、イタリアン・ハーブ添え), lotus root pizza (レンコンのピッザ風), “Awakening of Inca” potato gratin style (インカの目覚めグラタン風), and their homemade smoked salmon (自家製スモークサーモン). All items tasted fantastic. I especially liked “Awakening of Incas” gratin style. “Awakening of Incas” is a new brand for potatoes, produced in Hokkaido. The color is yellowish and sweet. Gratin is my favorite dish so far in my life, and this one was pretty tasty as I expected. Smoked salmon was also delicious.

Potage of Purple Broccoli

After the delicious appetizers, my friend’s special soup and my pasta were served. The special soup of the day was “purple broccoli’s potage” (紫ブロッコリのスープ). I just tasted one spoon, but right after I put the spoon in my mouth, the smell of the broccoli spread. The soup was, of course, tasty, but more I enjoyed the joy of vegetable!

Tomato Spaghetti with Shrimp and Seasonable Vegetable

Tomato Spaghetti with Shrimp and Seasonable Vegetable (エビと季節野菜のパスタ) was pretty tasty, but I felt that it was a little bit less shrimps. They only used two shrimps and one was cut in half. It could be possible that the chef somehow used a seafood broth, but I wanted to see a bit more shrimps. The chef used fresh Komatsuna. Vegetable magic—wonderful.

Homemade Bread

Before they served the main dishes, homemade bread just was finished baked. It was cute, small bread, and it just came out from the oven. Hot, hot, hot! Extra virgin oil was crystal clear, and my friend even drank it all! It is healthy. We quickly finished eating all, so the waitress gave us another one.

Roasted Pork

Main dishes were finally served. My friend’s dish was roasted pork, with some slices of a turnip and fresh tomatoes with pure virgin oil dressing. Pork was nicely salted, and the pepper was just grinded. It looked, though, a bit small for my friend’s lunch course. It would be nice that if it came with more vegetable or extra bread.

Roasted Chicken

My dish was roasted chicken with green beans and mushroom. The chicken was cooked perfectly. Interestingly, the green beans were a bit hard, which gave me a hit of vegetable magic again. I felt the chicken was a little bit salty, but the portion was appropriate, so it should be no problem for other people.

Dessert Plate

Three desserts on the plate: fig, persimmon sorbet and Miso pudding. I was surprised when I heard Miso pudding. It was sweet but basically tasted miso. Among those three items I definitely loved Miso pudding.


Overall, I liked their delicious food as well as their pretty décor. The chef was welcomed us personally, even though he was busy for cooking. The waitress was well trained and friendly. In addition, they saved the best seats for us! Great hospitality.

Total: 3500 yen (for 2 people, including tax and tip)

Brasserie Avion, Itarian French
2F, Kensetsu Consal Bldg
5-1, Kita 13-jo Nishi 4-chome Kita-ku
Sapporo
011-728-7500
http://ggyao.usen.com/0004014237/

Dessert #01: The Fruitscake Factory

I sometimes mentioned in my blog that I barely eat desserts. It is because I prefer salty stuff than sweet. I rather eat potato chips or senbei (Japanese crackers) than a slice of strawberry shortcake. I guess I do not like whipped cream… But now, I found some delicious patisserie; it is from “The Fruitscake Factory,” located in Daimaru department store. (Yeah I thought it was Cheesecake Factory at first.) They make tasty dolce, using fresh, sweet fruits from Hokkaido farms; it is organic and natural.

Kouhi and blueberry tart

Although the price is a bit expensive, it is worth to try. I am happy to eat those because all the fruits are organic and are from Hokkaido. Their signature item is a strawberry tart, but it was sold out when we went there. So we bought two slices of “pear and strawberry tart” (洋梨と苺のタルト) and a slice of “Kouhi and blueberry tart” (紅姫とブルーベリーのタルト). Kouhi (紅姫) is a new kind of kiwifruits—red flesh. It is rare, and is sweeter than a regular green flesh kiwifruit.

pear and strawberry tart

Both tarts tasted great, and it looked beautiful. I tried their tarts several times, and so far my favorite is pear and strawberry tart. Their pear is so fresh and juicy. They use some whipped cream, but it is not that much, so I can still eat it or take it on the side and eat some fruits and custard cream.

It is unfortunate that my photo skills are not good enough to show you how delicious these tarts are, but hopefully you’ll have a chance to try those soon. Their café just opened in this month, so I note the café’s address below.

The Fruitscake Factory
Minami 1-chome Nishi 4-chome, Chuo-ku
Sapporo
011-251-0311
http://www.fruitscakefactory.com/index.html