Restaurant #59: Glass Seasons @ Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo, Sapporo

(Visited in February, 2011)

I went to eat Lunch All-You-Can-Eat Buffet at Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo. Hotel buffet is quite popular in Japan, and I tried several in Sapporo. Yet, I heard good review of Keio’s buffet. I wanted to try and see if reviews were accurate.

My friends and I arrived at the Hotel at around 11:30am. The restaurant is called “Glass Seasons”, and it seemed they were just opened for lunch. Fresh smell of chicken and pork rib made me feel hungry!

They prepared items of fifteen or so. It is not many compared with other hotel/restaurant buffet. However, the quality of each item was quite high, and you see how much chefs spent time for it. There were some items that chef directly served you, or cooked in front of you.

First Plate

From top left, clockwise, Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon (赤キャベツとベーコンの煮込み), Butter Rice (バターライス), Tomato Spaghetti (本日のパスタ), Chicken Thigh and Kita-akari Potato baked in foil (鶏モモ肉と北あかりのホイル包み焼き). Butter Rice was actually for curry, but I didn’t want to eat curry to make me full, so I just took rice. Among those items, I liked chicken and Kita-Akari the best. I thought a bit salty, but it was comfortable as long as I take small portion. Kita-akari potato was of course locally grown. Yummy!

Second Plate

From top left, clockwise, Roast Beef (牛肉の南蛮漬け), Marinated Salmon on Top of Pancake (サーモンマリネ　パンケーキ添え), Fried Squid with Mayonnaise sauce flavored with capers (イカのフリット ケッパー入りマヨネーズソース), Roast Pork-Sparerib with Herbs (豚スペアリブ: 香草ロースト). All the items on this plate were delicious, and it made me satisfied, especially roast pork. A chef cut and placed on the plate for you. On that day, there were two ways to enjoy this rich pork-sparerib. One style is this roasted one with herbs. Two types of sauce you could choose—Onion sauce or Yakiniku sauce. I enjoyed purely without sauce, and smelled rosemary and other Italian herbs. Meat was perfectly tender.

Third Plate

Seasonal Fish in Acuq Pazza (白身魚のアクアパッツァ風)

Fourth Plate

I tried most of their items. From top left, Mashed Potatoes on top of Melba Toast (焼き上げマッシュポテトメルバトースト添え), Bagna Cauda (バーニャカウダ), Roast Pork-Rib with Onion sauce, Pizza with three kinds of cheese (３種のチーズのピッツァ), One more, Chicken and Kita-Akari baked in foil. Mashed potato was quite amusing, because it was mashed and baked, which gives it a roasted texture. Tiny pizza was unfortunately disappointing; I couldn’t enjoy taste of cheese.

Fifth Plate

Soup Risotto with Parmigiano Cheese and Mushroom (パルミジャーノときのこのリゾット スープ仕立て). This was not a real risotto, but I should say it was a creative item. Taste of soup was light, but could smell the pinch of Parmigiano.

Sixth Plate

I needed to eat more vegetables, so I got Bagna Cauda again.

Seventh Plate

Italian Ham on top of Tomato Gelee (イタリア産生ハムとトマトジュレ). It looked delicious, and I forgot that I did not like tomato…

Home-made Breads

Their collection of homemade breads was various. I wanted to try everything, but I was full already... I tried their Butter Roll (バターロール) and Brot with black sesame and soy beans (黒胡麻と大豆のブロート). Both were very tasty. Now I know that “brot” is a type of German bread.

Last Plate

Last plate was full of the items I liked on that day. From top left, Rillette de Pork-rib with Yam Steak (長いものステーキ添え　温製リエット), Mashed Potato, Pork-rib with Yakiniku sauce, and Fish in Acqua pazza. Pork-rib was their signature item of this day, and I enjoyed it two styles; roast pork with herbs, and warm rillette. As you can say, I was happy with their roast pork, especially with onion sauce.

After all those dishes, I went to dessert corner. Wow their dessert was beautifully decollated, and a chef was making some in front of you.

Gelee de Framboise

Gelee de Framboise (フランボワーズのジュレ). Framboise (French) means raspberry if I am correct. Looks cute!

Fraise Gâteau Rose and Vanilla Chiffon Cake

Gateau Chocolate with 2 kinds of sauces, pomme flambé au calvados

This cake (特製ガトーショコラと２種のソース 林檎のカルバドスフランベ) was made in front of you by a chef. You could see how the chef does “flambé” the sauce. It was so cool.

Sorbet of Lychee and Chocolate

Finally, I finished my lunch with a cup of coffee.

Overall, my friends and I had a great time. A good quality of food, service and warm hospitality made our lunch perfect. I strongly recommend you to visit and try their All-You-Can-Eat buffet. The menu for buffet changes every month.

Total: 5400 yen (for 3 people)

Glass Seasons @ Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo

http://www.keioplaza-sapporo.co.jp/english/

Restaurant #54: Kaffe Amadeus, Taipei

(Visited at Jan 31, 2011)

Kaffe Amadeus is located in SOGO FuXing—easy to access. I like FuXing SOGO, because the building is still clean and organized. This Kaffe Amadeus operates the other branch in Taipei 101, but I prefer SOGO branch with nicer view. My friend and I met at 11:30 for lunch. The café was quite empty, but slowly more and more customers came. I recommend you to go there before noon. I ordered business lunch set—daily soup, salad, bread, main course, and coffee.

Oops! Sorry I forgot to take a photo of a salad.

Daily Soup

Daily soup was pumpkin soup. It was not bad, but I should say it was nothing special. There was no pumpkin’s sweet-taste, it was too mild for me. Oh well, it came with lunch set, so I should simply enjoy it.

Garlic Bread

It was purely enjoyable. I always like garlic bread.

Tomato Cream Pasta with Salmon & Asparagus

Main dish was Tomato Cream Pasta. It is not easy to find good cream pasta in Taipei, but I liked this one. The blend of tomato and cream was quite interesting taste. Asparagus was very fresh, and it was matched with this sauce. I like salmon in general, but the smell of fish might be a bit strong.

Vienna Coffee

I could choose one drink in their gorgeous coffee/tea list. I chose Vienna Coffee. It was so creamy, and the cream was melted in my mouth. My friend chose Hot Chocolate. Hot milk was served with chocolate bar, then the chocolate bar was put into milk, so that the chocolate melted… Tempting... I should try this next time.

Overall, I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant, and foods are also fine. The price is a little bit expensive, I think, but sometimes it is okay to spend a bit more to enjoy different feeling.

Kaffe Amadeus

http://www.kaffeeamadeus.com/home.htm

Restaurant #50: Yoshimi Kitchen, Sapporo

I visited Yoshimi Kitchen once before, but this time my friend made a reservation for cheese fondue course, including all you can drink. Yoshimi Kitchen is located at Parco building—easy to access, and I especially like their various menus for drinks. I like their simple décor and the lighting color of the restaurant.

Since I don’t drink alcohol, I enjoyed their non-alcohol cocktail menus. Yet, I also enjoyed their delicious course dishes.

Appetizer

Interesting appetizer was served: quiche with cresson, and beef kidney stewed with tomato sauce. Kidney was very juicy, and melted smoothly once I put it in my mouth. Sourness of the tomato sauce and delicately seasoned quiche made my stomach happy.

Green Garden Salad

Fresh veggies were used in the salad. I was pleased with petite broccoli. Fresh!

Cheese Fondu

This became their signature menu. I understand, because their cheese fondu was totally delicious! Cheese was imported from Switzerland, according to the worker. Ingredients were including healthy veggies, especially I liked eggplants were lightly fried.

Kita Akari French Fries

After the main dish, amazing dishes were still served. Kita Akari (北あかり) French fries were rightly salted. The Hokkaido native, “Kita Akari”, was freshly harvested from local farms. The taste was a bit sweet, although it was well-seasoned.

Shrimp & Tuna Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Oops! I accidentally forgot taking a picture before I started… As you can see through the picture, the quantity was not that much, but after all those cheese fondu and other delicious foods, this amount was enough for two people. The shrimp was a bit small, but tomato sauce was flavored well.

Dessert

I was already satisfied, but I still had extra space for some dessert. What was wrong with my stomach? Pear Pie & Mango Pudding. My friend said a bit sweet, but it was perfect for me.

I went to Yoshimi Kitchen twice so far, but I always satisfied. I think ordering a course is better than ordering a la carte. Don’t forget to try out their drink items! I had a wonderful dinner with my friend.

Total: 6000 yen (for 2 people, free drinks)

Yoshimi Kitchen
8F, Parco
Minami 1-jo Nishi 3-chome, Chuou-ku
Sapporo, JAPAN
011-214-2205
http://www.yoshimi-ism.com/

Restaurant #47: Saizeriya, Taipei

Saizeriya (サイゼリヤ) is a Japanese chain of Italian family-style restaurants. Recently, they opened several branches in Taipei, so I went to the branch just opened at new 統一阪急百貨台北店. I actually tried their food in Japan, and didn’t like it. One of their sales points is that all items are in reasonable price. Yes, I agree. Their menu is economy-friendly, but the taste was so-so. Yet, sometimes those Japanese family restaurants become a good dating spot in other Asian country, so I expected the warm hospitality from them.

統一阪急百貨台北店 is a department store, just opened, located at City Hall MRT station. Easy to access, and I like their variety of restaurants. Saizeriya is one of their attractive restaurant collections. My friend and I got in right away at 6pm. The waitress led us to the table smoothly, and we were ready to order…. Yet, no one come back to take an order. Most of workers don’t look at our table for some reasons. 10 min later, finally I told a guy that we were ready. He said, “OK, wait for a moment,” then he never came back. I found another waitress, but they kept saying “wait for a moment.” We waited enough moments… Finally, one waitress noticed us and took an order another 15 min later. Wow it took us 30 minutes to order.

They have a serious management problem. While we were waiting for our dishes, we found a teenage group right next to us. They, five girls, actually came after us, but waitress took an order before us… When their dishes were served, one dish was slipped from the waiter’s hands. The food was spilled on the table. Oh my… The waiter told them sorry, and brought a towel. Some other waitresses brought extra towel, however, they were all laughing… Why? A few minutes later, a manager came to the table and talked to the waitresses, yet, this manager were again smiling and kept chatting with waitresses, never say sorry to the customer. I was surprised those girls didn’t say anything to such a poor service.
I almost couldn’t tolerate such a lousy service and behaviors, but then, our dishes were served. Oh well…

Spaghetti with Chicken & Genovese Sauce

Here is my friend’s choice, 青醬雞肉義大利麵 (TW$ 90). Most of Italian restaurants in Taiwan have this item, either with chicken or clam. Saizeriya use their original sauce, but it was much oilier than Japanese branch. The taste was no problem, but the quantity was a bit less compared with regular Taiwanese dish’s quantity.

Grilled Chicken with "Diavola Salsa"

This is my choice, 惡魔風莎莎醤雞排 (TW$ 110), and I added a steamed rice (TW$ 20). Chicken was TOO SMALL! (>o<) Garlic taste over the crispy chicken was good, but it was just too small. If you want your stomach full, you need to order one more dish.


The crispiness was appropriate, and the chicken was juicy enough.

Overall, I liked their dishes. I really hope they improve their service. I am sad that they represent “Japanese restaurant”, but the quality of the food and service was quite far from Japanese one. If they welcome the customer saying “Irasshaimase”, then PLEASE improve the service.

Total: TW$ 220 (for 2 people)

Saizeriya: 薩莉亞義式餐廳
# Here is the Website for 統一阪急百貨台北店
http://www.uni-hankyu.com.tw/taipei/index.asp

Restaurant #41: 1885 Burger Store, Taipei

Since I came back to Asia, every once in a while I’ve been tempted to eat some big fat greasy burgers. Basically, here in Taipei, it is not easy to find big burgers… Burgers here are so tiny!!! I used to be okay with it, but I guess my stomach adjusted to American sized burgers…

I checked some burger stores in Taipei area, especially near by my school, and I found some in neighborhood; 1885 Burger Store, Evans Burger and California Grill. Well, which one should I try first? Let’s start from 1885 Burger Store!

1885 Burger Store serves handmade burgers, American style breakfast (all day!) and some appetizers. They offer daily specials. If you add NT$ 40, you get one drink with free refill. Very nice~!

This afternoon was all packed. There were bunch of students having a lunch party, so it was quite noisy. I would like to go there a bit later, so that I can have quite nice lunch. Their décor was pretty cook with bricks. All workers were friendly. I really wanted to try their beef burgers, but I was not sure which beef they use (NZ, US or…?), so my friend and I decided to try out their chicken sandwiches.

B.B.Q Grilled Chicken Burger

My choice: B.B.Q Grilled Chicken Burger (NT$ 190). I usually don’t eat BBQ taste, but they only had two chicken burger. Taiwan-raised chicken (I hope!) was appropriately cooked, and BBQ sauce was spread. The taste of the sauce was a bit strong, though. They prepared three kinds of buns; roll, cream, and whole wheat. I chose whole wheat bun this time. The burger was served with a cute wooden tray, including crispy seasoned French fries.


I liked the presentation. Slices of lettuce and chicken breast were already on the bun, but veggies were on the side. Fresh slices of tomatoes, onions and pickles. You can eat separately or of cause you can make your own sandwich (with or without onions) as you like—cute!


Seasoned French fries were so tasty! It came with a small bucket. I thought the bucket was full of fries, but don’t worry, a half of the bucket was full, so I eventually ate everything. It made me full!

Mexican Tartar Chicken Burger

My friend’s choice was Mexican Tartar Chicken Burger (NT$ 210). Actually, I was also curious about this… Hmmm Mexican tartar… It was spicy! Jalapeño was added on regular tartar sauce. The combination of the crispy chicken and a sauce was amazing! I just wish that the chicken was a bit thicker for a big eater like me. :)

Overall, I really liked 1885 Burger Store. I definitely want to go back there and try different burgers.

Total: NT$ 400 (for 2 people)

1885 Burger Store
24-1, Pucheng St., Da-An dist.,
Taipei, Taiwan
02-2367-8258
http://www.1885burgerstore.com/

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