Café #02: Mister Donut, Sapporo

Hamburger Pie and a cup of Tea

Mister Donut is a popular donut chain, like Krispy Kreme in the U.S.A.. Their donut menu is amazingly various! Once you enter the store, you need time to think which donut you would choose. All kinds of donuts ask you “pick me, pick me” but you can’t eat everything!!! In November, they just released 13 new donuts, plus some stores have several types of Chinese noodles. Welcome to the paradise!

The ones I ordered this time were a pot of tea (262 yen) and a hamburger pie (168 yen). They made the pie warm for me. I like their pie menu and this would be one of them.

The only thing I don’t like is that the branch that I usually go in Sapporo train station is not completely non smoking. People still smoke in the back of the store, and without any partitions. Therefore, I still smell a cigarette and feel allergic. Otherwise, Mister Donut is a pretty good place to meet up with friends or reading books with tasty snacks and refillable coffee or tea.

Total: 430 yen

Mister Donut
http://www.misterdonut.jp/index.html

Restaurant #17: Tsuchiyasai, Sapporo

It is tough to survive in Sapporo’s food business. Under a depression, people go out less but still look for great food and service. Many restaurants prepare fresh, organic veggies and meats, but need to provide extra something.

Tsuchiyasai (土やさい), the Nouka Dining, has an interesting idea for attracting customers. This restaurant prepares a variety of vegetable menus and several meat items, which is good for meat lovers. After the meal, they prepare a great surprise for customers. They gave us a bag of organic veggies, for free! Their food and service were appropriate, but I liked the idea of this present. It simply made me happy.

Pink Grapefruit Juice and Mango Milk, with fresh cabbage

We did “kanpai” with drinks. Pink grapefruit juice was very fresh and not sweet that much. People might prefer sweeter one better, but I like less sweetness. My friend’s choice was mango milk. She immediately finished it and ordered oolong tea. She said it was too sweet...

Assorted Japanese Pickles

First item served by them was Assorted Japanese Pickles (土やさいの漬物盛り合わせ) (577 yen). Seasonable veggies were beautifully presented. From the left, Daikon (Japanese radish: 大根), Cabbage, Rakkyo (Japanese Shallot: 黒糖らっきょ), Turnip (かぶ), and Cucumber. I personally liked cucumber and cabbage. Japanese usually eat shallots with curry rice. I couldn't eat shallots even with curry rice, kids’ favorite, when I was a child. I simply didn’t like the taste. Now, since I became an adult, my taste dynamically changed, and I can eat anything! These shallots were from Miyazaki Prefecture (宮崎県), and it was pickled with brown sugar, which interestingly brought ginger flavor. I felt brown rakkyo was fruitier than the regular one. Tasty!

Fried Sweet Yam with cinnamon

Fried Sweet Yam with cinnamon (さつまいものシナモンスティック) (399 yen) was crispy, but too sweet as the second item. Cinnamon smelled perfectly, but there was sweet syrup all over the yam. We regretted that we should’ve order this as a dessert or much later. Yet, taste was good.

Vegetable Cheese Fondue

I think this was the main dish for us of the day; Organic Vegetable Cheese Fondue (有機お野菜のほくほくチーズフォンデュー) (1155 yen). Hmmm… smelled good! Tonight’s veggie selections were: Mizuna (水菜), Lettuce, Broccoli, Potato, Carrot, Pumpkin, Cauliflower, and a piece of French bread. All veggies except mizuna and lettuce were lightly steamed and it was still warm. In this season, pumpkin matches with hot cheese sauce and it makes our bodies warm. At the last, eating fresh mizuna and lettuce made us cool down, and again, it reminded us that all the veggies were fresh, just came from Japanese farms.


Besides tasting the delicious food, it was fun to do fondue with my best friend. We talked a lot and laughed a lot. Doing fondue brought us more conversation.

Baked Yam

For me, Baked Yam (減農薬のまんまやまいも焼き) (472 yen) looked too fancy. Ha ha. Sliced yam was baked lightly, then Umeboshi (pickled plum: うめぼし) was sadly laid on it. It could be beautiful, or could be too fancy. Besides that, inside of a slice of yam was fresh and juicy, and outside was crispy. I enjoyed the contrast of food texture. I tried to understand the reason why the chef used umeboshi like this. It tasted great, but it really looked sad… Lonely umeboshi…

Ten-Grain Rice Creamy Risotto with Shrimp and Green Asparagus

Risotto is my all-time favorite, besides penne gratin. I guess I like the taste of cream white sauce with a bit of butter. Ten-Grain Rice Creamy Risotto with Shrimp and Green Asparagus (海老とアスパラの十穀米クリーミィリゾット) (924 yen) came with a taste of tomato sauce. I was surprised that the quantity was much less than I expected, so it helped that we ordered this as our last dish. I could tell that pieces of shrimp were fresh and it was cooked nicely. The color combination (white/green/red) was beautifully provided, and a taste came along with it. Rich flavor of the butter, mixed with tomato sauce, stayed in my mouth for a while. Well done.

Pumpkin Ice Cream and a cup of Japanese Tea

My friend found a coupon to get free dessert, so we got free pumpkin ice cream for each of us. I was amazed by the usage of cell phone in Japan. I knew the functions of a cell phone developed much quicker than American-used cell phones. Japanese people basically use it for the internet and e-mails. I see business people and kids are always busy to type some on the cell phone on the train; playing the game or net-surfing. Once we entered the restaurant, my friend started using her cell, and she found an online coupon. Wow… Thank you, my best friend!


The meeting with my best friend was fun. Healthy food warmed my heart as well. I have known her for 7 years already. We struggled and survived at the same college together. She got marreid now, and I am in and out of Japan--two different lives. I am happy that I still have her as my best friend and am still able to share our stories like the old time.

Total: About 5600 yen (all the items above, plus some drinks. Sorry I don't remember the exact price.)

Tsuchiyasai
Agasha Bldg
Minami 3-jo Nishi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
17:00-1:00AM (L.O.24:00)
011-242-0831
http://r.gnavi.co.jp/h045802/

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