Feb 28, 2011

Coco Donut

I saw Coco Donut on my friend's blog and when I looked it up, it was less than a 10 minute walk from my house. Decided to go explore the neighborhood one day and took a coffee break at Coco Donut.
Exterior.
Interior.
Kinako Donut
What interested me about this donut place was that they are so selective about the ingredients they use. They try to make it natural, organic when possible. The donut was so doughy yet fluffy and it wasn't sweet at all (to my liking). The oily aftertaste you get after you eat donuts did not exist.
Fair Trade Organic Coffee
I love the minimalistic, simple interior.

Feb 27, 2011

Sapporo Eats

Other eats and drinks in Sapporo.
Mini Shio-Ramen at Ajisai Ramen
Sapporo Ramen Kyowakoku (Republic) was going on and Ajisai had a booth.
Milk Soft Serve at Machimura Bokujou
Draft Weiss Beer from Otaru Brewery
Draft Ryuhyo Blue from Abashiri Beer
The blue is colored naturally from Spirulina.
Picked up some local brews to drink at the hotel.
Bought some 毛ガニ (Hairy Crab) to take home.
Had a sushi breakfast at Hikari Sushi
You can choose 10 kinds for 2,800 yen. Great Deal.
Originally, we wanted to go back to eat at Uomasa (blogged about it here), but they were closed until the end of February. Hikari Sushi was good, but I liked Uomasa much much more. If you have a chance to go, you should definitely check out Uomasa!

Feb 25, 2011

味よし (Ajiyoshi)

We had to eat Jingisukan (blogged about it previously) in Sapporo. My boyfriend's aunt kindly took us to Ajiyoshi in Shiraishi (a couple stations away from Sapporo). It's in the middle of nowhere and a little far from the station. I couldn't even find a Tabelog page on it. It was super local and when we went, we were the only ones there but it was so good! I did find someone blogging about it (here).
Exterior.
Grill.
Close up of the meat.
I was so busy stuffing my face that I forgot to take a picture of the grilled meat, oops!
Asahi Beer Draft.
The Asahi Beer factory was also in Shiraishi.
This man runs the place solo.
Because there was noone else there, we had a chance to chat with him. He's been in the Jingisukan biz for over 30 years!

Feb 24, 2011

直 (Jiki)

When in Hokkaido, I wanted to go somewhere local.  Jiki had super high ratings on Tabelog (of course) and so we made reservations ahead of time. We went there for after-dinner drinks with a friend.
Exterior.
We sat at the counter.
There is only 1 chef and 1 waiter here as well. They were both very helpful in giving us Sake and Shochu recommendations.
ホタテのお刺身 Scallop Sashimi
The scallop's firm texture is proof of its freshness. It was also so sweet.
太刀魚のお刺身 Hairtail Sashimi
This was my first time I had Tachiuo raw.
Sipped on this Kyoto Umeshu.
I'm really picky about Umeshu. I don't like it overly sweet and want some tartness left from the ume. This Kyoto Umeshu was perfect.
タチぽんず (白子ぽんず)
Shirako is a winter delicacy in Japan. It's gross when you know what it is (Cod's sperm!), but it's so creamy and delicious.
北海道ではタチって言うんだって
白老牛のサーロイン Shiraoi Beef Sirloin
Shiraoi Beef is a beef from Hokkaido. It was tender and flavorful and went really well with wasabi and salt.
軍鶏の親子丼
卵が半熟でトロトロ~ 美味しかった!

Feb 23, 2011

Picchu

My boyfriend suggested eating at Picchu while we were in Sapporo. I was hesitant at first because it was an Italian restaurant and there are tons in Tokyo. But after browsing through pictures and reading some reviews on Tabelog (of course!), I quickly changed my mind. It was so worth it to say the least and we were really lucky that we were able to get a reservation.
Hidden gem.
That tiny thing with a window is the whole restaurant.
Picchu
We got there a little early so we were the first ones there.
This counter that seats 12 is the whole restaurant. I love sitting at the counter in front of an open kitchen and restaurants that are intimate and personal.
フォアグラと干しブドウのペースト
Fois Gras Paste with Raisins
Heaven. The raisins were the perfect accent to the Fois. It comes with freshly baked, homemade Foccacia.
皮つきヤングコーンとモッツァレラチーズのグリル
Grilled Baby Corn with Mozzarella Cheese
寒ブリと白ごまのカツレツ
Yellowtail Cutlet with White Sesame Seeds
This was such a simple idea yet so genious. Instead of a normal cutlet with breadcrumbs, the chef used sesame seeds, seared only the exterior so that the inside is raw. I think I'm going to attempt making this at home.
オマール海老のグリルとニョッキ コライユのソース
Homard Lobster and Gnocchi
コライユソースは、オマール海老のミソのソース 
ほんのり甘くてと、とても上品!
海水ウニのタリオリーニ レモン風味
Sea Urchin Tagliolini with Lemon Zest
He used fresh Tagliolini noodles and added a lot of lemon zest. I thought it would have a stronger lemon flavor but it was actually very faint. ウニ大好き!
4種類のチーズのペンネ
4 Cheese Penne
A lot of people had recommended this Pasta on the reviews. The cheese blend was perfect. 
We shared this bottle of Red, which was unexpectedly good. (Not a big fan of Italian Red wine)

I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are ever in Sapporo. We were so intrigued by the chef (there's only 1 chef and 1 helper/waiter for the entire night) precisely and gracefully preparing all the dishes. The menu changes according to the season and Hokkaido has the best ingredients. The pricing is also very reasonable.

Feb 22, 2011

Medicineman

Our first meal in Sapporo was Soup Curry, which is literally a Curry flavored soup that originated in Sapporo. We were originally planning to go to another store but the taxi driver recommended Medicineman to us.
Super tacky Lego-like exterior.
We sat at the counter.
His order: Seafood Curry (+Spicy 3)
My order: Chicken Curry (+Spicy 2)
This was my very first time eating Soup Curry so I have nothing to compare it to, but I enjoyed it. The stock was great (especially the seafood) and I loved that it had a lot of vegetables.

Feb 21, 2011

Sapporo Snow Festival

2 days after we came back from 90F sunny Phuket, we were off to 20F snowy Sapporo, Hokkaido.
I've wanted to go to the Snow Festival in Sapporo for a while but was never in Japan during it (first weekend of February). Finally had the opportunity to go this year and it was amazing. I was in awe staring at all the sculptures and the beautiful winter scenery.
62nd Snow Festival
Sapporo TV Tower
Ice Slides
The amazing snow sculptures. The details were insane.
Aside from the larger sculptures, there were tons of smaller ones like these.
サザエさん!
You can see how huge these sculptures are when people are standing in front of it.
Lion King
They also had tons of gourmet food stands.
Down Susukino (an area about 2 stops away from the Snow Festival), they had beautiful ice sculptures on display.
Another ice sculpture.
Ice Sculptures are lit up at night.
ひな人形
Coolest smoking space ever.