I would say one of the best highlights of the trip is the food. Last summer during Obon holiday, I took one week holiday to Hokkaido because I have always wanted to have Summer in Hokkaido moment. Before the trip, I have done my research on english and japanese websites to find the best restaurants in Hokkaido and what I should eat there
I ate a lot of foods but I will only share the things that I believe you have to eat when you're traveling to Hokkaido. This post will be updated as well in the future when I have more things to share about hokkaido's foods!
GARAKU SOUP CURRY
I was contemplated because there were tons of soup curry restaurants in Japan, but my choice falls to GARAKU soup curry that's located near Susukino and Nijo Market. Soup Curry is different than the normal Japanese curry because it's not creamy but it's really a soup-like. I ordered the Chicken Leg and Vegetables Soup Curry with rice, and it's my first time eating a soup curry but I dont regret my choice at all. It's too amazing!!! They roast the vegetables separately to preserve its crunchiness, and the chicken meat's so tender yet aromatic. The soup's rich in flavor, and the taste is mindblowing, something that I dont think I can replicate at home. I would love to fly to Sapporo just to eat at this place again!
SHINGEN RAMEN
I asked my taxi driver what's the best ramen in Sapporo and though he said it's really difficult because there are so many delicious ramens in Sapporo, Shingen Ramen seems to be the most popular. I had to wait for around 1-2 hours at night to get a seat, and I don't know if it's because I was starving, or because of waiting for 2 hours, but even for a non-ramen lover like me, I can say it's worth every single yen. Not only it comes in big portion, but the price is relatively cheap for the amount of chashu that they put on the ramen. The ramen's broth is flavorful and bursting with umami, and the chashu is sooooo soft that it would melt inside your mouth. I asked for a serving of gyoza set as well and it compliments my dinner well
EBISOBA ICHIGEN
It is hard to choose between Ramen Shingen or Ebisoba Ichigen as the best ramen in hokkaido simply because both ramens offer really different ingredients. Ebisoba Ichigen is famous for its shrimp based ramen, and I had tried it before in 2015. My mom loved it so much and she finished one bowl of it for breakfast a few years ago when we went to Sapporo together.
Ebisoba Ichigen has a few branches in Sapporo, but I suggest to eat inside Chitose Airport instead before leaving so you can save time in the city by exploring other places and restaurants. However, if you want to eat at their main shop, it's located within walking distance from Ramen Shingen
DARUMA JINGISUKAN
You're not doing it right if you're visiting Hokkaido and not eating any Jingisukan (english name : Genghis Khan). It's basically a Japanese grilled mutton dish, and there's no better place to have your best Jingisukan at Daruma. I intentionally visited the place around 10pm because I believed it would be pretty crowded during dinner time, and I read that people usually queued for 2 hours to get the seat. But boy, how wrong I was. I had to queue for another 2 hours and I only managed to get my seat after midnight
Tired and hungry, I had really high expectation about the meal. Especially knowing that I missed my last train just because I wanted to eat this meal, I would want it to be stellar. And Daruma doesnt disappoint me. Not only the meat is tender and flavorful, but even the grilled onions also are sweet and the price is unbeatably affordable. I would say 2 hours queue is worth it! That's how good it is forme
MILK VILLAGE
One of the best-hidden gems in Sapporo is this Milk Village, literally. I had difficulty finding this shop since they don't have big billboard unlike other restaurants, but be transformed into a fairytale cafe once you step into this place. The interior is decorated with colorful patterns that seem to be inspired by France Design as we can see from the furniture, decorative items, including the background music played. Milk Village's main item is their ice cream set with chosen liquor as you like
The one that I ordered is the 1500 yen, it includes ice cream and 3 liquors that you can pick from hundreds of their selections, along with yogurt, quinoa, and crepe. They also give me coffee and freshly baked cookie once I'm done with my ice. I chose France Wine, Blueberry, and Koucha Flavor for my Liquors. The proper way to enjoy it is to scoop out the ice cream with a spoon and drop the liquor to the ice cream to enjoy the flavor. You can also mix the liquor, or eat it along with the yogurt, quinoa, and crepe as you like. Mixing the flavor turns out to be really fun
MURAKAMI NIPPON SEIMEI UNI BOWL
Fresh seafood is something that you have to enjoy when you're in Hokkaido. Especially during summer, Uni (Sea Urchin) is something that you should get! One of the most famous Uni Bowl in Sapporo is Murakami Nippon, the Uni Bowl is sold in limited pieces, and cost you 4000 yen just for a set of it. The uni's really high quality but I wish they would put more to the point the whole rice below covered by uni. It's definitely in a pricey area since the restaurant itself is pretty decent, and it's in the heart of Sapporo. If you want to have cheaper option, you can go to fish market (see below)
OTARU FISH MARKET KAISENDON
You can eat at Nijo Fish Market in Sapporo but for me, I chose to eat in Otaru because I had a day trip to this city. And in Otaru, the fish market's name is Sankaku Market and it's located close to JR Otaru Station. I chose to dine here before my visit to Otaru Canal. There are many kaisendon shops and I think the price is regulated so wherever you go, they will sell you the same price for the fishes that you pick. That's why I didn't bother to choose the shop and just went to wherever. After all, I believe the fishes come from the same supplier, and it's all connected. Basically, you get tons of toppings on top of your rice, and it's such a luxury! Simply because if you buy the sashimi in the market, you'll have to pay the same price as well but at the restaurant, you can get it served as Kaisendon along with Miso Soup and Ocha. I chose the Chef's Choice of Rice Bowl so I can eat many sashimis in one bowl, and I wasn't wrong. It's sooooo fresh and so delicious, and if only it's opened at night, I would want to have it again for dinner. But the fish market only opens until 2pm, so get your breakfast or lunch here!
Besides the restaurants that I mentioned above, there are some amazing Hokkaido's produces that you have to eat while you're in Hokkaido. Doesn't really matter where you eat it, because it's all gonna be sooo good and mindblowing!
MELON + ICE CREAM
Yubari melon is famous and especially popular snack during summer season in Otaru. Popuri Farm Shop in Otaru offers whole melon with melon ice cream, but you can also try other melons at other places. Be prepared to spend extra bucks to get the highest quality of melon
HOKKAIDO'S CORN
Hokkaido's corn is sweet and juicy, and probably the tastiest corn that I have ever had in my entire life. Usually I will get the white corn because it's sweeter, though it's more expensive. Freshly grilled one would be amazing as a snack too
HOKKAIDO'S POTATO AND BUTTER
My second love after rice is Potato. If the best rice is from Niigata, I would say the best potato in Japan comes from Hokkaido. You have to try their boiled or grilled or baked potatoes, along with Hokkaido Butter. Tears will fall down, seriously, because it's that good T_____T
That's all for now! I hope this would make you wanting to visit Hokkaido in the future to do a gourmet tour
