Torimatsu

Getting taken to a local spot by locals is always a sweet deal, you get the fast lane to a hot spot with out having to chance lady luck (though we have a fairly high sucess rate with random walk ins).

On this night we were out with Yoanna and Hisashi of Gyu+ fame, they were keen to show us their favourite iyzakaya in K-town.  Torimatsu has been running for many years and is wildly popular amongst those in the know, the getting to be in the know is the hard part, another great restaurant another small inconspicuous no english marked building.



The place was pumping but we managed to secure 4 spots at the bar right in front of the master, the whole night he was a constant blur of movement but still finding time to have a few words.

We left the ordering in capable hands and just sat back and waited.  First up with our first beer a snack plate of pickled octopus and seaweed.

Then a selection of yakitori; tsukone, this time the chicken mince rolled into little balls and skewered with the traditional egg yolk on the side.



Chicken breast spaced with lightly charred onion.



Pork belly grilled golden, mmmmmm porksicles.



And a new one for us pork lung, not one to say no, it tasted mild offaly with a firm texture, I quite liked it, but then I quite like offal.



We then moved onto a parcel of green onion wrapped in beancurd skin and grilled, wow so yummy.

Starting to feel quite good at this point, but that was just a warm up now the food really started flowing.

A fine sashimi plater of scallop, conch, octopus,mackeral, red snapper, himachi, a real cornicopia.



We were also presented with a do it yourself grill of squid unfortunatly the pics are a little blurry.  Then a delivery of two very fine grilled fish, one with a long dragon shaped head (names anyone??) First we pulled off the skin and reutrned it to the master, while we proceded to pick the flesh from the bones he grilled the skin crispy then returned it to our plates, lovely.



The other fish much more of a round shape, butterflied and grilled skin side down for the most of the process then quickly cooked on the glazed side. This fish had so much fat it was like a whole fish made of salmon belly, incredible, when we get the names we'll update ya.



The next dish took several repertitions as we could not quite believe what we were being told and then that no-one had told us earlier....ostrich sashimi. Not only ostrich but farmed just down the road, I mean seriously Hokkaido has every thing. Lean and a little gamey, very good.



A half chicken crispy fried and served with lemon and a pair of sissors, the name sake of the restaurant, Torimatsu. Super crispy skin but soft moist flesh, it vanished in a flash. I loved the sissors as the cutting tool so messy and interactive without being deadly.



"Now for dessert" sweet, sweets. Not your usual kinda sweet offerings but in this case meant as what Y and H usually have to end the meal.

Rice soup with umeboshi plum (which we have since found out is an apricot). Love rice soup and with it's subtle ume flavor this one was no exception.



Mochi cheese-u was the next to follow, wheels of soft potato stuffed with cheese and deep fried. I love these desserts.



By now we were all ready to bust but now due to the fact Yoanna had done the translation of the menu to english and that they were very much regulars there was a very special little treat for us that night. A whole hairy crab, wow!

Yoanna eagerly showed how to dismember the wee beasty. So sweet and very deserved of it's reputation as one of the worlds finest crustateans.




As we bid all a good night and rolled out there was some careful landmark noting to ensure a return visit will be possible.



Torimatsu
0136-23-2893.
North 3, West 1

Kutchan-cho, Hokkaido 

Izakaya Rin, lower village Hirafu

An Izakaya, 居酒屋 is a type of Japanese eating establishment which also serves food. They are popular, casual and relative cheap places for after work eating and drinking.

The problem is that Izakaya Rin, which is nestled down in the lower village and is a favorite among locals, is usually closed before we've finished work. But, on this particular occasion we've both managed to sneak out early. It's lucky we get Yurie to call as we're leaving and reserve us a table. We make our way down into the village, Rin looks just like any of the houses either side of it, nothing much to let you know of the deliciousness that awaits inside, unless you were out looking for it.



There's an area as you walk in to leave you're shoes, and then we're greeted at the door. They ask if we have a reservation, which luckily we do. We still have to wait a few moments while they get our table ready. As we walk in, yet again through another door, it's apparant just how busy they are. The tables are full, there's clanging of glasses, shouting out of orders and drinks into the tiny kitchen and even a few people perched at the little counter.



We start with some marinated mackerel. 8 beautiful slices of the marinated fish. It has a beautiful silver/blue skin and a soft white flesh that packs a nice vinegar punch. A touch of wasabi the perfect accompaniment.



Gobo chips. This is the first time we've tried them since arriving in Japan. This particular variety are like little batons, in some kind of batter and fried. The crunchy batter revealing the earthy burdock beneath, and a good sprinkle of togarashi from the table giving them a nice little ting.



While we're going deep-fried, sun dried squid tempura. A delicious rather sweet sun dried squid in a feather light tempura batter which is dipped into kewpie mayonnaise.



And now we have our vegetable intake for the evening, even though it's deep-fried, age-dashi nasu. It's fried eggplant is floating in a dashi soy broth and topped with grated daikon, ginger and shredded spring onion. Yum yum! We savor the last of the broth we our spoon, as it's just so good.



The first thing that intrigued us when flicking through the menu was the camembert yaki. They do a good camembert in Hokkaido so we were interested to see what they would do with it here. The whole wheel arrived, sizzling away in a little cast iron pan. The rind is already nicely charred and there's a small spoon to the side. The waiter asks if we would like a demonstration, which as being camembert yaki virgins we accept. He takes the small spoon and just rumbles it up into a big old gooey mess, breaking the bits of rind up throughout the gooey pate. He then suggests a bit of soy sauce before scooping it onto the crispy saltine crackers that accompany.



A little plate of buta kim chii is a deliciously smokey wok fried pork, bean sprout and kim chii concoction that has a nice firery kick.



Butakushi, pork on a stick, were grilled to perfection. They were generously seasoned and so juicy. The only problem was sharing the 3rd stick ;)



We were both impressed with the little tsukone-balls. We have eaten plenty of tsukone in our time (well, in the last 6 months anyway) and the chicken mince has always been pressed around a stick and grilled. These little meatballs are just too cute. They still have the same flavor, and the ume boshi and shiso are divine, such beautiful colors as well.



Then *drum roll* the most controversial dish of the night.  Basashi.  Sakuraniku.  Horse meat, sashimi.  Well, there is the whole taboo thing associated with Western culture and the eating of horse meat.  I must say I was a little petrified, as I used to ride horses a bit when I was young, my Oma sending me here to Horse Camp for a few years in a row.  It was here I would stay for a week with a group of girls, us each getting assigned a horse to look after and ride for the week.  I used to get quite attached to my horse, my favorite would have been 'Romeo'.  Anyway, as you see, I digress.  But it's easy to see how the attachment to these big beautiful animals is like the same one we have for our other pets, like cats, dogs and guinea pigs.  But, I had to give it a go.  

As soon as the basashi arrived I immediately found it less daunting.  I must say I was expecting a rather lean, deep red, gamey type meat.  Something like kangaroo or venison.  The sort of meat, god forbid, that the Romeo, the big sterling would have been carrying.  But these Japanese 'horses' must be more like fat little donkeys that get to eat all day and don't have to move around too much.  The meat looked like wagyu beef, it was a nice pink with a heavy fat marbling and it was absolutely delicious!  The ginger giving it a nice hit, and just a touch of soy was needed.  Wow, it was so good!  It was super cold, and the fat just melted with each chew.  

Divine, decadent and definitely comforting and easier to deal with when you think of them as little fat wagyu donkeys!

1/4 of a century

Yup, that's right!  This December just gone seen me turn 25 years young.  

The day was divine.  We started with a sleep in then proceeded a long lunch at none other than Bistrot le Cochon.  Two glasses of Syrah set the mood.



We started with a brilliant pork and chicken liver pate.  Like hidden little gems throughout the salad we discovered pickled carrot, daikon and green tomato.  



We then shared a nice big bowl of spaghetti that was coated in a rich tomato sauce with black olive cheeks scattered throughout.  A good crack of black pepper and parmesan topped it off just nicely.  



The supreme of chicken breast, roasted on the bone, was cooked to perfection.  The meat inside tender and juicy with a nice crisp golden skin.  There was a nice citrus sauce and a medley of vegetables including mushrooms, carrot, turnip and broccoli.



They somehow got word that it was my birthday and I received a brilliant dessert sampler.  There was a vanilla brulee, a scoop of lavender honey ice-cream, diplomat (like bread and butter pudding) with fresh fruit, chocolate cake and financier tart.  Awesome!



Then we jump in a taxi back to Hirafu.  Kim suggests a coffee at Powderlife Cafe.  I order a latte, Nick delivers it with some special birthday coffee art, a cute little flower.  



A moment later the whole cafe is buzzing, there's fire and smoke.  And I can just see Dennis through all the smoke carrying a big cake.  It appears they didn't have any candles so just stuck a few fireworks in the top of the cake.  There's no chance of blowing these out, as it's carefully placed on the table in-front of us to wait for them to defuse.  It's then apparent that little meteorites are flying off in all directions and we try to avoid damaging any furniture, or ourselves.  The cake though, a delicious apple, rum and walnut cake.  With some added texture of meteorites :)



Now I actually have to head to work to do a couple of hours.  Kim heads home.  As we quieten down I call him up to head back on over.  He arrives while I finish packing up, and, appears with another cake.  A croquembouche.  This is shared and birthday wishes sung with the guys at work.  



It's still early, so we head up the hill in search of somewhere to sit, eat and be merry.  We try Bang Bang's, kitchen closed.  There is one little place just off the main street that's in a nice wooden building with a sign out the front 'Izakaya'.  We try there.



We perch ourselves on the counter and again are wishing we could real Kanji.  The menu's around the wall are always way more exciting that the gajin-English menu you're given.  



The cheese mochi here were delicious.  Crispy exterior encasing a delicious, gooey, cheesy centre.



After a few beers and a few snacks at the Izakaya, we find ourselves at Wild Bill's.  It's great to catch up with some people we haven't seen in a while and any excuse for doing a few Jager-bombs.  Here a glass of red bull and a shot of Jagermeister are taken.  The shot is then dropped into the glass of red bull and downed in one go.  Happy Birthday!



I'm surprised I actually remember, but at some silly time in the morning, like 2am, we find ourselves at Jam bar.  Luckily it's not too far from Bill's.



A few of their delicious square pizza's were a perfect ending to a perfect birthday.  I love you Kim! XX

A-bu-cha pt. I, Niseko Hirafu

A-bu-cha is a cute little cottage sitting on the corner of the main intersection in Hirafu. We tried going here with Shouya the first night we arrived in October, but they were closed. They didn’t re-open until 1st December, which, funny enough was when we opened. We didn’t make it over on opening night, but I think just about everyone else in Hirafu did, it was packed to the rafters. The following night we finished work and headed on over. It is nice that they serve food until like 12:30am, so it made for a good after-work stop throughout the season.

The greeting, with every staff member in the place participating, is an enthusiastic ‘Ishimase’ that really makes us feel welcome. We walk on in, it’s cosy inside, to the left there’s 2 non-smoking booths and then up a few little stairs a long bar stocked with all sorts of spirits, sho-chu’s, sakes and beers. The kitchen is straight ahead and it’s tiny, but they manage to get about 5 Japanese chef’s back there … To the right is the main dining area with a few more booths and some tables. There’s a heater blasting out hot air and it’s snowing outside, how beautiful.

We order a few things.. The first to arrive a ceramic bowl set ontop a bamboo basket with just a few crisp green edamame peeking out from underneath.



The bowl is turned over (used for the pods, of course) and we both dive in. The beans are so plump and juicy, our fingers getting all salty from the outside as we eat them. They are served cold, which when they’re this good they should be.



Zangi, we’ve heard so much about this delight, so are very looking forward to sampling it. It’s like a karage chicken, big juicy bits of chicken thigh that taste like they’ve been steamed first and then coated and fried. When you order, you have the option of sweet chilli sauce or black vinegar. We choose the black vinegar. A generous bowl sits to the side, it’s a nice tart vinegar and there’s plenty of chopped spring onion and ginger. Some of the best karage we’ve eaten.



We settled on just 2 kushi, things on sticks. If you can’t already tell, we love food, especially meat, on sticks. The tsukone is the first to arrive. Tsukone is chicken mince, this one seasoned with garlic, ginger and shallot, then pressed around a fatter stick and grilled. This one is then dipped in yakitori sauce. Sitting to the side a perfectly plump, sunshine yellow egg yolk. The stick is taken and swirled through the egg yolk before each bite.



Next, buta-yaki, pork stick. The pork is quite tender (not quite as good as Sen chou’s) and covered in the rich, sweet sauce. We prefer the pork one seasoned just with salt.



We were both intrigued by the ‘Chicken wing in Gyoza’ on the menu. It arrives and looks to be a beautifully golden, crispy fried chicken wing.



But then we bite into it. Oh-my! It is indeed a gyoza inside a chicken wing. It’s pork mince and garlic chive stuffed, and somehow contained, within the de-boned chicken wing. A touch of soy raises this unsuspecting little morsel to divine.



Now both feeling quite content after our little midnight snack, of course it’s only now we see the specials board that is up behind us. There’s quite a few things on there that we must eat. But tonight there will be just one more. We both swing between the Grilled Hokkaido chicken with Salt and the Delicious salmon. The decision is made, delicious salmon it is. They like to call what is indeed the most delicious part of the salmon, the belly, delicious salmon. We have had this on several occasions, usually served sashimi. This time the skin has been left on, and it’s been grilled over charcoal. The flesh is bubbling from the hot grill, there’s a nice sprinkling of salt, and the skin charred to crispy perfection. This goes brilliantly with the mountain of freshly grated daikon sitting to the side.



Okay okay, maybe just one more thing from the special board.

Today’s special dessert, Maple cheesecake. It arrives, a generous slice with a whipped cream rosette and some chocolate sauce gracing it’s presence. The cheesecake itself is oishii! The crumbly base topped with a rich, creamy and oh-so-mapley sweet baked top.



Ab-u-cha is a bakery during the day, and if this cheesecake is anything to go by, it’s going to become a regular of ours before work also ….

〒044-0081
190-13 Aza-Yamada
Kuchan-cho
Abuta-gun Hokkaidou
The little red and blue cottage at the main intersection, just beside Seicomart
TEL/FAX 0136-22-5620

Winter Season 18:00-02:00 Open Everday
Summer Season 18:00-00:00 Closed on Monday's