Bar Espana, Suskino, Sapporo

We’d spent the day wandering around Odori Park for the Yuki Matsuri (Snow festival) in Sapporo, and golly me it was cold.



After a shower and a freshen up it’s over to the Suskino end of town where we’re told the Ice Festival takes place. And indeed it does. Upon reaching the Route 36 / Suskino intersection as far as we can see it lit up with lights and there are some amazing ice carvings. We have a little wander around, we’re trying to find Blanc, which is a little wine bar over this side of town. We wander around for a while and don’t manage to find it (we later find out its upstairs in one of those vertical buildings housing a whole range of things, duh). It starts snowing quite heavily, which is very picturesque, but we’re now in desperate need of 3 things; shelter, drink and food.



Right on Suskino we see a very welcoming sign “Bar Espana”. And as we look in its bustling with Japanese couples and groups sitting and drinking but there’s a little spot at the bar for the 2 of us, perfect.



That’s the first thing sorted, now we both need that drink. There’s a fair sized wine list with about 12 by the glass. Kim starts with a glass of ’05 Motersierra Rosato. I decide on a fresh fruits sangria. (yes I know I said fruits, but it on the menu like that, and it’s cute.) A single ice cube is placed in the glass then topped with the red wine sangria mix. A generous spoonful of macerated berries is then added, which are sitting in a nice rich syrup. A splash of soda is added and then it’s checked for seasoning. All good! Then a little tray of fruit emerges from the fridge and artfully crafted and displayed on the top of the drink. A single orange segment, 3 perfect slices of apple and slice of kiwi fruit, a plump strawberry and 2 blueberries are threaded onto a tiny toothpick. As I pick up the glass I’m already impressed, its paper thin Japanese glassware and a fair size. I take the tip of the little toothpick and stir through the fruit then take a sip. It’s sweet, a little tart but still a nice robust wine flavour and is oh so soothing with the snow falling just beyond the door.



And lastly, food. We love these sorts of places, we just order a few things with no idea about where the night is heading. First up, we can’t resist the Spanish Anchovies with Bucket. We were both curious about this one …. A plate arrives with 8 plump little fillets that are doused in olive oil with a little chopped herbs and cracked pepper. Then there’s a little basket with 2 thick slices of crusty baguette, ahhh, bucket. It’s a case of JapEnglish translation and not some bucket filled with something exciting.



Mmm, pig. We’re already drooling over the leg of Jamon, sitting on the bar top that waiters are just slicing chunks from, filling little plates and delivering them all over the little tiny room.



But firstly, fried pig’s ears with garlic. They are deliciously chewy on the inside but a crisp crackly outside is coated in fried garlic. Mmm.



While we’re savouring each moment the delicious pigs ears are in our mouth, a plate of Iberico chorizo arrives. 12 paper thin slices are laid out on a little wooden tray. There’s a few caperberries, cornichons, parsley, dill and chervil to one corner and it’s spiked with a few toothpicks for easy eating.



Ah, rather than ordering a plate of sliced Jamon there was something else that caught our stomach. Jamon sandwich. We had seen this little beauty crafted in front of our eyes, the anticipation almost becoming too much ….. As one waiter is slicing chunks of Jamon from the bone someone else is grilling a nice chunk of baguette. The baguette is then rubbed with a garlic clove and a sliced tomato. The smell on the hot bread is amazing. It’s then drizzled with virgin olive oil and the sliced Jamon piled between the 2 slices. Wow! The hot, crusty, garlicy tomato baguette is such a nice contrast with the room temperature, chewy and smooth Jamon. Amazing.



We order some more drinks and some olives. There’s a jar of them sitting on the counter, a scoop of olives is placed in a boat and topped with some fried shallots. There were 3 different Spanish olives all marinated in a strong garlic oil and they were all delicious.



We see a paella being served behind us. They have about 5 different ones on the menu. It looks and smells incredible. We will be back some other time just for this ….



But for now, back to the drinking and tapa’s. Slices of barely cooked octopus are sprinkled with good Spanish paprika. They are resting a cute little terracotta pot. The octopus is so fresh and tender! And underneath we discover some boiled potatoes and garlic dressing.



We get talking to the bartender, who’s really nice and asking all about what we do / where we’re from. We then get to asking him about all the stuff that written around the walls in Japanese. Ah, of course, today’s specials. We manage to get a fair idea of what’s on offer with our little Japanese and his little English. Wagyu carpaccio. Eh? We need one of those now! The meat is so tender, I just love the way with each chew a good wagyu gives you the flavour from the fat, the texture from the meat and an all over body excitement … There’s a little squeeze of lemon, salt flakes, cracked pepper, a few mini tomatoes and more garlic oil (we won’t have to worry about vampires tonight!).



Well, we sure are glad we asked about the specials. The next up, some local Hokkaido deer that is seared to a golden crisp with a deep red gamey flesh. There’s a nice pink peppercorn sauce, roast garlic and purple potato.



While we’re sitting there enjoying our last drink, we ran into some customers I had served at Sekka. It was so funny as I was telling them they had to go to the Suskino end of town to see the ice carvings…. And there they were! They snapped a nice happy pic of us, we shared some stories over our extremely cold adventurous day we’d both had and then we confirmed directions to Blanc from our bar tender.



We did make it to Blanc and wished to continue the night with drinking and eating. The menu was all in Japanese and we tried to get some help. They blantantly said, No help, Omakase. We reluctantly agreed. Then we tried to order a bottle of wine. The first one, no stock. Second one, no stock. Third one, no stock. Finally we’re in luck, the ’96 Vin D’Alsace Pinot Blanc was in stock. But then the waiter tried to tell us we not like this wine, very very sweet. What the?? And the food was about the same…

Night wandering around in Sapporo

Now we have a night wandering around by ourselves in Sapporo, we immediately head for Suskino. It's quite overwhelming. All these 5 or 6 story high buildings with various signs out the front (all in Japanese of course) and no real idea what is inside. We wander around for a while but honestly don't even know where to start. We give M2 a call.. He points us in the direction of Commelier, a little wine bar over the other side of Route 36. The instructions were pretty clear, we just need to find the alley way behind KFC and about half way down will be a green sign saying Commelier. We find it rather easily, it of course is in one of these anonymous 6 story buildings. We head on up the elevator and emerge in a rather bare corridor.  Heading down to the end we find a too-cute little door with the sign. Opening up the door there's a large communal table that is full of Japanese business men and ladies. We are warmly greeted by the host and walked over to a little booth in the corner.

Firstly we ask for recommendation on a nice glass of wine. Kim tries a glass of Razor's Edge Cabernet Shiraz, which happens to be one of the wines M2 supplies to Commelier. I try a glass of Hokkaido wine, a Furano white. It's quite sweet, but very easy to drink. We then manage to speak a few words with the host and say we would like to share some smaller dishes. We then leave it in his hands.

We both have a little giggle at the sausage dog hashi rest ....



The first dish to hit the table, a version of 'corned beef'. It was set almost like a rillette, cut into little squares,  nice and rich with that pickle and salty flavour of corned beef. Served alongside some crusty baguette and a little pot of seeded mustard.



The next to arrived was a beautiful little omelet. It had a pile of Japanese mushrooms on top with a butter sauce surrounding it. The filling was to be a surprise. We both delicately cut into either end of the omelet and take our first bite. The sweet sweet flavour of Hokkaido crab is like nothing else. The egg is cooked perfectly, still a little runny in the middle. The delicate crab meat sticking to the inside of the omelet, and the mushrooms and butter sauce adding nice body and roundness to the dish.



It's about now that M2 actually arrives. He said he might see us there later ..... We've all ready had another glass of wine each, but now that M2 is here we go and order a bottle of Alsace riesling. Mmm, one Kim and my favorites, and definitely M2's favorite! It's here where the photo's lagged a bit. I know we ate a few other dishes, but we don't seem to have any pic's. The last pic we have is of some delicious crispy grilled Hokkaido chicken. This is simplicity at it's finest. We have had this dish a few times at different places. The Hokkaido chicken has such a nice flavour to begin with. It's skin is so crispy, like chicken crackling, yet the flesh is so tender and juicy. It's possibly cooked the whole way through on the skin side. Served cut into a few smaller bite sized pieces with a generous mound of Adonai Hokkaido salt to dip into before savouring each bite. The salt bringing out the delicate flavour even more.



We then bid Commelier goodnight, but the night has only just begun. We wander downstairs looking for a yakitori place, which is another of M2's faves. We find one, but it's spanking new ... wandering in, it doesn't seem familiar. Turns out it was the same place, just completely re-done. It's at this stage that we venture over the road to Giulio's. We didn't even make the association that we had met Giulio before. We sit down and order a glass of wine. He has a few specials, all using 'Dennis the pig'. (Dennis is a local farmer you can read about in one of our earlier posts). We order Giulio's home made fennel cured leg ham, and also the hand-made sausage with liver and braised beans. Both using Dennis the pig and both delicious! We ordered a few other dishes, all very traditionally Italian, simple and tasty.

We then head back to a place that happens to be just around the corner. This particular place had taken our fancy earlier on this trip. It was after Sushi with M1 that we were all craving a little something sweet. M1 couldn't really think of a place we could just go to for dessert. He even made a few phone calls, but no luck. It was then after having soup curry for lunch one day, that we had stumbled upon a little place called 'Tsubaki Dessert Bar'. So here we are, on our third stop for the night.



In the little alley way that runs just behind McDonalds, on the Ekimae Rt 36 intersection is Tsubaki Dessert Bar. You enter from the street and go down a set of stairs. Off to the right, there's a little restaurant, Dining Kuwana, and to the left you enter through a curtain for desserts.....oh sweet desserts.



They have a nice lists of spirits, liquors and shochu's. They also have a few herbal teas. I get a pot of the rose and hibiscus tea, the smell as it's placed in front of me intoxicating......



Kim gets a glass of shochu on the rocks, a deliciously sweet plum wine. On the little menu, the star attraction is their bowl of ice-cream with 12 flavored syrups. There are a few other offerings, including cake and parfait.

We go straight for the main event, the bowl of ice-cream. Firstly a small tray is placed in front of us. There's a large bowl with a few good scoops of plain milk ice-cream. There are 2 spoons, with a little spoon rest to build you tasty treat on and to the side is a little bowl of crushed peanuts.



Then there's the custom made little tray, holding 12 cute little ceramic pots. Each pot has an individual little spoon. There is a small label on the front, but it is in Japanese. Our waiter is extremely friendly and does a very good job of explaining the flavours to us. With our little broken Japenglish we work out the most part and fill in the gaps by tasting.



The flavours included, chocolate, coffee, maple syrup, berry, cassis, gin, tequila, grape, whiskey, soy, apple and one other ......

It was delicious, the most fun was making our own little flavour combinations. Some favorites were maple and apple, cassis & gin, and the milk ice-cream, soy & crushed peanuts seemed to work quite well.



All in all, not bad for a night wandering around Sapporo.

Sushi, Suskino, Sapporo

We're in Sapporo again after a day with M1 at Chitose hunting out some more fine Hokkaido products.  During the day we're already discussing our dinner plans.  As we haven't had sushi in Japan a phone call is made to Y and it's all organised.  Now the whole afternoon is spent eagerly awaiting this fine treat.

After a freshen up, we're picked up from the hotel.  We drive around for a  bit before ending up over in the vincinity of Suskino.  In the evening with all the flashing lights and crazy neon, it's quite a sight!

We find what M1 thinks is the building.  He's looking a bit puzzled though.  There appears to be a florist on the first floor, a set of lifts at the end of the corridor, and on the side wall a vague floor guide, all in Kanji of course.  

M1 doesn't seem to confident that we're in the right place.  He makes a phone call....  apparantly this is the building.  We take a life up to the 4th floor and walk past a place called "Dolce Bar"...  I was thinking, nice, somewhere for dessert after we fill up on sushi (if this is the right place) but upon walking by, realise that it's not that type of "Dolce" .  Anywhoo, we pass another few hostess bars before finding a quaint little entrance.  There's a plant, a sign in Kanji, and a curtain.  We head on through.....

It's allready quite full.  There's traditional Japanese seating off to the left, but thankfully we have one of the best seats in the house.  The 3 of us are seated directly in front of the 2 sushi chefs, at the counter.  We take a moment to take it all in....  The counter is housing an abundence of fresh seafoods...  There are many things unknown to us.  How exciting!

After a nice hot towel, drinks are arranged.  We start with our first, of many, Hokkaido sake's.  Delicious. 

I am then given a kawaii (too-cute) little napkin with the moon and some rabbits on it.  Only girls get these, apparently.

Then the food starts....  A lot is being said between M1 and the 2 sushi chef's, we're not quite sure what, but we're happy to leave it in their hands.  First course is a delicate little bowl of cod-roe with konnyaku. The cod roe was soft and salty, with a slight pop on the tongue. The strands of gelatinous konnyaku a nice flavour and texture contrast.

Next is a bowl of Hokkaido taraba crab.  It's been dressed lightly with fresh lime, and has the most amazing sweet natural flavour.  Sitting beside is a pile of fresh uni (sea urchin) which has a nice creaminess.  

The next to be placed in front of us is a generous bowl filled with ikura (salmon roe).  This is somewhat of a specialty in Hokkaido.  I have been blown away with the freshness and flavour of all the ikura we have sampled since we arrived ....  This is no exception.  Each little ball an explosion of flavour on the tongue.  Slightly salty with the addition of a very good shouyu soy, but still with it's incredible natural flavour.  All this is savoured from a little wooden spoon resting on the side of the bowl.

In some broken Jap-English, we're asked if we like oysters.  Of course!  We then watch as they are carefully removed from their shell, they are then dressed with a tangy ponzu dressing with and finished with a little seaweed.  Yum!

More sake is had as we watch some scallops going onto the little grill which is situated just behind the two chefs.



The scallops are then brushed with a sweet glaze.  Sheets of nori are then flashed over the grill, before the glazed scallop is wrapped up in a sheet of nori and handed to us over the counter.  This one is to be enjoyed with the hands.  Mmmm, and enjoyed it was.  The crisp toasty nori a perfect contrast to the plump, sweet scallop.

We sit back an savour our sake...  Our next dish is the only one of the evening to not be prepared at the counter.  When it arrives, there's a few giggles.  We try to ask what we're about to feast on, but all we manage to get out of them is "the female fish" and plenty more giggles.  Heh, anyway... it's tempura'd so we should be fine.  There's a little wedge of lime and some salt on the side.  The crisp batter reveals some very white and gooey stuff.  It's delicious, none-the-less.  There are also a few pieces of maitake mushroom which have been battered as well.  These have a great nutty flavour.  We later find out this Japanese delicacy is known as 'Shirako' or 'Tachi', which is cod milts, or to put it in lamen terms, cod sperm.  We have since seen this, and eaten it, on several occasions, prepared in a variety of different ways.  Tempura is still up there as one of the best, though.

We move onto another sake, and then start the marathon nigiri effort.

We all receive a beautiful jade coloured crockery plate in front of us.  Each piece of nigiri is then crafted before our eyes, before being placed, one-by-one, onto the plate.  The first is a piece of flatfish.  There is just the right amount of wasabi, the rice is still warm, and the fish so fresh brushed ever so lightly with sauce.

Then there's abalone nigiri.  Lightly scored and brushed with sauce.  It's nice a meaty, with great flavour.

Next up, prepare for battle-ships.  As each one is made, the little strip of nori is grilled before being wrapped around the warm rice.  It is then topped with the creamy uni.  Mmm.

We then see the nice big chunk of toro we've been eyeing off all night removed front the cabinet.  Toro nigiri.  Sublime!

Next is sweet shrimp nigiri.  The flavor is delicious, I just have a bit of a problem with the texture of raw shrimp....

But then next out is salmon belly, one of my absolute favorites.  It's so smooth and tasty!

I think they seen how much we enjoyed the toro...  A norimaki roll gets made right before our eyes.  A bit of the toro is taken and lightly chopped before being added, with a little sauce.  

They have some rather unidentifiable piece of sea creature they are then trying to explain to us.  One of them goes out and gets a little book.  It's full of pictures of all things seafood, with Japanese and English names.  We work out that it's Hokkaido surf clam.  It looks a little like a tongue draped over the shaped rice, but it was delicious!

We're then each given 2 pieces of inside out tuna norimaki, with toasted sesame seeds around the outside.

Then there's a rather unusual offering.  Smoked daikon pickles.  They're a deep brown colour, and the smoke smell is intoxicating.  Three plump slices of the pickle are served with a good dollop of sour cream.  An unusual but outstanding combination of flavors.

While we are savoring our pickles, one bite at a time, some small pieces of salmon are grilled.  This is then wrapped into a little norimaki, topped with ikura and bonito flakes.  Yum!

Another thing we had been fascinated with, was a little container full of the smallest little spring onions.  They looked like something that belonged on a Barbie dolls dinner table, or in a little doll house.  We sorted of pointed and expressed our interest.  We first had a look at the container.  Each strand was so perfect and green.  They were almost the length of my thumb...

We must have spent a while oohing over them, because before we knew it was another plate.  There were batons of Chinese yam, a very glutionous yet crunchy vegetable which had been pickled with perilla (red shiso).  They had a beautiful blush pink colour too them, and were lovely and refreshing.  Sitting to the side was 2 neat slices of tuna tataki, with the same sweet glazed brushed over them, and a little drop of cream cheese on each one.  Again, a rather unusual combination that worked really well.

We all move onto a Hokkaido sweet potato shochu.  It's nice a mellow, and served in a beautiful glass.

We then all (just about) finish with a gorgeous little minegi nigiri.  It has such a delicate onion flavour....  and it is so up there in the cute stakes!

We just sit and enjoy ....  before being asked if there was anything else we would like again or to try.  During the course of the night we had seen this large pink looking thing being sliced up...  We were curious.  We found out it was whale bacon or whale tongue and both lost our curiosity quick smart.  I ask for a grilled salmon nigiri.  Oishii.

Kim has a piece of fresh water eel grilled nigiri.

Another thing we were curious about, turns out to be house-made bottaga.  Awesome.  2 thin slices are served between crisp daikon.

Then comes a plate of house-made skimono, Japanese pickles.  There's daikon, cucumber and carrots and gobo that have been dipped in nutty toasted sesame seeds.

We watch as the two chef's work in harmony to create a gorgeous platter of sushi.  This is then taken down to one of the hostess bar's in the corridor.

We are again game to try a natto roll.  They all laugh when we agree.  We both eat it, I don't mind it's nuttiness, but it is rather slimy.  Again, the whole texture thing.  I mean, it's okay, but nothing either of us are crazy about.

It really is such a privilege to be able to sit at the counter of a fine sushi restaurant.  And to be in Japan and have that honor we are both truly grateful....

As we are leaving, I notice a too-cute little nigiri clock.  Nice!

We are walked all the way to the lifts by one of the chef's.  The whole floor is now buzzing, the bars all busy and plenty of hostess ......  Who would have thought, a fine sushi bar in amongst all of this.  Oh, wait, we are in Suskino.

Here's a copy of the shop card, with address
Somewhere around Suskino
Ph: 011 513 8002