Posts Tagged ‘chain good quality’

Sai Kaku – Sapporo, Japan

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

Tel. 011 281 7600
Website: http://www.sai-kaku.com
(8 branches:find addresses at above website)
Prices: Moderate

We are visiting Sapporo, Hokkaido for a few days, and not unusually, it is still cold with a high of about 11 degrees and a low of about 1 degree at night and this is almost mid April.The locals think this is mild weather so they are running around in Spring clothing.

The first thing that you think about when in Hokkaido, when it comes to food, is fish and being in Japan, sushi immediately comes to mind. We put on warm coats and walked to a sushi bar that was recommended by the hotel. It was not a small one-off version with subdued lighting, which is usually the type of place I gravitate to, but a more brightly-lit branch of a small local chain of eight good quality restaurants using only local fish.

Kicking off with a delicious, draught Sapporo beer and then moving on to a couple of local Sakes accompanied by fresh local oysters, sea-urchin served in its shell on a bed of edible seaweed. I later decided to have sashimi of scallops and sushi of red whale and horse and they all melted in the mouth except for the horse, which was tough and full of sinew. I have eaten horse raw before on a few occasions and it always seemed to be tender, although rather bland, similar to raw liver that I have also eaten in Japan, I really prefer it quickly seared on both sides for a few seconds as it is more flavorful. It must have been this particular piece of meat that was not up to par. A scallop salad with fresh grapefruit juice was really quite unusual and the combination really paired well together.
Four persons: 13,000 yen about $130 total – amazingly low price for the quality. More Photos