Hokkaido A Gourmet's Delight

Hokkaido is home to a rich variety of foodstuffs and agricultural products. It's fertile soils produces potatoes, corn, asparagus and melons.

Yubari melons, sweet and juicy with their orange flesh, are prized throughout Japan as a premium brand. Freshly grilled corn on the cob are sold along Odori Park throughout the spring, summer, and autumn months.

Dairy products in Hokkaido are made with traditional skills and the cows are feed on a rich pasture. The long history of dairy farming in and around Sapporo has produced a legacy of first class butter, milk, ice cream and high quality chocolate.

Sapporo is a great place to find fresh seafood. Unlike traditional Japanese cuisine, Sapporo dishes rely on their simplicity and natural flavours of the ingredients. Crab, scallops, and salmon are local specialities and restaurants specializing in these delicacies are common in the city.

During my 5D4N stay in Hokkaido, I had a chance to try out a number of Hokkaido specialities from the following restaurants:

Marugoto Hokkaido Restaurant
Menu: Japanese set: salmon steak, potato, onion with sauce in toban, fish, tofu, vegetable with miso soup in nabe, squid sashimi, pickles, sashimi flakes, marinated squid in wasabi, grilled salmon, rice, fruit, tea, water


Yoyotei Restaurant
Menu: Mongolian BBQ: Genghiskhan BBQ Lamb, vegetables, rice, water, tea

Genghis Khan is a food you shouldn’t forget in Hokkaido. Lamb or mutton is broil with vegetables and washed down with beer. Best BBQ ever but be prepared to smell like BBQ after dinner.

Ore No Sapporo Restaurant
〒064-0807 北海道札幌市中央区南7条西6おれの札幌ビル
Oreno Sapporo Bldg. Minami 7-jyo Nishi 6, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0807
Menu: Eat-all-you-can 3 types of crabs, BBQ (pork,chicken,lamb), crab steamboat with mixed vegetables, starter, pickles, rice, dessert + free flow drinks (beer, sake, cola, orange juice, oolong tea, Calpis soda)

Hokkaido is called "kingdom of the crabs" because of the wide varieties found here including king crabs, hairy crabs and snow crabs. One species, called hanasaki, can only be caught on the eastern side of the island and is a rare treat. The crabs here are fresh, delicious and relatively cheap. Hairy crab has strong sweetness and steady texture. It’s usually boiled with some salt or broiled. The features of snow crab include elegant sweetness and sophisticated taste. King crab is characterized by its large size. Please note that crab shells must be put in a bowl on the table as it is misbehavior to throw them away on the floor.

Seaport Market Restaurant
Menu: Grilled fish: claypot (toban) with seafood and vegetables (fish, tofu, crab, mushroom, vegetables, glass noodle, prawn, scallop), Grilled Hokkei fish, sashimi, salmon flakes & seaweed, rice, tea

The speciality here is the Grilled Hokkei fish (Atka Mackerel) which is boiled with soy sauce and sugar, briefly dried into 'Hokke-no-hiraki' and grilled.

Kanigoten Restaurant
96-2 Aza Takeura Shiraoi-cho TEL 0144-87-3887 FAX 0144-87-3860

Menu: Salmon Nabe: steamboat in miso soup with salmon slices, udon, tofu, vegetables, rice, tea, water

Easily recognizable by the giant bear and hairy crab climbing on the roof. Utilized as a meal-stop by tour buses, this drive-in features a spacious restaurant and marine-produce shop that boast an abundant menu and wide range of stock.