On the way to Shiretoko Goko, we stopped for lunch. The restaurant at the roadside station was crowded, but the one across the road had seats available, so we went in! I had the Salmon and Salmon Roe Rice Bowl. The salmon was salty, the salmon roe was salty, and even the side dishes were salty. It was a salty parade. The salmon was a bit dry too.

Across the road from "Michi no Eki Utoro Shiretoko" is a very casual shop selling soft serve ice cream and more. I ordered the Salmon and Salmon Roe Bowl for 1760 yen. It came with miso soup and pickles. The amount of salmon roe on top was decent. I heard that Shari Town is the top producer of salmon in Japan. I didn't know that. They could promote it a bit more. Thank you for the meal.

My partner and I entered the restaurant because they really wanted to eat udon. It took courage to enter a restaurant with no other customers during lunchtime. I ordered the grilled salmon set meal for 1,300 yen. Despite being a bit worried about the time, the food arrived quickly. The udon and the dish were served at the same time. The udon was cold, but the taste was average. If you want to eat udon, this place is an option.

"Salmon bowl, tempura soba, and salmon sushi set."

At the end of my work, I stopped by a Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) and saw a shop called "Omiya Shoten" across the street. It said "Ezogashima" on the sign. They had a soft serve ice cream sculpture outside, so I decided to go in and check it out. It turns out it's also a dining area. There was a curtain hanging at the entrance. Inside, I saw a man who looked like a fisherman, but he was actually a staff member. I ordered a soft serve ice cream for 350 yen, which seemed a bit expensive. While they were making it, I looked around the shop. I saw a flag that said "Chapman" but couldn't find any in the fridge. I thought they might have seafood products, but the selection was not that extensive. I received my soft serve ice cream and went outside. The swirl looked nice and smooth. When I took a bite, it wasn't too sweet and had a smooth yet crispy texture. It was a bit different from the usual soft serve ice cream, but overall it was okay considering the price.

We arrived at a restaurant around 8:00 am where we could have a meal before boarding a sightseeing boat departing at 10:00 am in Shiretoko. The restaurant was located inside a direct sales place in a fishing town, and although the dining area was simple, we had high expectations for the fresh seafood. The topping bowl where you can choose your favorite ingredients such as sea urchin, scallops, salmon roe, botan shrimp, and crab meat was enjoyable. This time, we chose the local Baifun sea urchin, scallops, and the seasonal grape shrimp that can only be eaten at this time. The sea urchin was fresh and sweet, and the scallops were plump and sweet, allowing us to enjoy the fresh seafood. We were surprised by the price of 1500 yen for one grape shrimp, but we found out that it was the same price at other restaurants and direct sales places we visited later. The taste was richer than botan shrimp, but not as sweet as fresh sweet shrimp. Perhaps it's the rarity that determines the price. The grilled set meal for 1000 yen was different from what we imagined as it had a salty taste with a hint of sweetness like mirin, making it a very delicious grilled fish. You can also enjoy free kelp tea inside the restaurant. In Utro, do they use mountain wasabi for sashimi? It goes well with seafood bowls as well. We entered the restaurant without any prior research, but it turned out to be a great choice. We were able to spend a delicious morning. It's strange that there weren't more customers. There is a convenient parking lot next to the store (no signs were visible).

Shiretoko doesn't have any high CP restaurants when you search on Tabelog. Dining options are quite limited and it's hard to find a seat even if you think "this place will do." Seafood dishes easily go over ¥1000. The roadside station is full, and the neighboring diner has a long wait, so I ended up at this place next door. It's quite unique. The first floor is a fresh seafood market, and the second floor is the dining area. I checked the menu on the first floor and placed my order before going upstairs. Prices are average for this area, but a bit high for locals. I ordered the affordable curry udon for ¥600. The second floor has a narrow counter seating area, and there's a slightly raised floor area as well. My order arrived in about 10 minutes. The curry udon looked like regular boiled noodles with broth poured over them, but surprisingly it tasted quite good. The slightly spicy broth was unexpectedly delicious. If you're just looking for a quick bite, this place is worth a try.

In July 2012, I had lunch at "Oshoku Restaurant" located along R334. It is right in front of "Michi-no-Eki Utoro Shiretoko". The restaurant has a fish tank on the first floor, and there are dining spaces on both the first and second floors. Construction workers from nearby facilities also seemed to be using the restaurant. That day, I chose the "Salmon Chan Chan Yaki Donburi (1000 yen)" and added "Scallops (300 yen)" as a topping. The Salmon Chan Chan Yaki Donburi was different from what I had imagined, as both the salmon and vegetables were finely chopped into a paste-like texture, similar to "Negitoro". It was warm and flavorful, not too strong in taste, and I found the amount of white miso just right. The scallops topping was fresh and delicious, as expected in Shiretoko. The side dishes included simmered squid and Q-chan.

When I visited Shiretoko, I stopped by this restaurant for breakfast. It is located across the road from Utoro Michi no Eki. I entered at 9 am and ordered the most expensive item on the menu, the "Fresh Sea Urchin Bowl", which included salmon, sea urchin, and various seafood. The portion was decent, and it came with pickles, simmered squid, and miso soup. While eating, I thought to myself, "The rice portion is a bit small..." Then, the lady at the restaurant asked, "Would you like a refill of rice?" I thought, "Great, now I can eat to my heart's content." After eating to my fill, I went to pay the bill, and to my surprise, the extra rice was charged at an additional 50 yen... In my mind, an angel and devil were arguing, one saying, "It's just 50 yen, it's fine!" and the other saying, "If it costs extra, they should have mentioned it when offering!" Well, despite that, the food was delicious!

On the 4th day of our trip to Hokkaido, on the 5th day of our journey, we woke up at around 6:30 am at the Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) "Utoro Shiretoko." The weather had been stormy the night before, but miraculously, it had cleared up by morning. We were relieved as we had plans to visit the Shiretoko Five Lakes that day. The parking lot for the lakes opened at 7:30 am, so we needed to leave the roadside station by 7 am. With some time to spare, we decided to explore the area around the station. We noticed a shop with a sign that caught our attention: "Kurimu Dohwa Soft Cream." This reminded us of the soft cream we had at Log Kitchen MARYA near Lake Mashu the day before. We were surprised to see it being offered at this roadside station, as we thought it was only available at Log Kitchen MARYA. Excited, we approached the shop and found that it was open. The shop had a souvenir store on the first floor and a dining area on the second floor. While they mainly sold seafood like sea urchin and shrimp, we were interested in the soft cream. Although the dining area didn't open until 8 am, we asked if we could have the soft cream and were delighted to hear that it was available. The moment we tasted it, it brought back memories of the soft cream from Log Kitchen MARYA. It was exactly the same delicious flavor. We couldn't believe that we could enjoy the same soft cream all the way in Shiretoko, far from Lake Mashu. It was a delightful surprise to start our day with such a familiar and tasty treat.

Food: Salmon Ikura Don Price: 1000 yen Around 2 PM, all the other shops had closed, so I reluctantly settled for a meal at the roadside station, only to find it closed as well. In front of it, there was a typical souvenir shop with a dining area, and this was the place. It was the right choice. The ikura was excellent, but the salmon (flake) was outstanding! The side dishes like seaweed and soup were also delicious. The salmon flake was being sold at the shop for around 300 yen. Unfortunately, it would be too bulky to carry, so I didn't buy it, but if it were the last day of the trip, I would definitely purchase it.