Seafood black soy sauce noodles with ¥1,200 Cafe au lait soft serve ¥500 ¥1,700 Yeah. Well, it's like food at a service area. It's pretty good. I was happy that there were quite a lot of ingredients compared to the noodles. The cafe au lait soft serve was also delicious, just as I imagined.

I had lunch at the Iwamizawa Service Area for the first time. I realized that I had never eaten here before, so I decided to try it out. I saw they had a set meal with fried Atka mackerel, which I love, so I ordered that. The fried mackerel was on the smaller side, but still delicious and the portion of rice was generous. Overall, I left feeling satisfied and would like to try their ramen or Ankake yakisoba next time!

I've only ever had hokke as dried fish or grilled - maybe it's because that's the only way it's available in my area? I heard that the hokke fry set here is recommended, so I came all the way here! In Mie Prefecture, we usually eat hokke as grilled fish, so trying it fried was a first for me and it was incredibly delicious! It's amazing that even at a service area, the food was so delicious!

At the Iwamizawa Service Area (upward direction), for lunch! Mini squid tentacle rice bowl, mushroom tempura soba set. It was delicious as always - so delicious! The squid tentacle bowl is a must-have. But there are so many menu options, it's hard to decide. It's fun.

The scenery on the way back from Biei to Sapporo keeps changing. Since it was dark on the way there, I am enjoying the views now. I stopped at the "Iwamizawa Service Area (upward)" for a restroom break. Of course, I couldn't resist trying the soft serve ice cream!! It was a delicious soft serve with a milky taste and a refreshing aftertaste.

I rarely take the highway at high speed, so I didn't stop at the service area. It's a rare chance! I bought a baton cookie with coconut for 945 yen. It was past 1 o'clock, so the restaurant was crowded, but I was just there for a quick meal so it was fine. I only stopped to buy souvenirs, and there were many famous brands selling them. I was torn between choices but ended up buying Royce cookies, which I think I've received as a gift before. The cookies have chocolate on the back, which is a classic. I also bought coconut cookies, but there seemed to be many other varieties available. After buying them, I noticed cute treats shaped like Japanese white-eyes. Thank you for the meal!

"The 'Hokkaido Greedy Curry' for 950 yen. What's so greedy about it? It's the squid and eggplant curry. This curry is very unbalanced... There is a bit of rice even underneath the sauce. If you start from there, half of the white rice will be left (＞＜). Are you greedy for white rice? The tonkatsu curry that my companion had left behind the sauce... What's wrong? LOL"

On the 7th day of my trip from Tokyo to Hokkaido, I had lunch and dinner at this place after 8 years. I went to the snack corner and bought a paper ticket from the vending machine. I chose the "Beef Curry" for 630 yen, which is a bit unusual in Kanto where pork curry is more common. It is a curry used in commercial European-style hotels. It was spicy, but not spicy enough for me. After adding plenty of shichimi pepper, it became delicious. I was hoping for something more Hokkaido-like, such as Hokkaido potatoes, Tokachi beef, or local wasabi. It was a bit disappointing, so I would rate it as "average" ( ´∀｀ )/pon!

The soft serve ice cream at Iwapi was delicious but expensive at 450 yen for a cafe au lait flavor. It was small so it felt like it wasn't worth the price. I couldn't afford to buy it myself so I only had two bites that my son shared with me (laughs). Thank you for the meal! *(^o^)/*

I went to Asahikawa for work and stopped here for lunch on my way back to Sapporo. I ordered the most popular Ankake Yakisoba and added miso soup. I expected the noodles to be crispy since it was Ankake Yakisoba, but they weren't particularly crispy. The ingredients included seafood mix, Chinese cabbage, onions, and carrots. It had a black vinegar sauce, so it looked quite rich. The taste was also on the rich side (laughs). It didn't have as much acidity as I expected, so I adjusted it with vinegar and mustard. I was torn between getting the Hokke fry set meal, but I'll try that next time if I have the chance.

I went to Sapporo for work and stopped at the Iwamizawa Service Area (northbound) on the highway. In the past, they used to serve delicious Umami Miso Ramen, but at some point, it changed completely and I felt a bit sad. I think maybe the chef changed. I remember there used to be an elderly lady stirring a wok in the back... Anyway, I went to the ticket machine and noticed that the menu had changed a bit. The ramen was different. But the Hoke Fry Set meal remained the same. It's always reliably tasty. Oh, they also had a Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fry Set meal. That looked delicious... for 880 yen, I bought it from the ticket machine. Then I received a number tag and waited for a while. The Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fry Set meal was huge. It had a lot of bean sprouts. And there were cabbage, bell peppers, carrots, and pork. The height of the stir-fried vegetables was impressive. It seemed like they used a whole bag of bean sprouts. The vegetables were crispy, hot, and fragrant. There was a mild hint of garlic. It tasted like a vegetable stir-fry you would get at a Chinese restaurant. It was delicious. The meat was also very tasty. The rice kept disappearing quickly. The miso soup was also good. It had a strong flavor. I couldn't stop eating. Despite the generous portion, it was easy to finish because it was so delicious. And there was very little oil. Many Chinese vegetable stir-fries are greasy and fried, but this one had very little oil. It was a truly enjoyable meal. I will definitely order the vegetable stir-fry set meal again next time. It was so delicious! Thank you for the meal!

2021.10 Chitose Business Trip Series (*´∀`)♪ As an office worker, chappytsum doesn't usually go on business trips. This is quite a serious matter for someone who is a food blogger, so I even thought about changing to a job that involves more traveling. But let's face it, no company would hire a 40-year-old guy who can't do any work and just complains all the time (T_T). However, an opportunity for a business trip finally came for chappytsum!! (*'-')b The destination was Chitose. It was a business trip with a young female boss, just the two of us. This seemed like a chance for some food blogging!! We were supposed to meet at the destination, so I was looking forward to eating my way through Sapporo and Chitose during the trip (๑´ڡ`๑). But then... Boss: "I'm scared of getting infected with COVID, so let's go by car instead of taking the train!!" If we go by car, I won't be able to go off on my own and eat to my heart's content~(T_T) What's more, this boss is a very important person, so we had a driver with us. I couldn't even decide on the route to take~(T_T) So, I ended up at "Iwamizawa Service Area (Northbound)." It was a business trip that turned out to be by car. I decided to at least continue my food blogging activities during the journey and settled for some soft serve ice cream♪ The soft serve ice cream costs 350 yen (tax included). It has a smooth texture and is sweet without being too overwhelming. It's delicious, isn't it~(*´∀`)♪

2021♡♡ 62nd Cup 7/21 Around 10 o'clock I wanted to try Umami Miso Ramen so I went to this place. Even if you're not on the highway, you can still stop by, I did my research beforehand (lol). After working a night shift, it's all about ramen, right (*^^*)? So, even though it was after a night shift, I appreciate that they were open. There were no other customers (lol). It was just delicious as usual. I could do without the corn though. Thank you for the meal (っ˘ڡ˘ς)

[Revisit on February 19, 2021] I had some business in Asahikawa on this day and on the way back, I stopped by the Iwamizawa Service Area on the Doto Expressway for lunch. I had miso ramen and a small bowl of rice. I think the ramen was around 710 yen. The soup was quite salty, and the texture of the noodles wasn't to my liking as some were a bit undercooked. I couldn't help but think that if you're going to eat noodles at a highway service area, soba noodles might be a safer choice. (laughs) #HighwaySA #HighwaySAGourmet #IwamizawaSA #YasumokkaIwamizawa #MisoRamen #SmallRice

I drove from Asahikawa to Otaru and stopped here for lunch. I usually like hokke fry, but this time I decided to try the ramen that used to be delicious. I chose the shoyu ramen with dried fish broth as it seemed to be lower in calories compared to other ramen options. It was a bit pricey at 750 yen. I arrived around 11:15 am and the place was starting to get crowded. The noodles were quickly cooked and the presentation looked good. The soup was a bit light but had a nice dried fish aroma. The curly noodles were nice and the seasoned pork belly was tasty. As I reached the bottom of the bowl, I noticed that the noodles were too salty. It seemed that the soy sauce was not mixed well into the soup. After stirring it properly, the soup became much saltier. I wish they had done a better job. Towards the end, it was too salty to finish. The ramen used to be delicious in the past, but this time it was disappointing.

On the weekend, I traveled from Sapporo to Iwamizawa by myself. I had decided to eat at the service area in Iwamizawa. However, last time I tried the miso soup at a service area on the way down, and the taste had changed a lot from before, so this time I decided to choose a different menu. After some consideration, I decided to go with soba noodles. I chose the seafood tempura. It was ready in a few minutes. The seafood tempura contained scallops, shrimp, and squid. It had a crispy and crunchy texture. The quality of the tempura was so good that it was hard to tell if it was made in advance. When eaten before dipping in the soup, it was deliciously crispy. The flavor of the seafood spread throughout the mouth. And then the soba noodles. They were roughly cut noodles. They were probably not freshly made, but they had a good chewiness and flavor that stood up well to the warm broth. The flavor of the broth was also delicious. Overall, it was quite a high-quality meal! I had to finish quickly due to work, but I would definitely want to eat the same thing again. The delicious soba noodles made me think that way. Thank you for the meal!

When driving in Hokkaido, it can be a long journey, so we stopped at a service area in Iwamizawa. Even in March, there was still snow on the ground, truly showing it's Hokkaido. Eating soft serve ice cream in that setting was quite enjoyable. Soft serve ice cream always tastes delicious no matter where you have it.

Before going to Otaru where my second son lives, I stopped by here around noon. Due to the impact of the coronavirus, I felt a bit hesitant to eat at the cafeteria, but I remembered how delicious the anka rice bowl was when I accidentally ordered it instead of anka ramen last time, so I decided to go in. I purchased the seafood black soy sauce anka rice bowl for ¥820 from the ticket machine and received a number tag, then sat by the window counter. There were about 8 customers including myself. I was called in about 7 minutes. Miso soup was also included. The slightly sweet and not too hot anka sauce goes well with the rice. It's nice that there are plenty of vegetables. When I finished eating and returned the dishes, there were only 2 other customers besides me. Perhaps it's because it's a weekday, but I wonder if it's also due to the impact of the coronavirus. I hope the people in the food and beverage industry will do their best. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

I visited during lunchtime on January 9, 2020. I purchased the recommended "ginger pork set meal" at the ticket machine. I ordered 100g as I have a small appetite. The meat was tender and the seasoning was just right, surprisingly delicious. Location: Iwamizawa Service Area (upbound), Address: 96-3 Higashiyama-cho, Iwamizawa City, Phone: 0126-25-5861, Business Hours: 8:00-20:00, Closed on: None, Parking: Service Area Parking Lot, Seating: Counter 20 seats, Table 5 tables.

[First visit on November 25, 2019] On this day, I was returning from Asahikawa where I had submitted documents for a construction site in Rumoi scheduled for next year. Instead of having lunch in Asahikawa, I decided to get on the highway. The stretch from Asahikawa Takasu on the Doto Expressway to Shinkawa on the Sasson Expressway offers dining options at Sandokawa SA, Iwamizawa SA, and Nopporo PA (Seiko Mart). Sandokawa is usually crowded with tour buses, mainly with foreign tourists from Taiwan, so I opted to have my meal at Iwamizawa SA (uphill) which operates under the YASMOCCA brand, similar to my experience last year at Usu Mountain SA on the Doto Expressway. YASMOCCA is a brand operated by NEXCO East Japan Retail Co., Ltd., managing 56 small and medium-sized SA/PA stores, aiming to provide a place where users can easily stop by to relax and enjoy their usual comforting experience. I arrived at Iwamizawa SA (uphill) around 1 pm for a slightly late lunch. I purchased a ticket for the Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fry Set Meal with Soba (tax included at 1,000 yen) from the ticket machine, handed it to the staff in the cooking area, and waited for my number to be called while pouring myself a cup of hot tea at my seat. After about 7 minutes, my number was called, and I went to pick up my meal. The rice was deliciously fluffy, the Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fry was well-cooked with crunchy vegetables, and the seasoning with an oyster sauce-like flavor was just right - not too salty or bland, which I enjoyed. The soba in the set had a nostalgic and comforting taste, different from hand-made or local soba, but still charming in its simplicity. I found the whole set, priced around 800 yen including tax, to be quite satisfying. The comforting taste and relaxed atmosphere made me prefer it over Sandokawa or Rinoatsu. Thank you for the meal. (^q^) #NEXCO East Japan #Doto Expressway #Iwamizawa SA (uphill) #YASMOCCA #Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fry Set Meal with Soba