Lunch for the day was a karaage bento box♪(´∀｀)

I had heard of Hotto Motto before and seen their commercials, but unfortunately there are no stores nearby. I originally planned to have lunch at another restaurant nearby, but they were closed, so I ended up buying a bento box to go from Hotto Motto instead. The place was quite busy during lunchtime, and it had a very friendly and lively atmosphere. I ordered the Beef Steak Bento for 680 yen, which was on sale for 100 yen off. The beef was tender and thinly sliced, but still tasted like a proper steak. The sauce complemented it well. I also tried the Pork Cutlet Bowl for 430 yen, which was more like a regular katsudon. The large cutlet on top was satisfying and perfect for a lunch meal. Overall, Hotto Motto exceeded my expectations for a bento place. I wish there was a store closer to my area. Thank you for the meal.

"I found a seafood stir-fry bowl using XO sauce, which I thought was a step up from the usual. As the weather gets colder, I start craving stir-fry dishes in addition to soups. When I was looking for dinner options and stopped by 'Hotto Motto,' I came across an intriguing stir-fry menu item, the 'Seafood Chinese Stir-Fry Bowl.' This dish features a Chinese-style stir-fry with seafood, replacing the pork with shrimp and squid, and adding XO sauce to the mix. XO sauce can vary in ingredients and preparation depending on the manufacturer, but it typically includes dried shrimp, dried scallops, salted fish, chili peppers, ginger, and garlic. The XO sauce added a unique spicy kick and a rich umami flavor that complemented the seafood well. XO sauce is generally considered a high-end ingredient, so not many people may be familiar with dishes using it. Whether you're looking for a stir-fry dish or simply want to indulge in a bit of luxury, I recommend considering this seafood stir-fry bowl."

"I thought, 'Sometimes a light flavor like this is nice too,' which led me to try the Salted Seafood Tempura Rice Bowl this time. As I passed by this restaurant, I noticed a sign that caught my attention with the words 'Salted sauce?' introducing an intriguing menu item. That's how I ended up ordering the 'Special Salted Seafood Tempura Rice Bowl' at this restaurant. 'Hotto Motto' serves a seafood tempura rice bowl every year around this time, featuring shrimp, squid, scallops, and other seafood tempura with a new addition of 'salted sauce.' This sauce is made with the umami of clams and sea bream, and compared to the sweet and savory sauce, 'Japanese-style sauce,' it appeared lighter in color, almost unnoticeable when poured over the tempura. In terms of taste, the sauce itself doesn't overpower but enhances the umami of the tempura. It is said that in the cold winter, people tend to crave stronger flavors, but in that sense, the 'salted sauce' rice bowl is perfect for the upcoming warmer season. When you hear 'salted sauce,' you might imagine a sauce based on chicken or pork broth with garlic, like in salt yakisoba, but the 'salted sauce' in this seafood tempura rice bowl was very light. While the sweet and savory 'Japanese-style sauce' is good, those who prefer a light flavor or want to savor the ingredients themselves should definitely try this 'salted sauce' seafood tempura rice bowl here."

"This is a unique sukiyaki bento box." This time, I ordered a bento box that combines sukiyaki and hamburger for takeout. Sukiyaki bento boxes are available not only at bento specialty stores, but also at Japanese restaurants and meat specialty stores. I found this unusual sukiyaki bento box at 'Hotto Motto' this time. The one I ordered is the "Sukiyaki Hamburger Meal," which consists of thinly sliced beef, green onions, udon noodles, and hamburger mixed with a sweet and savory sukiyaki sauce. The sauce is made with soy sauce, giving it a sweet and savory flavor, similar to a teriyaki hamburger. The taste of the sauce varies by region, with Eastern Japan having a light flavor and Western Japan having a sweeter taste. The one I had was the Western Japan version, which I found to be just right in terms of sweetness. While the quality of the ingredients may be higher at Japanese restaurants or meat specialty stores, this unique combination of sukiyaki and hamburger is not something you would typically find at those places. If you are looking for a rare and interesting dish, I recommend giving this a try.

"I often see curry, but this combination seems to be a first, right? This time, I purchased a unique katsudon where tonkatsu is topped with mapo tofu. When I visited 'Hotto Motto' this day, they were having a fair until 11/1 where katsudon was offered at a reasonable price. In addition to the classic 'Rosu Katsudon' with egg, they also had a new menu item - the 'Mapo Katsudon' which I decided to take out. This katsudon, as the name suggests, combines katsu and mapo tofu in a bowl, and it has been on sale since 10/8. While tonkatsu and mapo tofu are common dishes that can be found not only in specialty stores but also in nearby convenience stores, the combination of the two is quite unique in my opinion. At least for me, this was the first time trying it. The mapo tofu here is not extremely spicy, but it has a rich flavor with a blend of four different sauces - doubanjiang, douchi, sweet bean sauce, and spicy bean paste, along with spices like Sichuan peppercorns, red chili peppers, and black pepper. Overall, it reminded me of dishes like katsu curry or tantan-style pork noodles. This 'Mapo Katsudon' is something you don't often find even in katsudon specialty shops. If you're curious, definitely give it a try."

"I realized that not only quantity but also size is important." That's what I thought when I received the Kalbi bento from this place. When I visited the store of "Hotto Motto" this day, I was drawn to a menu item featured on the board outside. It was the "Extra Large Kalbi Bento" that I decided to take out this time. I am not sure about the past offerings, but this Kalbi bento seems to have the largest piece of Kalbi in the history of "Hotto Motto". While some yakiniku restaurants and specialty meat shops offer bento boxes with large pieces of beef, it is surprisingly rare to find a bento shop using such a large piece of meat. They also had a Cut Steak bento for summer, but I was more curious about the Kalbi, so I purchased the "Double Extra Large Kalbi Bento" with twice the amount of meat. The Kalbi was piled so high that the rice was hidden underneath. The seasoning included a marinade sauce with garlic, and two finishing sauces made with apple, gochujang, and coarsely ground red pepper. The meat itself was so tender that it could be cut with chopsticks. Personally, I preferred it over the "Gyudon" from "Sukiya" that I had before. If you want to enjoy a large and tender piece of Kalbi easily, I recommend trying this Kalbi bento.