I visited the location from the TV show "The Lonely Gourmet"! It's a hidden gem just a few minutes walk from Maruyama Koen Station, but it's so tucked away that you wouldn't find it easily. You have to take off your shoes and climb up steep stairs to enter the smoky white interior that almost feels like someone's home. The menu on the wall is so old and discolored that it's hard to read, but it adds to the charm. I ordered Goro-san's complete set, which included appetizers like shrimp and shiitake mushrooms, as well as beef dishes like Sagari and Wagyu Toro with egg yolk. I also tried their beef stew and other recommended dishes like Toro Mon and super fatty beef slices. Everything was delicious beyond my expectations. The beef Toro with egg yolk on rice was simple but incredibly tasty. The 400g super fatty beef slices seemed like too much at first, but the chef suggested trying the end cuts, which were also amazing. The meal ended with a rich and creamy beef stew that paired perfectly with rice. The friendly chef made the experience even better. Despite leaving smelling like grilled meat, it was all worth it. This place may not be fancy, but it's definitely a fun and delicious dining experience. Highly recommended!

I visited a restaurant with a junior who was craving for meat, after making a reservation in advance. The exterior of the restaurant had a very unique and old-fashioned look, like a cultural club room from a high school in the past. We took off our shoes and climbed up a steep staircase holding them to enter the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant also had a very unique atmosphere, with only three other groups of customers present. We were served shiitake mushrooms and shrimp as appetizers. We ordered two bottled beers, two servings of salted lamb, one serving of grilled beef tongue with green onions (as they had run out of regular beef tongue), one serving of pickled vegetables, two servings of grilled pork, one serving of wagyu beef skirt, and one serving of beef toro with egg yolk (although the amount of beef toro flakes was disappointingly small). The total bill for the two of us was around 10,000 yen. There was no smoke exhaust system at each table in the restaurant, and with the lingering summer heat, the lack of air conditioning made the smoke from grilling meat inside the restaurant quite intense. The restaurant was filled with smoke, making our eyes sting and tear up. Sitting on thin cushions on the wooden floor was also quite challenging. The grilled lamb on the charcoal grill was tender and delicious, with no distinct smell. However, the dining environment was quite harsh due to the smoke. Overall, it was a unique experience, but the conditions made it a bit difficult to enjoy the meal.

Take off your shoes at the entrance, carry them upstairs... it's a very mysterious restaurant. The meat is wild! The appetizer is shrimp and shiitake mushrooms! The recommended dish is salted lamb barbecue. It is grilled over charcoal and then topped with a mixture of sesame oil and green onions. The King Kalbi is a big piece of meat! Enjoy cutting it with kitchen scissors. The menu on the wall also adds to the charm. Personally, I would like to try everything on the menu except the rice dishes again!

Inokashira-san ate so well that I decided to imitate and visit the restaurant. We were served shrimp and shiitake mushrooms as a starter, which was delicious and raised our expectations for the meat dishes to come. We ordered salted lamb, sagari, premium tongue, and king kalbi. Everything was delicious, especially the salted lamb, sagari, and kalbi. The salted lamb was tender, the sagari was full of flavor, and the king kalbi was so big it overflowed from the grill, with a perfect balance of fat and meat. I devoured the 300g portion. Lastly, we had beef stew which was also excellent. I definitely want to come back for more. Thank you for the delicious meal! ♪

In May 2023, I went on a trip to Sapporo after 4 years and 3 months. I got off at Maruyama Koen Station on the Sapporo Municipal Subway, took exit 4, and headed south into a residential area following my companion's guidance. At the end of a narrow alley, I found the restaurant I was looking for that day, called "Asa Kuruma." This place is described as a hidden gem of a house-style yakiniku restaurant in Maruyama Park, operated directly by a meat wholesaler. It's known for its amazing meat and seafood dishes, especially the salted lamb dish cooked on a charcoal grill. I visited this place as a pilgrimage after watching the TV Tokyo show "The Lonely Gourmet 2022 New Year's Eve Special." I took off my shoes, climbed the steep stairs to the second floor, and entered the smoky and atmospheric restaurant. The menu on the wall was smudged and hard to read, with many prices unclear. I started with the appetizer of shrimp and shiitake mushrooms, which was featured on the TV show. The shrimp was crispy and flavorful, and the shiitake was thick and rich. I also tried the beef toro with egg yolk, which melted in my mouth and was incredibly delicious. Lastly, I had the salted lamb dish with leeks, which had a unique and delicious flavor. Overall, the experience at Asa Kuruma was delightful, and I enjoyed the high-quality meat and seafood dishes in a quiet and cozy setting.

If you're a Sapporo local, you might wonder why there's a Genghis Khan (grilled lamb) restaurant here. Tucked away in a quiet and lush upscale residential area called Maruyama Park, this restaurant serves Genghis Khan in a discreet house. Located in the Minami-Maruyama area, about a 10-minute walk from the Tozai Line Maruyama Park Station, this area is a residential neighborhood with few people out at night. As you make your way to the destination, you'll feel a sense of unease, but once you arrive at the concrete house with light and smoke seeping out of the windows, you'll know you're there. Climbing up a steep staircase lined with numerous beckoning cats, you'll reach the entrance. Inside the restaurant, the smoke fills the air, making it hard to see, and the menu is hard to read through the smoke. Sitting at a table with a charcoal grill, it's quite an experience. The Genghis Khan served by Asakura, a meat wholesaler, is not your typical seasoned Genghis Khan - it's a salt-seasoned Genghis Khan cooked over charcoal (880 yen). Made from the highest quality Australian Suffolk breed, the thickly sliced meat has just the right amount of fat and a beautiful marbling. Tender and not too gamey, when paired with the secret negi sauce, the meat overflows with flavor in your mouth as you chew. Make sure to order extra rice as the beef flake-topped Toro Rice is also a must-try. Suffolk is a breed of sheep known for its high-quality meat, created by crossing the high-quality "Southdown breed" with the hardy "Norfolk breed." This breed is highly praised for its meat quality worldwide and is considered a top-tier ingredient in French cuisine. The menu unique to a meat wholesaler also includes dishes like wagyu sagari and toromon (offal). The generous serving of appetizers, including large prawns and shiitake mushrooms, is not to be missed. And one last thing to emphasize - Genghis Khan should be grilled over charcoal on a charcoal grill! It's all about soaking in the smoke while eating! It's not Genghis Khan if it's not smoky and aromatic! For a deep and delicious Genghis Khan experience in Hokkaido, head to Hassen or Asakura! Highly recommended by Kidarogu! Bon appétit!

The service was excellent. The appetizers, such as shrimp and shiitake mushrooms, were impressive. Overall, the meat was well-seasoned. The atmosphere felt more like being in someone's home that was turned into a restaurant, so it may feel intimidating to enter if you're not a regular customer. It's like intruding into someone's home.

On the second day of Golden Week, I had yakiniku for dinner at a restaurant that was featured in the drama "The Lonely Gourmet". The location was a bit hard to find, but I ordered the same dishes as Goro did in the show - salted lamb, sagari, and beef toro. Everything was delicious, including the shrimp and shiitake mushrooms that were served as appetizers. I also had kaburi, gyutanmoto, and grilled vegetables in between. The meal ended with a B stew. All the dishes were seasoned perfectly, so there was no need for sauce. Despite the smoky atmosphere, the experience was fantastic.

I made a reservation one month ago and visited the restaurant. The location was a bit hard to find. It is a popular restaurant that has been featured on many TV shows. We were served thick mushrooms and red shrimp as appetizers. They were difficult to cook but definitely made an impact. We ordered various meats such as hormone, beef tongue, sagari, and loin. They were all delicious, but not exceptionally so. I ordered a la carte this time, but I think it's more cost-effective to order a course menu for groups of three or more.

I visited this restaurant after watching "The Solitary Gourmet Special" and had plans to travel to Sapporo. It was a bit hard to find, but I was able to easily locate it using Google Maps. The atmosphere is truly like being at home. There was a lot of smoke, but the salted lamb and lamb dishes, which I usually don't like, were delicious without any strong smell. The most delicious dish was the beef toro with egg yolk, I couldn't stop eating it.

Taste: ★★★★☆ Quantity: ★★★☆☆ Cost performance: ★★★☆☆ Featured in "The Lonely Gourmet" year-end special. I thought it would be impossible to get a reservation during the snow festival period, but when I called at night, they said they could squeeze us in if there was availability. Thank you! I chose the dishes that Gorou-san ordered. The shrimp and shiitake mushrooms as a starter were impressive, and the salted Jingisukan (grilled lamb) and Wagyu Sagari were delicious. The Wagyu Toro was decent, not exceptional. It wasn't featured on TV, but the horumon (offal) was surprisingly good for the price of 500 yen with a generous portion, making it a good value. A must-visit for fans of the show!

Located in Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido. The nearest station is tucked away in a residential area near Maruyama Park, and at first, I didn't know where it was, but it's on the second floor of a house. It's a hidden gem of a restaurant where you can enjoy Genghis Khan. The Shio-Jingisukan, Shio-Sagari, Toro-Mon, and Gyutoro Rice were all incredibly delicious. The tenderness without any smell, what is this magic? When you grill it with green onions and eat it, it goes so well with alcohol. The Sagari has so much flavor, it's irresistible. Dip it in the egg yolk for even more deliciousness. And the Toro-Mon, the tenderness of the hormone is just amazing. It's not heavy at all, which is incredible. To finish off, the Gyutoro Rice. I had decided to eat this, and it was so delicious. Even though I had eaten quite a bit and drank, I could keep eating. I left the restaurant feeling really satisfied. I was glad I made a reservation as it was fully booked on the day. When I get assigned to Sapporo, I definitely want to go back to this restaurant. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

This place is located in a very confusing area, but with this navigation, you can find it. It's on the second floor at the end of a winding path. When you go upstairs with your shoes, you'll find a narrow room packed with people and filled with smoke. The place is dirty and smells, so it's best to wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty. It's a yakiniku restaurant, but their specialty is salted Genghis Khan lamb! It's so delicious that you'll want to keep ordering more. The wagyu beef rice bowl is also a must-try! The shrimp and shiitake mushrooms that come as appetizers are also amazing. I definitely want to come back to this restaurant.

It was really hard to find, I drove around the area three times. When I went upstairs, I was surprised! It was so smoky, like nothing I had ever seen before. Instantly, I could smell the aroma of meat all over my body. It was a yakiniku restaurant recommended by a gourmet friend to another gourmet friend. It was delicious! I'm not a fan of lamb, so I was wondering if I could eat Genghis Khan (grilled lamb dish), but the lamb had such a mild flavor that I couldn't even tell it was lamb. Why is Hokkaido lamb not smelly? Even when I asked the owner, he just said it's from New Zealand. I got a second helping! The best dish was... the beef toro rice with a junky flavor.

I was taken to this place by a friend. The first time I came here, I couldn't find it. It's a hidden gem on the second floor of a residential building in a quiet alley in a residential area. There was no signboard. When I went upstairs, I saw tables with tatami mats and shichirin (charcoal grills) set up. I ordered as recommended by my friend. Wow! The volume of shrimp and shiitake mushrooms was amazing! Just that alone made me feel full! The hormone (offal) was also delicious! I tried other dishes too, but they were so delicious that I got too excited and forgot to take photos! I can't remember what else I ate! Oh! I do have a photo of the wagyu beef bowl! It was delicious! I definitely want to come back to this place!

By the way, my husband and I used to talk about going out for meat every 29th of the month, but we missed the chance to eat meat on 2/29, so we decided to make a last-minute reservation and go. It had been about half a year since we last visited a yakiniku restaurant, so we decided to try a new place nearby that neither of us had been to before. The location was a bit hard to find, so it was probably best to rely on Google to find it. First, we took off our shoes at the entrance and went upstairs. The stairs were too steep for me with bad legs. Upon opening the door, it felt more like entering someone's living room than a yakiniku restaurant. The seating was in a tatami room style, and there were only 4-5 groups of people, so it seemed like it would be best to make a reservation in advance if you plan to go. The menu was posted on the wall, so we checked it out there. We opted for the 90-minute all-you-can-drink option for 1500 yen, which included beer, but we were told it was last order after about 60 minutes, so we could only have 3 drinks. And here's what we ate: - The appetizer was shrimp and shiitake mushrooms. The shrimp was frozen, so it didn't have much flavor, but if properly cooked, you could eat the shells too. The shiitake mushrooms were already seasoned with soy sauce, which I would have preferred to add later. There were no condiments on the table. - Salted lamb meat was delicious with a strong salt flavor and a good thickness. It had a slight smell of lamb, but it wasn't too bothersome. The green onions as a condiment worked well. - I didn't try the pork hormone as I'm not a fan, but my husband enjoyed it crispy. - The beef toro rice was a normal-sized bowl filled with rice and topped with flakes of beef toro. It was a standard dish. There was also a super beef toro rice option, which I assume has more meat. - The salted skirt steak was served on a plate, and it was a bit challenging to chew and lacked flavor. I personally didn't enjoy it, even though I usually like skirt steak. Overall, the salted lamb meat was delicious, but the rest was just okay. We couldn't try many dishes since there were only two of us, so it was understandable. I was curious about the king kalbi, but it was listed as about 300g, so I decided against it as it seemed like too much. The ventilation in the restaurant wasn't great, so we definitely needed some Febreze when we got home. Thank you for the meal!

This is Maruyama. I had been wanting to go here for a while, but never had the chance. I knew it was a hidden gem, like a yakiniku restaurant in Maruyama, but I never thought I wouldn't be able to find it myself! Even though I used navigation, I had to ask the lady shoveling snow for directions! When I finally found the place, I was surprised by the entrance - is this really it? Once inside, there was a sign to take off your shoes, but most people were wearing shoes all the way to the second floor until the owner told them off. Don't forget to take off your shoes! The interior had tables on wooden planks, thin cushions, and no place to hang your clothes. I put my belongings in a garbage bag for odor control. We started with a highball toast and were served frozen shrimp and shiitake mushrooms as a starter - is this really a starter? A bit surprising! We ordered various meats like hormone, premium tongue, super loin, and Genghis Khan, as well as a beef stew that caught our eye. The meat was delicious, but nothing particularly outstanding. Maybe the hidden gem is the atmosphere rather than the food? Overall, I'm satisfied with having been able to come here once. Thank you for the meal!

I forgot to take photos because I was so focused on eating. I had salted Genghis Khan, sagari, hormone, tongue, and samgyetang. Salted Genghis Khan is delicious even without any sauce, but it was incredibly tasty with green onions and mountain wasabi on top. Samgyetang is too much for one person to finish, but it was really delicious despite feeling a bit strong in flavor towards the end. Also, we were served a generous portion of shrimp and mushrooms as an appetizer, which was too much for us to finish.

I visited to celebrate wu-ta's belated birthday. The menu was only posted on the wall, which I couldn't see from where I was sitting. So, I didn't pay much attention to the menu and prices (lol). I tried various dishes. The appetizer of big shrimp and large shiitake mushrooms got me excited!! Since we both love beef tongue, we started with the salted tongue, which was sliced thick and delicious. The recommended dish here is the salted lamb, which was tender, flavorful, and had no unpleasant smell!! The super thick cuts of sirloin, wagyu sagari, kalbi, etc., were served in large portions for us to cut with scissors ourselves. They were tasty, but the sirloin was a bit tough to chew through (lol). My favorite was the Toro Mon, a super tender and soft hormone!! It was so delicious and something unique that I really enjoyed. For the finale, we ordered the specialty dish, beef tongue rice topped with egg. We ordered it after finishing the meat, but the amount of beef tongue was less than expected!! It was tasty, but since I can't eat just plain rice, I wished there was more beef tongue on it. I thought next time I would order it when there's still meat left to enjoy. Good meat is always delicious, right? The atmosphere in the restaurant was very cozy and welcoming, despite the smoky environment (lol).

I met up with a friend who loves cafes and sweets after a long time and we went out for a meal. They even gave me a belated birthday celebration, which I had forgotten about, so I feel really sorry. This time, we went for yakiniku, which was my choice, and we decided to go to Asakura-san, a place I had been curious about for a while. We met up with my friend who loves cafes and sweets and headed to the restaurant while checking the navigation. We walked along Nishi 25th Street, turned at a corner, went through a small alley into a residential area, passed by the side of a house, and when we saw a small light, we knew we had arrived at the restaurant. It's almost like a house, so if you don't pay attention, you might not even notice it. We took off our shoes at the entrance, went up to the second floor, and arrived at the restaurant. The interior of the restaurant is really cozy, just like a house. After ordering drinks, we were served a large appetizer of four big prawns and shiitake mushrooms, which was quite surprising for an appetizer. We ordered salted lamb, premium tongue, and toromon which I had been curious about. The salted lamb was tender, not gamey, and had a good amount of salt. It was delicious on its own, but even better when eaten with the leek sauce that came with it. The premium tongue was thick and juicy, with meat juices dripping out when grilled, making it really tasty. The toromon is an original dish of the restaurant, and when it first arrived, it was already cooked, so you just need to grill it lightly to get some grill marks before eating. It's delicious, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture like fatty meat, and it goes really well with the special sauce it's seasoned with. Encouraged by this, we added wagyu sagari, super loin, king kalbi, and cartilage. The wagyu sagari was tender, not gamey, and easy to eat. The super loin was a surprise when it arrived, as it was over 30cm long, thick, and really satisfying to eat. The king kalbi was a generous 300g portion, but after the super loin, it felt manageable. It was tender, with a sweet fattiness that was delicious, and the quality of the meat meant that the fat didn't leave you feeling heavy afterwards. The cartilage was also substantial, with a sauce that had just the right amount of acidity, making it a great accompaniment to drinks. Finally, we ordered the beef toro rice as our finisher. This was actually one of the highlights for me, with plenty of beef toro on top of a bowl of rice, looking delicious. When I tried it, it was seasoned with soy sauce, enhancing the umami of the beef and the sweetness of the fatty meat, making it really tasty. This is something I would definitely want to order again. The restaurant is a bit hard to find, and while there were customers, it didn't feel crowded, and the quiet atmosphere made it a great place to enjoy yakiniku leisurely. I would love to visit again and try different dishes if I have the chance. Thank you for the meal.

Located in a residential area 25 minutes west of South 5, Asakura is a renowned yakiniku restaurant known to those in the know. They offer a 3000 yen all-you-can-drink course, featuring salted lamb, sagari (skirt steak), hormone, large shrimp, mushrooms, octopus, vegetables, and more. The flavors are outstanding, and I definitely want to come back again! #Maruyama #Yakiniku #GenghisKhan #SaltedGenghisKhan