I had dinner at a nearby sushi restaurant and still had some room in my stomach, so I decided to visit a restaurant I saw on the TV drama "The Lonely Gourmet" that happened to be nearby. In the drama, they ate soba and onigiri, so I wanted to eat the same, but unfortunately, onigiri was not available that day. So, I started with oden and then ordered torimen, which I saw another customer eating. After about 10 minutes of waiting, the oden arrived with large ingredients soaked in flavorful broth, which was delicious. Then, after waiting for about 5 minutes, the torimen arrived. Torimen is actually somen, and it was delicious. It was a great way to finish the meal.

In March 2023, I decided to visit some deep restaurants in Hanazono for the first time in a while. The first stop was "Torii," located nearby, where I enjoyed Showa-style yakiniku and yakitori. Next, I visited "Hatsuhana," which is famous for oden. I'm not a fan of oden, as I was taken to a famous oden restaurant called "Takoinu" with its blackish broth when I was a child. However, after seeing it on TV at the end of last year, I felt compelled to visit at least once. In fact, I had tried to visit in February when a friend from Nagoya came, but it was closed, possibly due to the influx of fans making pilgrimages in January and February. It was said that some visitors even tried everything that Goro-san ordered during his visit to the restaurant, and the restaurant had to turn away many customers. I also heard that families with children were turned away as they do not allow those under 18 years old. As for the main topic, I believe in eating what I want rather than what Goro-san ate, so I started with a sweet potato shochu on the rocks. The appetizers were my favorites, seaweed salad and boiled limpets. Then, I ordered: - Mefun (salmon male kidney pickles) - Oden (kelp, warabi, konjac, egg) - Seven Stars (sardines) - Curry Soba Mefun is pickled salmon male kidneys, and although the product used here is store-bought, it has a good taste without any peculiarities. While my favorite white konjac was missing from the oden, the broth here is relatively light, yet the egg is rich in flavor, making it quite delicious. I chose Seven Stars (sardines) for the grilled fish, and it was not dried like sardines usually are, with a soft texture and just the right amount of fat, making it delicious. It seems that many people in this area come here for a bowl of torimen after drinking, but I was more interested in the curry soba, so I had it as my final dish today. The curry soba here does not have any distinctive features in the soba itself, and the ingredients are small amounts of pork, onions, and carrots, but the curry soup has a decent viscosity, reminiscent of the curry soba from Yoich. This is delicious! (The owner used to run a soba restaurant.) If I were to ask for something more, I would like to have a lot of pork and onions in it, but this is not that kind of restaurant. However, they said they would accommodate requests if the ingredients are available, so I would love to try it with a super-sized amount of pork belly and onions in advance. I would also like to add rice (maybe even cheese) to the leftover soup and have a finale of curry rice after the curry soba, creating a double finale of curry rice. So, "Hatsuhana," known for its oden, turned out to have delicious curry soba as well.

A long-established oden restaurant in Hanazono, Otaru City. It was the last shop to appear from Otaru in the Solitary Gourmet 2022 New Year's Eve Special. The opening hours on Tabelog are wrong, and now it seems to close around 24:00 starting at 17:00. I entered around 22:30 on a weekday. There were four customers before me, all around my age who came from Sapporo, and we connected through the Solitary Gourmet. I sat on the same spot at the counter where Goro-san sat. For some reason, the master, Kishi-san, was sitting next to me on the customer seat, and at first, I thought he was a regular customer haha. When I heard he was born in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, and I'm also from Gunma Prefecture, we immediately hit it off. [Order] - Appetizer (¥500) - Hot sake (¥400) - Cold sake (¥?) - Oden - Daikon and Bamboo Shoot (¥400) - Grilled Fish - Namerou (¥market price) - Chicken Noodles (¥400) - Chiso Onigiri (¥200) Total: ¥3400 In the midst of the falling snow, I walked from the Dormy Inn in front of the station, so I started with hot sake and oden. The appetizer that day was not hokke sticks but cod head with mentaiko sauce. For the grilled fish, I hesitated between Atka mackerel and Seven Star (Capelin) but chose Namerou. It's market price, but usually around ¥1000. While sipping cold sake, the oden and grilled fish were incredibly delicious. I recommend mixing the remaining oden broth with cold sake and drinking it, known as "dashi-wari." For the finale, I ordered chicken noodles and onigiri as Goro-san hesitantly requested. - Chicken Noodles: Udon with chicken. A classic dish for a late-night meal after drinking at Otaru's snack bars or cabarets. The slightly sweet broth is flavorful, and the noodles are said to be sourced from Gunma Prefecture, as the master mentioned. In summary, the master and the landlady are extremely kind, creating a homely atmosphere like being back at home. There are no signs or mentions of being featured on the Solitary Gourmet or having Matsushige Yutaka's autograph displayed, and that's perfectly fine. Instagram @moritapan7 also has videos.

Category: Favorite Izakaya (Hokkaido / Tohoku) After returning from Yoichi to Otaru, I took a bath at the hotel. I sweated in the hot spring and then headed out to Otaru at night. I started with a draft beer at the counter of "Hatsuhana". It was Sapporo's Black Label. The atmosphere was great and the beer tasted delicious after taking a bath. There were tourists and regular locals as other customers. Both groups were enjoying their drinks nicely. The chilled tofu appetizer arrived. The mother was running the counter alone as the father was hospitalized. There were some items they couldn't make, but they had hokke fish, so we had it grilled. After the beer, I switched to warm sake. It was served in a traditional sake pourer but in a glass cup. Hokkaido is wonderful. It brings back memories of the old days. We ordered oden. Potatoes, fish cakes, eggs, and dumplings arrived, all cut into easy-to-eat pieces. They absorbed the rich broth well. I asked for a refill of warm sake. The daikon radish, soaked until the last minute, arrived separately. It was a gentle daikon without any sharp soy sauce flavor. It's the kind of place you would want to visit every day on your way home. Thank you for the meal! "Hatsuhana" Otaru, Hokkaido Hanazono 1-1-8 [Mon-Sat] 17:00-3:00 (LO 2:00) [Sun/Holidays] 17:00-2:00 Closed on Wednesdays

I saw Mr. Ota's TV show and heard from an acquaintance that this was a good restaurant, so I was looking forward to visiting. I ordered sashimi, sea grapes, and scallops, but they were frozen, the wasabi was cheap store-bought paste, and they brought out oden without us even ordering it. We had about 8 dishes, 1 grilled squid, 4 glasses of draft beer, and 1 glass of shochu with hot water. When the next customers arrived, we settled the bill... and it came to 8,000 yen for the two of us. I was so shocked that I was speechless. Is this normal? I haven't felt this shaken in a long time.

When I saw this shop, the first thing that came to mind was a sense of nostalgia. It was the title of a movie set in Otaru. "Otaru Hanazono no Yoru," during the farewell party season, middle-aged men carrying bouquets walk with red faces along the slippery paths where the melted snow begins to freeze. Just one step from the main street in the center of the Hanazono area towards the sea, and it already feels like a nostalgic world. Only one shop stands alone, looking like a movie set. That day, having missed lunch and returned to Otaru late at night, I got off the bus just before Otaru Station and wandered around the Hanazono area in search of dinner. What caught my eye was a familiar building. It reminded me of the surroundings of my childhood home. The sign of the shop read "Oden Onigiri." I wondered if I could eat a meal here without worrying about the drunk customers around. The entrance had the word "HOPPY." Maybe Yoshida Rui is inside. Upon entering the shop, it wasn't exactly nostalgic, but it had a strangely calming atmosphere. The counter had 10 seats, and there were small raised tatami seating for 3 and 4 people each. I found "Oyakodon" on the menu and ordered it. The egg topping was not too salty, and when mixed with the broth at the bottom of the bowl, it was delicious. The sweetness of the soft onions, thick chicken pieces, finely cut narutomaki, and the broth's consistency made it a satisfying meal. The side dish that came with the Oyakodon was large pieces of pickled radish. It had a good crunch and was not too salty. I wished I had ordered miso soup as well. I wonder if they have clam soup? I'm curious about the pickled mackerel sashimi and the grilled fish. This is a place I would like to visit when I am in a better condition. I would like to savor the food properly and maybe have a Hoppy shochu highball. Then, it's a steep hill to climb back home, but by the time I reach home, the drunkenness would have worn off. This steep hill, about 20 years ago, was a filming location for "Haruka, Nostalgia." It was a small deviation from the official filming location. When I returned home in the middle of the night, the lights were brightly lit, and I thought there was some event happening, but it was a movie shoot. A scene of Katsuno Hiroshi and Ishida Hikari climbing a small hill together. I remember seeing Ishida Hikari at that time... she was so beautiful and cute. I still think she hasn't changed at all when I see her in commercials. A nostalgic shop, established in 1964, will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. They have continued to maintain their style since then. Thank you for the meal. This place might be perfect for a regular haunt.

In Otaru Hanazono, there is a small restaurant with an oden counter and a raised seating area. The place exudes a historical charm with old clocks and a handwritten menu of grilled fish beside the counter. You can order various oden items like daikon, chikuwa, and eggs, as well as grilled fish such as octopus sashimi. The oden is simple and light, with a gentle broth that warms you up. Despite being mainly an oden place, they also offer a good selection of other dishes. The grilled kasube fish I had was delicious, with a sweet and fatty flavor. Overall, it's a cozy spot where you can enjoy a taste of Otaru in the winter.

At the entrance of a quiet corner in the bustling district of the garden, there is "Hatsuhana" where I went early, so there were no customers. Instead, I enjoyed a time slip to the Showa era. The first thing that caught my eye was a black object on top of a sieve, which turned out to be dried stingray. I had never eaten it before, so I tried the dried stingray. It was very delicious with ginger soy sauce, and the texture of the cartilage was good. Next, I tried the "torimen," which was surprisingly small. The broth was a bit light and felt gentle on the body, with a flavor that evoked the Showa era. I also noticed a tool for removing bottle caps on the counter, which was attached to the wall (like the ones on old Coca-Cola vending machines). The interior of the restaurant was all Showa-style. The digital TV felt like something from the near future.

Walking home in the light rain, feeling hungry, I decided to stop by "Hatsuhana," a cozy eatery in Hanazono. This place has been run by the second generation, and I've been a regular since the previous owner's time. There's a certain charm to this place that keeps me coming back. It's not just about being cheap or having good food and service—it's a combination of everything. The cozy atmosphere, delicious food, and reasonable prices make it a gem that has stood the test of time. The restaurant has about 8 counter seats and a small tatami area for about 8 people. Enjoying oden and hot sake at the counter during the cold season is a special treat. If you're in the area, I highly recommend giving Hatsuhana a try!

Before returning to my hometown of Sapporo for the year-end and New Year holidays, I stayed in Otaru. For dinner, we went to a restaurant called "Hatsuhana" in Hanazono dining district, which was recommended by Mr. Ota Kazuhiko. It's a traditional izakaya with a welcoming noren curtain and an "oden" lantern, indicating that it originally started as an oden restaurant. Located off the Sushi Street, just across from Sunmall Ichiban-gai shopping street, it's not the kind of place tourists would stumble upon. We had made a reservation in advance, and were seated in a cozy alcove on the first floor. My wife and I ordered draft beer, which was served impeccably with a mild foam on top, at just the right temperature. We were so impressed by the beer that my wife continued to drink it throughout the meal. The appetizers were white fish skewers and macaroni salad. The skewers were delicious, and we also ordered oden for our child, as this place is known for its oden. We had daikon radish, shirataki noodles, and konjac in a broth that wasn't too salty but full of flavor. The fish menu was displayed on a sieve at the counter, with prices based on market value. We tried tsubo (globe fish) sashimi, which was firm and tasty. The tsubodai (black porgy) was fatty and delicious, and we also had nanatsuboshi (Pacific saury) without taking a photo. We tried the homemade herring pickles, a Hokkaido specialty made with cabbage, radish, julienned carrot, and herring marinated in koji. It was well-pickled and very tasty. I ordered warm sake, which was served at the perfect lukewarm temperature, and ended up having three glasses. Feeling quite full, I ordered torimen, which was a light dish with somen noodles. My child had curry soba, an unusual choice for an oden restaurant, but the curry was delicious and paired well with the soba. The owner used to run a soba restaurant before opening this izakaya, which might explain the presence of curry soba on the menu. Overall, the food at this restaurant was truly delicious.

★Solitary Gourmet★★★ Torimen (Nyumen)