よっち@北海道
On July 4th, after a long time, I revisited Pekellet Lake Park in Shinoro-cho, located at the edge of Sapporo's Kita Ward and close to Ishikari City. Pekellet Lake, also known as Pekellet Marsh in Ainu language, has a history that began when the owner of Marumi Hat Shop in front of Sapporo Mitsukoshi purchased the land around the marsh to ensure that his family and employees could live self-sufficiently when the Pacific War began. After the war, the son of the Marumi Hat Shop owner started operating the current style of Pekellet Lake Park in 1960, showcasing Hokkaido's plants and pioneering history in a museum and Genghis Khan restaurant. This year marks the 60th anniversary of its founding. His son, Eijiro Goto, who trained at the leading Sapporo cafe "Kafuka" for about 9 years, became fascinated with specialty coffee and obtained the qualification of the first coffee sommelier in Hokkaido in 2008. He later opened his own cafe called "Marumi Coffee Shop", named after his grandfather's Marumi Hat Shop. This Genghis Khan restaurant has been a memorable place for my family since I was a child. Not only our family but also my father's business associates and families who run businesses in the same shopping street have visited. I recently learned that my parents also came here on a date before I was born. My mother had been wanting to visit Pekellet Lake Park for a few years, and finally, our whole family was able to come. The menu includes all-you-can-eat frozen mutton Genghis Khan and grilled vegetables (with baked potatoes, rice balls, pickles, and kelp tea) for the Pekellet course (probably currently priced at 3,900 yen including tax... paid by my father only), with drinks available at an additional cost. Visitors can also explore the area around Pekellet Lake for 900 yen (includes coffee, ice cream, or soft drink). While the restaurant used to operate even in the dead of winter when I was a child, nowadays it is open only on weekends, holidays, and during the Obon period from around April 20th to early November, and advance reservations are required. Due to the influence of COVID-19 this year, they were unable to reopen as usual, but I learned from a friend's Instagram post that they resumed operations on June 6th. I made a reservation a week ago and arrived about 10 minutes before the reserved time of 2 p.m. When our family parked the car, another group was just finishing their meal and leaving, so we had the place all to ourselves. The outdoor seating with a roof felt like being partly outside, with a pleasant breeze and the greenery of the forest spreading around the lake, providing a therapeutic effect of forest bathing. I left the driving to my wife on the way back and ordered a beer for myself, orange juice for my wife, non-alcoholic beer for my father, and oolong tea for my mother. Although the additional order my wife made, Ribbon Napoleon, was served in a PET bottle, all the first drinks were served in bottles, with only beer and other alcoholic beverages available. A well-fired charcoal brazier and slotted Genghis Khan pot were set up, and we started with a toast. Then, six slices of frozen mutton roll and grilled vegetables were served. The meat was served just at the right time before it ran out from the tray, and a female staff member behind a screen, invisible to customers, added more as needed, similar to the way in which a "wanko soba" is served. The frozen mutton roll here can be eaten raw, as mentioned in this article, so the key is not to overcook it. The soy sauce-based sauce with grated apples and onions, which has probably remained unchanged in its recipe for a long time, is slightly salty, so dipping the meat and vegetables in it adds just the right amount of flavor. Enjoy!