【No smoking】In an area dominated by universities and student apartments in Ebetsu City, there is a popular old-fashioned eatery with affordable and generous portions in Bunkyodai. The restaurant is located along a city road that extends straight from the university gate. On July 18, 2023, after some circumstances prevented the use of the cross bike "Ridashan" and the weather cleared up in the afternoon, I decided to go out for lunch nearby. Although there are plenty of places to eat until full, I try not to go to the same place too often, so I chose this restaurant for today. I ordered the daily special, which was an additional 30 yen off, making the pork cutlet bowl (regular) 680 yen → 650 yen and the pork cutlet set meal (3 pieces) 680 yen → 650 yen. This time, I chose the B set meal for 650 yen because I wanted to try the zangi and was curious about the pork cutlet. The B set meal included 2 pieces of pork cutlet and 1 piece of zangi, a great deal with a large serving of rice for an additional 100 yen. The food was served in just a few minutes, and as expected, the zangi was quite large with a mild flavor of salt, sake, and garlic. The pork cutlet was coated with fine breadcrumbs, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, perfectly fried. The skill in determining the perfect frying time was impressive. The homemade pickled cucumber was quite salty, adding to the homey and cozy atmosphere of the restaurant that I love. Overall, the food was delicious, and I recommend considering the small size option if the regular portion is too much for you.

Katsudon (Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl) - Large 780 yen I visited this place after more than 20 years. In the past, they used to serve extra-large katsudon or 5 pieces of zangi (fried chicken), but now the portions are more reasonable. Even the large size comes with a generous amount of rice overflowing in the bowl, topped with two layers of sweet tonkatsu (pork cutlet). I dug in with a spoon, enjoying the nostalgic taste of the slightly sweet and rich flavors. It's not fancy, but a satisfying and nostalgic katsudon with a lot of volume at an affordable price.

Arrived at a long-established restaurant known for its large portions at 11:50, and it was still not open. It's unlikely that they are closed since I've come all the way here. Next to Sapporo Gakuin University, so it's a place where hungry students go to eat... I wonder what kind of food they serve. The opening hours are very precise. They open at 12:00 on weekdays. I waited, and at 12:40, the curtain was finally raised. They never open a minute earlier, haha. I was the first customer to arrive. After me, an older man and a student also arrived. Until before 1:00, it was just the three of us in the restaurant. I wonder if it gets busier after 1:00. As for the menu, I found out that I had been here once 8 years ago. At that time, they didn't have the menu listed, so I'm not sure if the prices are the same. But overall, it seems quite reasonable. By the way... they didn't allow video recording, haha. A set meal costs 850 yen and I had to wait 20 minutes. The parent and child bowl ordered by the student who arrived later was served next. Then, the B set meal for the older man arrived. My order was the third to arrive, haha. It seems like the order doesn't matter here. The A set meal includes 3 pieces of thinly sliced meat and 2 pieces of deep-fried chicken. The B set meal includes 2 pieces of thinly sliced meat and 1 piece of deep-fried chicken for 650 yen. The C set meal includes 200g of pork cutlet and 2 pieces of deep-fried chicken for 900 yen. Oh, and you should never order the special large pork cutlet bowl for 1100 yen... it's apparently a huge portion. The deep-fried chicken is so big that it covers the rice completely. It's like the equivalent of 3 regular pieces. The deep-fried chicken is juicy and flavorful. The thinly sliced meat is also quite large. It's almost like ostrich meat, haha. There are 3 pieces of deep-fried chicken hidden underneath. It's quite challenging to eat everything at once... I managed to finish it, but I was really struggling afterwards. The meeting before the shoot... I never expected there would be a tasting of snow crabs... I had to reject the snow crabs because I would be eating during the shoot. Thank you for the meal. ⇒ Large portions are not meant to be eaten alone.

Even if you make a mistake, it's not for the customers. I was watching a boring variety show, so I wanted to watch the NHK news, can I change the channel? Absolutely not! "I'm watching it right now!" Is that even possible? I've never experienced that before (laughs). I digressed. The fried chicken set with 3 pieces is 680 yen. Surprisingly, the seasoning is strong, with a crispy coating that has a nice ginger flavor. The portion size of the fried chicken here is about double the size of a regular fried chicken, so the set with 3 pieces is enough. The rice here is of average quality for this type of restaurant. It's a bit on the softer side, but the quantity is about one serving, I think. I love putting the half-cooked egg on top of the rice with the fried chicken and adding soy sauce. It's the best. The miso soup is not too salty, and the seaweed is not slimy, so I think it's good. But remember, the TV channel selection is ultimately up to the older lady, so don't get it twisted. That TV is not for showing customers, it's there for the older lady to watch.

This was my first visit to this restaurant, and true to its name, it was a place with generous portions! I was craving meat, so I chose the Zangi set meal (with 5 pieces of Zangi), and when the set meal arrived, I was surprised by the huge size of the Zangi! To give you an idea of how big they were, they were easily 1.5 times the size of the Zangi sold at a famous Zangi shop. I struggled to finish just the Zangi, leaving some rice and vegetables uneaten (sorry!). As I was struggling to eat, some regular customers came in and ordered a smaller size (3 pieces of Zangi) with a small portion of rice, which seemed to be the more appropriate order. Thinking back, there was a time when I could easily finish a meal of this size when I was twenty years old... I realized that I have aged.（笑）

Today, I felt like eating some Zangi, so I decided to visit this restaurant on a Sunday night. I had never been there before, but according to information online, their Zangi is quite large. However, I didn't want to get tired of just Zangi, so I ordered the A set meal. The A set meal came with 3 pieces of chicken fillet fry and 2 pieces of Zangi. Surprisingly, even though it was a Sunday night at 7 pm, there were no other customers in the restaurant, which made me a bit uneasy. The food arrived in about 15 minutes. The rice portion was small but you could get a large size. The Zangi was about 9 cm in diameter and 3 cm thick. The batter had a crispy texture with a Zangi flavor. The chicken fillet fry was about 8 cm long and surprisingly juicy for chicken. Overall, the food was decent for the price of 840 yen, but it might be a bit expensive for students. The taste was neither good nor bad. When I ate there, the rice was freshly cooked and tasted good.

Visited on February 20, 2016. Located in a complex residential area. If it weren't for my Foodlog, I would have never known about this cafeteria. It's right near the entrance of Sapporo Gakuin University. It feels like the university's cafeteria, with mostly students as customers. The menu is mainly fried food, with the most popular being the "zangi set meal." When I saw the zangi set meal being served to others, I thought to myself, "That doesn't look appetizing, more like an appetizer." The rice portion is also quite large, typical for a student-oriented eatery. The only downside is that the rice is too soft for my liking. In my opinion, the most important factor for a cafeteria is the rice quality. If the rice is good, then everything else tastes good too. Now, onto the pork ginger stir-fry set meal that I ordered. They use pork loin, which was a bit tough. The toughness of the meat and the softness of the rice didn't quite match. I wish they had pork belly ginger stir-fry instead.

Today, I went there by bike again. The wind was strong, so my eyes were watery from laughing. When I was a student, I couldn't go there often because I was usually broke, but there was a place I used to go to for its generous portions, so I decided to revisit. I arrived at 12:18 PM and there were no other customers. The place was run by a lady boss and two part-time housewives. The place used to be run by a middle-aged man about 50 years old, but after 30 years, things have changed a lot. The interior had been renovated, and the counter was in a different position. When I mentioned that the place seemed different, the lady boss asked when was the last time I visited. I said 30 years ago, and she replied, "Oh, it must look very different then." It was a mix of nostalgia and a bit of disappointment. I ordered the zangi set meal, which used to be my favorite. The zangi pieces were the size of a child's fist, and there were 5 of them. I used to be able to eat them all easily in my younger days, but this time, I barely finished them, sweating all the way. The set meal used to cost 480 yen, but now it's 810 yen. The zangi was cooked well, and the taste remained nostalgic. It brought back memories of the silly things I did with my friends and the apologies I had to make. It was a trip down memory lane of my youth.

"In June 2014, I remembered this place with my usual friend during a meal together and we both got excited to go out. On a later night in the week, we arrived at the restaurant to find it bustling with nearby students enjoying their dinner. The TV was showing the struggling performance of the baseball team, so I decided to try something different from the previous visit where I had the Zangi set meal, and ordered the "Katsu Don" with a slight feeling of unease, opting for the large size (780 yen). My friend ordered the C set meal with Katsu and Zangi. The sound of frying from the kitchen stopped after a while, and our dishes arrived. Oh no! My uneasy feeling was right as the Katsu Don was served in a huge bowl with a mountain of rice and Katsu, too heavy to hold with one hand for a woman. I realized that the hefty man I saw earlier was eating the "Katsu Don Special" (1000 yen) and I was impressed. I took a bite of the Katsu Don and found that the soy sauce was flavorful. The Katsu was thin with a relatively light batter, topped with a large amount of onions and an egg, and served over a large amount of rice. The rice, though not top-notch, tasted delicious, probably due to its freshness. The portion was more than I expected, and I ended up using the cucumber pickles to finish the rice as the Katsu alone wouldn't be enough. My friend, who had become a light eater recently, left some rice and Zangi, so I shamelessly asked for more of his food. The fried chicken was indeed delicious. I like this restaurant, so I will come back next time to try the ginger pork dish. Thank you for the meal. In December 2012, I was drawn to this restaurant by its name and photo in search results in the area. There is a university right in front, so I felt a bit uneasy. The parking lot in front of the restaurant can accommodate a few cars. The interior of the restaurant is like a cafeteria, with no chairs at the counter, but table seating and a charming raised area. The background music on TV was discussing the origin of Zangi. I decided on the "Zangi set meal with vegetables (5 pieces, 850 yen)" from the menu, while my friend chose the "A set meal (750 yen)". The restaurant offers a variety of Katsu Don options, ranging from small to special, making it difficult to decide between the ginger pork and Katsu Don for the next visit. After some sizzling sounds from the kitchen, our dishes arrived. Oh, it was huge! It was about the size of a woman's fist. I took a bite and found that the fried chicken was like a well-fried fritter, soft on the outside, crispy, and with a thick batter, marinated in soy sauce. It was delicious, and even my friend enjoyed the extra fried chicken I got from him. He also liked his chicken tenderloin cutlet. I had enough Zangi to last me a year. Thank you for the meal."

The restaurant I originally planned to visit in Omasa was a soba shop or a shop known for its mega-sized portions. However, I ended up visiting a different place that caught my attention in the search results - Manpuku Shokudo in Omasa. The location is about a 10-minute walk from Omasa Station, approximately 700 meters into a residential area off Route 12. It's conveniently close to Sapporo Gakuin University, with the university's logo visible from the restaurant entrance. The interior has a typical diner vibe, with a few customers, mostly students, and two female staff members. The menu offers dishes like Tamagodon for 430 yen, Oyakodon for 580 yen, and a unique "Katsudon" called "Katsudon" ranging from 580 to 920 yen. I ordered the Torikatsu Teishoku (5 pieces) for 650 yen. The food took about 15 minutes to be served, and the portion was quite large, with the rice overflowing from the bowl. The Torikatsu was sizable and made with chicken breast, not too dry, and easy to eat. The Zangi (deep-fried chicken) was also large and flavorful. Overall, it was a satisfying meal, and I would consider returning to try other menu items like the Katsudon or Ginger Pork Teishoku.

There are 2-person tables and 6-person tables, as well as 2 private dining areas, all completely non-smoking. Parking is available in front of the restaurant, with space for 2-3 cars. This place is located right in front of Sapporo Gakuin University. They offer generous portions at affordable prices. The exterior and interior have a nostalgic Showa era vibe, giving it a classic diner feel. The staff are friendly and chatty, adding to the charm of the place. When you order the Zangi set meal, it takes a while for it to be served. The Zangi pieces are like fritters, and while some reviews may exaggerate their size as "fist-sized", they are more like half a fist for an adult woman. Each piece is about 100 grams, and you get 5 pieces. The rice is served in a deep bowl, with about 1 cup of rice. In total, it's about 800 grams of food. If you have a big appetite, you can finish it easily, but oily foods can make you feel too full even if you have room in your stomach. The pickled radish served at the end was surprisingly delicious. Eating until you're almost sick of it, all for just 750 yen, makes it a great value for money. I would like to try their two-layered Katsudon next time.

I visited this restaurant in Ebetsu Bunkyodai with a friend who is an alumni of the university in the area. The place is located just off the main road of Sapporo Gakuin University, with a small parking space for about 3 cars. The road is narrow, so be careful of students and pedestrians. According to my friend, the specialty here is the "Zangi set meal." He mentioned a time when he was tricked into eating 5 servings of the Zangi set meal by a senior without knowing how huge the portions were. On the day of my visit, there were two ladies running the restaurant. The menu included a Pork Cutlet Bowl for 650 yen, which was a generous portion of rice topped with a thick pork cutlet. They also had the Zangi set meal with vegetables for 650 yen, which consisted of three large Zangi pieces served on a bed of cabbage. The taste was surprisingly mild, so my friend ended up passing one piece to me. I opted for the Pork Cutlet set meal for 650 yen, which came with a thick 200g pork cutlet on a bed of cabbage. It was a challenge to finish, but the satisfaction of eating a hearty meal was worth it. The restaurant tends to be crowded with students during lunchtime. It's great to see such establishments thriving. Overall, I would rate "Manpuku Shokudo" with four stars. I hope they continue to serve the students in the area well. Thank you for the meal.

Evening use. Wet towel: not available Napkin or tissue: Tissue Atmosphere: Student cafeteria Cleanliness: Average Food eaten: Ginger pork set meal Price: 580 yen Card payment: Not accepted Parking: About 4 cars Located near a university, this place offers generous portions at a reasonable price. The food is also delicious! It has a calming atmosphere. I haven't been there during lunchtime, but I wonder if it gets crowded with students. I would like to visit again when I'm in the area.

I used to frequent this place a lot when I was a student! The zangi set meal here still appears in my dreams!! I always struggled with deciding whether to go for the set with 3 large pieces of chicken karaage or the one with 5 pieces, along with vegetables. If I didn't go for the 3-piece set, I'd end up regretting it due to the huge portion size. But I always ended up choosing the 5-piece set anyway (laughs). I remember my boyfriend at the time forcing himself to eat all 5 pieces and then throwing up in the snow! It's a funny memory now! I'd love to go back and eat there again. The katsudon was also incredibly delicious and had a huge portion size.