On a certain weekday, I visited a shop inside Super Arcs at North 24th Street, West 5th Avenue, where they sell takoyaki and other items. The shop had a variety of items like takoyaki, crepes, taiyaki, shaved ice, etc. The shop owner, a hardworking lady, was doing her best to attract customers. I decided to try the takoyaki (540 yen) with sauce. The takoyaki was served hot and fresh after a short wait. The size was smaller than the ones from Gindaco, with a crispy outer layer and a gooey inside. The presence of pickled ginger, along with the sauce and mayonnaise, gave it a slightly salty taste. As someone who left Osaka 30 years ago, I found the takoyaki enjoyable, although those from Osaka might have different opinions. I hope the shop owner continues to work hard to attract customers. Thank you for the meal.

By the way, I bought a bacon, egg, and cheese taiyaki because I was curious about it since I find red bean paste or cream too sweet. This store also sells takoyaki, but they always seem to have pre-made ones. If the takoyaki is like supermarket deli food, then I'd rather choose the supermarket because it's cheaper. I thought I could still eat this taiyaki even if it's pre-made, but it turned out to be dry. I reheated it in the oven and ate it. Although it was half price at 160 yen, it might not be worth it at full price. This type of food tends to end up like this.

"There is also a sign for 'Hitokuchi Tea House,' but it's actually called 'Ebisu Dako.' The menu includes taiyaki, takoyaki, ramen, and soft drinks. You can order an iced coffee for 200 yen, but it's on sale for 100 yen plus tax. They ask if you will be dining in. This phrase seems to be a candidate for this year's buzzword award, haha. In the food court, the consumption tax is 10%. Disposable cups are not environmentally friendly, so I'll be honest about that. It's only a matter of 2 yen, but it's not a good feeling. Across from here, Hayakawa Coffee sells for 100 yen tax included... they should learn from them. The coffee is made using a DeLonghi automatic extraction machine for about 30 seconds. It's brewed into an ice-filled glass, so it's more satisfying than just pouring from a pack taken out of the fridge. The beans are nothing special, but the freshly ground aroma is decent. Let's relax in the food court and move on to the next stop... the fun weekend is just beginning. Thank you for the meal."

After eating soup curry for lunch, I stopped by a shop in the food court inside a shopping center for some shopping. I ended up buying one taiyaki with Hokkaido red bean paste for 162 yen. It was ready right away as they had some in stock. I sat down at a table in the food court and tried it. When I took it out of the bag, it seemed a bit small... When I split it in half, one side had thick skin. So, it felt like there wasn't much red bean paste inside... The taste was like a typical tea house flavor. It was decent, neither good nor bad, just a standard tasty red bean paste. The sweetness was just right. However, coming all the way to Sapporo and having a tea house-like taiyaki felt a bit underwhelming. Just my two cents as an outsider...

"It's a GHI CHI A CHI♪ that made me♪ crave takoyaki♪ Everyone loves takoyaki♪" Ebisu Daidokoro's regular takoyaki is 540 yen. The bonito flakes are dancing and swaying, as if they are performing a dance. As I ponder this, I take a bite of the first one. Despite the cool surface, the gooey filling inside catches me off guard, making me exclaim, "Ouch, it's hot♪" It's a challenge to eat it without burning my mouth. The octopus inside is cleverly prepared for easy consumption, but the chewy texture gives it a 3D appearance, though it feels like an illusion when eaten. The catchy nursery rhyme seems to play in the background, adding to the whimsical atmosphere. I gather my courage and eat the second one, still hot and steamy. After sharing with two friends, we manage to finish four takoyaki balls. My mouth tingles from the heat. Overall rating: 3.0 Taste: 3.0 Service: 3.2 Ambiance: 2.8 Value for money: 3.0 ☆☆☆ Stay tuned for the next episode ☆☆☆ I might come back for more someday.

I haven't had taiyaki in a while, so I decided to buy one with red bean paste and one with cream. When you order something like cake or soft serve, the price often goes over 300 or 400 yen, but taiyaki is usually around 100 yen, so it's a safe choice. The red bean paste isn't too sweet and tastes delicious. The cream isn't my favorite, but it's still tasty. I didn't realize this when I bought them, but writing this review made me notice something... Premium taiyaki with red bean paste costs 160 yen, and premium taiyaki with custard cream also costs 160 yen... What's with the "premium"? And 160 yen is quite expensive, isn't it? It used to be around 100 yen... Prices have gone up.

◆◆◆◆◆◆ 【Second Post】 ◆◆◆◆◆◆ 【March 2015】 For the second post, I will briefly summarize two months. In February 2015, I had the "Premium Kokura" taiyaki at the food court. In March 2015, I had the regular Kokura taiyaki. Since it was a takeout, I heated it up at home before eating. ■ Premium Kokura Taiyaki It is a thin taiyaki with a crispy skin. It has a little wing attached, similar to a winged taiyaki, but with fewer wings. The red bean paste filling is coarse and rich in flavor. Price: 162 yen (including 8% consumption tax) ■ Kokura Taiyaki This is a regular taiyaki with a normal thickness of skin that is chewy. It does not have wings, and the red bean paste filling is a mix of coarse and smooth textures, with a lighter taste compared to the Premium version. Price: 129 yen (including 8% consumption tax) The "Premium Kokura" taiyaki is thin with wings, while the "Kokura" taiyaki has a normal thickness skin without wings. Both have red bean paste filling, but the Premium version has a higher quality filling. The meaning of "Premium Kokura" became clear to me. It's a matter of personal preference, but I personally prefer the "Premium Kokura" version. ◆◆◆◆◆◆ 【First Post】 ◆◆◆◆◆◆ I tried the seasonal "Takora" at Ebisu Dako, a takoyaki and taiyaki shop!! [August 2013] Ebisu Dako is operated by Peter Pan Komoko Co., Ltd. In addition to "Ebisu Dako," they also operate Ichiguchi Chaya, Peter Pan, and Ramen Tei. They have over 40 affiliated stores in Hokkaido alone, each offering slightly different products under different names. Ebisu Dako sells takoyaki, taiyaki, and mitarashi dango. There was a summer limited edition item called "Takora." This was the first time I heard about it, so I decided to buy it. The store is located in Kita Ward, Sapporo, on the first floor of the Super Arcs Kita 24-jo store. Please check the exact location on Tabelog. ■ Takora Takoyaki fell in love with cola. (laughs) It is a collaborative product with Coca-Cola Company. The bottom contains a Coca-Cola large size, and the top has a plastic case with four takoyaki. The plastic case fits perfectly on top of the Coca-Cola paper cup, with a hole for the straw to go through the case. You can hold both the takoyaki and Coca-Cola in one hand and enjoy them. You can choose soy sauce or sauce for the takoyaki, and mayonnaise or spicy mayonnaise. You can also add bonito flakes and seaweed. The takoyaki contains quite a large piece of octopus. Price: 360 yen for the set of 4 takoyaki, equivalent to 240 yen individually. If bought separately, it would be 440 yen, so it's a saving of 80 yen. It's a unique and fun product. You can hold both in one hand and enjoy the hot takoyaki with the cold Coca-Cola. It's a refreshing treat for the summer. I look forward to trying the "mitarashi dango" they make at the store next time. Thank you for the delicious meal.

After finishing shopping and transferring the items from the basket to my eco bag, I spotted a new sign for a ramen shop. The sign featured a tower of vegetables, which caught my attention as I've been feeling a bit lacking in vegetables lately. The ramen was priced at around 500 yen, which seemed reasonable. I decided to order the ramen, and was asked about the flavor - miso, salt, or soy sauce. I chose salt as I associate ramen with saltiness. When the ramen arrived, it didn't quite resemble a tower, but it was filled with plenty of vegetables and I was very satisfied. The soup also had a strong flavor, thanks to some chemical magic. It's nice to have a quick and satisfying meal like this!

Takoyaki is sometimes available in supermarkets here, and it's even cheaper than at this store. ARCS, you should think about it. Some tenants might start leaving. I prefer freshly made takoyaki, so I made sure to order it without any pre-made ones. It took about 10 minutes, but it was worth the wait. I paid and enjoyed my takoyaki at the tables outside the store. The hot takoyaki was delicious, even though I risked burning my mouth. The inside was gooey, and the octopus was fairly big. I don't eat takoyaki often, but if I do, I prefer this kind of freshly made takoyaki over the ones that sit around and get hard. I'll definitely come back.

While visiting Arks for shopping, I came across Ebisu Dako selling limited edition cherry blossom red bean taiyaki. I found myself staring at it and before I knew it, I had purchased it. It was filled with cherry blossom red bean, not too sweet, and delicious. I hope they sell it year-round instead of just seasonally!