"Revisited in October 2021" One of the popular izakayas in Chitose. I had been invited by a former colleague to a drinking party before, but this time was my first visit alone. As I mentioned in my previous review, they have a strong commitment to the ingredients, and everything that comes out is delicious! The dishes are of a higher level for an izakaya. This time, I had three dishes excluding the appetizer. First, the "homemade cured mackerel sashimi" was almost raw, with a good amount of fat and one of the best cured mackerels I've had. The "octopus tempura" was quite large and satisfying. The "salted fish guts" was also unique, with a crunchy texture like fresh squid liver, despite being salted fish guts. For drinks, I started with the sake "Daisen" from Fukushima. It had a rich and solid taste. For the second drink, I had "Akatombo" shochu on the rocks, with an additional 100 yen charge for ice. The interesting part was the appetizer, where a pot was served for some reason... I wrote something meaningful in the review title, but what bothered me the most was the narrowness of the counter table where I was seated. There was no depth, making it difficult to place dishes. Especially with the pot for the appetizer taking up space with a solid fuel stove, it felt cramped and uncomfortable. Considering the level of the food, I would have been happier with a more relaxed and spacious setting. Another thing that caught my attention was the difference in attitude between the chef (owner?) and the waitstaff in handling customers. The chef was lively and somewhat assertive, while the waitstaff seemed more laid-back overall. It may be a good balance overall, and there was no sense of arrogance, but it was slightly off-putting. I look forward to trying more dishes on my next visit.==============================◇ 4,050 yen (Homemade Cured Mackerel Sashimi 850 yen / Octopus Tempura 600 yen / Salted Fish Guts 500 yen / Sake Daisen 650 yen / Akatombo on the Rocks 600+100 yen / Appetizer 750 yen)

The interior of the restaurant had a Japanese taste and was surprisingly spacious!! The dishes included a wide variety of seafood such as grilled fish and tempura. I was surprised that the appetizer was actually an individual hot pot. If you're looking to have a casual meal in Chitose, they also have a good selection of alcohol to go with it!

My elderly mother wanted to try eating Himemasu (Arctic Char) from Lake Shikotsu for the first time. After searching online, we found that the shops around Lake Shikotsu close in the evening, so we gave up. We then looked for a restaurant in Chitose where we could eat it. When we inquired, they mentioned that during a slightly earlier time, they catch Himemasu daily, but in late July, there are days when they don't have fresh stock. We took this as evidence that they only rely on fresh catch for the day, without freezing it, and made a reservation. The entrance had rows of rice wine bottles, which seemed classy. When we sat down, we were pleasantly surprised to see a ceramic plate for each table. The complimentary dish was a steamed ceramic plate with pork and vegetables. Himemasu was a bit pricey at 1800 yen per fish, but it was the star of the day. We ordered two grilled and two sashimi. It was a great choice! The Himemasu sashimi was fatty yet refreshing, with no strong taste, very elegant and delicious. The grilled Himemasu was also delicate and refined in taste, very delicious. What surprised us more was the high quality of the other dishes! The appetizer set for 1500 yen was exceptional, with unique dishes like Engawa with sea urchin, Daikon pickles stuffed with Masu fish, and crab shell with crab meat. The skewered Shiraoi beef for 450 yen had a firm texture and was meaty. The octopus tempura was rare and tender, the mackerel sushi melted in the mouth, and even the pickled ginger was delicious. The egg roll was pre-cut for each person, showing attention to detail. The dishes, the service, everything was fantastic, and there was nothing to dislike about this restaurant. It was the most impressive dining experience in years. I was moved to write this review. The fact that this level of quality was found in an izakaya was truly remarkable. I would love to visit again, even outside the Himemasu season. I was so impressed that I had to share this. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

I visited the restaurant on Saturday around 7:00 pm. I came here after another work drinking party! The people from this other job really love drinking, and they have been going out for drinks for 3 days in a row! It's more like they come for the drinks rather than work haha. The banquet course with all-you-can-drink was 3,500 yen, including 6 dishes. The course included sashimi, hot pot, sushi, grilled dishes, tempura, and dessert. The number of dishes was small but the portions were generous, and I was very satisfied with the course!!! The sashimi included a variety of 6 types of fish, with large shrimp that got me excited! There was a large fish tank in the restaurant, showing the freshness of the fish. The hot pot dish was steamed pork with ginger, with large slices of meat on top of vegetables, steamed to perfection and enjoyed with ponzu sauce. The sushi included tuna, sea bream, squid, and sweet shrimp, 4 pieces in total. The rice was well-seasoned and the fish was fresh and delicious! It's usually served at the end of the meal, but I appreciate it being served earlier as I can't eat much after filling up my stomach. The grilled dish was salt-grilled sweetfish, which is rarely seen on course menus in Hokkaido where I live. It's light and flavorful without being too fishy. The grilling was perfect, with a slight char on the outside and juicy inside. The tempura included 2 large deep-fried pregnant smelt, along with crispy fried green peppers, shiitake mushrooms, and more. By this time, my stomach was already full and I could only eat one smelt! The dessert was pineapple, which was a nice change from canned pineapples. Overall, it was a restaurant where you could be satisfied with the quantity and quality for the price! I personally would like to visit again and maybe try the banquet course next time. It was an unexpected find, located right in the middle of Shimizu-cho, and I highly recommend this restaurant!

Due to work reasons, I came to Chitose instead of Sapporo. I was supposed to return to Tokyo on Friday night, but I got caught up in a crowd of single people and couldn't get a seat. So, I ended up staying. Well, I'll just get a good night's sleep and head back tomorrow. After finishing work, I searched for a nice izakaya near the cheap hotel in Chitose. Both Tabelog and the hotel map didn't offer much help because there are not many restaurants around. Yesterday, I avoided sushi restaurants in town and enjoyed uni and ikura at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant called Toppy (which was a hit). I came back prepared for today. Now, at 6 o'clock, I returned to the hotel and explored the small town of Chitose. I had heard about a place called "Totoya" that serves seafood, so I headed in that direction. Before reaching there, I saw an elegant restaurant called "Kanoya" with a menu that caught my eye - "Grilled Oshorokoma with salt". Do you know what that is? This is what it looks like. Oshorokoma is a subspecies of the native Hokkaido fish called Iwana, known as Dolly Varden in English. There are not many restaurants that serve this grilled fish, so it's quite rare. I asked the owner, and he explained that they get the parent fish from Shari and breed them at a managed fishing ground, so they don't always have it. The taste of this wild river fish meat is packed tightly even though it's small. It's delicious! The strong salt seasoning is good, unlike grilled sea fish, grilled river fish like this benefits from a strong seasoning. The yellow belly and black face are also good! They usually release all the fish they catch, so this was a first for me! They also serve tempura of young Yamame, Yamame, Rainbow Trout, and Chip (Hime Masu), which they buy directly from fishermen in Horokanai. When they catch fish, they will fillet them for you, which is exciting for fishing enthusiasts (laughs). The Oshorokoma, from head to tail, all neatly arranged! This is at Hanoya Izakaya in Chitose, Hokkaido. If you're in the area, be sure to visit!