January 2022. First visit of the year. I started off at the ramen shop "Kyoya" known for its adventurous ramen dishes. They told me that a collaboration ramen with the bistro "Hako" in Hanazono will be available at 7:30 pm, so I decided to grab a bite somewhere before that and ended up at "Sumi Grill" in Brick Yokocho for the first time. The owner seemed like a quiet old man, and I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward when he looked at me (lol). For drinks, I went with a rock glass of sweet potato shochu (Kuro Kiri) since it's a charcoal grill place, but with ice, it disappeared quicker than expected, and I ended up having four glasses (^^;) - Iburi Gakkochi Cheese (380 yen) - Pork skewer (200 yen) - Tsukune with cartilage (180 yen) - Shiso-wrapped pork (180 yen) - Chicken wings (380 yen) I ordered the Iburi Gakkochi Cheese as a pre-meal snack before it was grilled, and it went really well with the cream cheese inside. The pork skewer, shiso-wrapped pork, and chicken wings were seasoned with salt, while the tsukune with cartilage was ordered with sauce. The salt they use here is not too sharp but has a rounded flavor, which I found a bit less salty than I prefer. When I asked the owner, he mentioned that it was intentional, perhaps to bring out the flavors of the ingredients. I personally felt like a bit more salt would be nice. However, the chicken wings were perfectly seasoned, reaching a godly level of saltiness. Maybe this salt goes better with chicken than pork...? The tsukune with cartilage had a firm texture, almost like eating a sausage. Overall, the chicken wings stood out as the best dish this time. If I have the chance to visit again, I'll definitely go for the pork spare ribs and chicken wings that were sold out this time.

A small alley with about 1.5 tatami-sized shops gathered together. Reminded me of similar places in Obihiro and Hakodate. There are various types of restaurants like Genghis Khan, Italian, and home-style cooking. I wandered into a charcoal-grilled shop. Ordered a highball and my favorite yagen and thick fried skewers. The counter in a U-shape can seat about 7 people tightly packed. In the center, they grill skewers, creating a tantalizing aroma. The ginger-wrapped pork was delicious. They wrap finely chopped ginger in pork and grill it. Every bite releases a burst of ginger fragrance, so tasty. The narrow space makes conversations lively. I like these kinds of alleys.

Visited again after a year? The impact was strong, so I came to eat meat with the master. The spare ribs were huge, really huge. Make sure to ask, "Do you have extra large?" It's not just big, it's so tender and juicy. Try it and your concept of spare ribs will change. Order the bone-in kalbi spare ribs too, the sauce will make you crave rice balls. Pay attention to the dandy master's skillful handling too! This shop is relatively new in the food stall village and easy to enter. The extra large spare ribs on the menu caught my eye. If this was in Sapporo, it would easily cost over 1000 yen, but here it's reasonable. We ordered the bone-in kalbi and after a short wait, flames were rising from the grill. The spare ribs were beautifully grilled with the fat sizzling. The meat that came out was impressive, overflowing from the plate, juicy and oozing with meat juice. When I took a big bite, the sweet fat was irresistible. I could easily finish two of these. After the master skillfully carved the meat, he casually asked, "How was our meat?" while smoking a cigarette, which left an impression. I must come back here again, I thoroughly enjoyed devouring every part of the meat.

On the first day of our trip to Hokkaido, my wife and I had dinner at this restaurant. We saw on Tabelog that they recommended the spare ribs and bone-in kalbi skewers, so when I asked the master for "spare ribs and kalbi skewers," he said with a laugh, "Exactly like on Tabelog," and started grilling the spare ribs. We looked through the menu and ordered a variety of dishes, all of which were delicious and freshly grilled. We sat at the counter with the master, who was a familiar face, and a couple from Osaka, and had a fun and delicious time. I think this place is perfect for both food and drinks.