On the second day of the "Golden Week" when my wife and children are not around, I went shopping at Mitsui Outlet Park (MOP). I drove from Asahikawa and it took me over 3 hours to get there. Despite the long drive, I wanted to spend the money on shopping or eating rather than on highway tolls. So, I visited "Chasomoritasonen Sapporo Kitahiroshima Store" located in the Maple Mall inside Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima. I initially planned to have lunch in Ebetsu or Kitahiroshima city, but after having a filling breakfast, I decided to go for something lighter. I saw this restaurant and thought they might offer smaller portions. I ordered the "Chasoba set (mini bowl of kamaage shirasu)" which I had to wait for about 20 minutes. The Chasoba was not very flavorful, the tea taste overpowered the buckwheat aroma. I had to add a lot of dipping sauce to make it tastier. On the other hand, the mini bowl of kamaage shirasu was delicious. The shirasu itself was good, but I thought it would be even better with more perilla flavor. Overall, this place seems more suitable for tea-based desserts rather than meals.

I came to Mitsui Outlet Park Kitahiroshima in November 2022 for shopping. Although I thought it would be comfortable on weekdays, I saw many foreign tourists. This time, I decided to have lunch at a place I have never visited before. The location is on the 2nd floor in Maple Mall. The store was empty and comfortable. I looked at the menu at the register and ordered the grilled salmon and salmon roe dashi rice bowl. I paid and received a buzzer. It's a completely self-service restaurant. The atmosphere inside the store is calm, and I was happy to see a hand washing sink. It took less than 10 minutes for the food to be served. The grilled salmon was thick and juicy, with the skin properly processed and grilled to perfection, making it deliciously fragrant. The dashi broth was also rich and flavorful. The roasted green tea was very fragrant and delicious.

MOP٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و I went shopping on a weekday and found some good deals as usual! I got some nice items this day too. While shopping, I realized it was close to lunchtime so I decided to try this restaurant nearby. I chose the "Choose your own tea soba set" and picked the tuna and avocado bowl for 1580 yen. It looked beautiful and elegant, but the portion was quite small. Even though I had exercised in the morning and shopped, it wasn't filling enough, haha. The price was also on the higher side, so my satisfaction level was a bit hmm... Maybe the desserts here are better? I had dessert at a different place, so I only had the meal here. Perhaps the desserts are really good here? Anyway, thanks for the meal!

When I went to Mitsui Outlet Sapporo Kitahiroshima, my favorite tea shop, Seisui Ichihoen, had closed down (it was originally supposed to be temporary). The next shop I visited was Kyoto Uji Chasomoritazon. The atmosphere and menu were almost the same, so it was reassuring. I had a hojicha parfait, and my wife had a hojicha tiramisu. The prices were a bit high considering the portion size, but it was delicious so we didn't mind. We will definitely come back. Thank you for the meal.

I was tired from walking (even though I didn't buy anything) and felt like eating something cold, so I came here. I got a shaved ice with a mix of matcha and hojicha, topped with soft serve ice cream. The soft serve was expensive, but delicious. You can also get white mochi with red bean paste and condensed milk on the side, which is nice because the white mochi goes better with the soft serve ice cream than the shaved ice. Lastly, the hojicha and matcha mixed together to create a color that was impossible to capture in a photo.

This is MOP Maple. The interior is mostly the same as before, it used to be a tea shop with a similar vibe. The name of the restaurant and the menu have changed. You can choose between tea soba and set meals, and there is an option for a bowl with avocado and tuna. When your order is ready, a bell will ring and you can go pick it up. The portion size is a bit small. The rice was around 100g. It was tasty, but the soba was a bit too soft. The pickles were delicious. The broth was more like tea than soba broth, so I added it to the soba sauce and it tasted much better. The soba could use some improvement. The best part of this place is definitely the desserts. Thank you for the meal.

The shop was spacious, which may be why there was only one other couple besides us. It was nice to take a short break during shopping. We had a matcha parfait and matcha ice cream. The matcha parfait was very sweet, and we couldn't finish the bottom part.

Mitsui Outlet Chaso Shimizu Ichihoen has closed, and it is unclear whether it will be renovated or replaced with a new store. Instead, a new cafe called "The Essence of Tea" supervised by Japan's top tea master, Morita Haruhide, has opened. The cafe specializes in high-quality matcha and hojicha sweets and authentic Japanese cuisine. The menu includes items like Salmon Avocado Donburi, Matcha Tiramisu, and Hojicha Choco Latte. The atmosphere remains sophisticated and the food is delicious. Overall, a highly recommended dining experience.

Matcha warabi mochi and vanilla ice cream drink set (with genmaicha)

I used it for lunch. It's a shop that specializes in matcha. It was very relaxing because it was a weekday. I had cold soba and tuna avocado bowl. I also ordered a hojicha set. It was delicious, but it was a little lacking! lol

The matcha flavor was strong and delicious. Thank you for the meal.