Zaby
In Tomakomai, I searched for a restaurant to have lunch at... Today, I tried to find a restaurant with fewer reviews, but it seems like all the restaurants in Tomakomai, such as "☆Nagareboshi," are thoroughly checked by local reviewers, making it hard to find a promising one. After much deliberation, I visited a place called "Oshokujidokoro Doko." The restaurant is quietly located in a residential area. I parked my car in front of the store, checked the lunch menu posted on the door (as there is no lunch menu inside), and entered. The counter has 10 seats and there are 3 four-seater tables. There was one customer already seated, and a motherly figure behind the counter asked, "What would you like? Did you see the menu outside?"... it was a good idea to check the menu beforehand. I ordered the "Grilled sardine" for 700 yen, which was served on a large tray after 6 minutes. It was more than I expected! The meal included "Grilled sardine, pickles, white rice, miso soup, shredded daikon salad, boiled egg, cherries, and simmered vegetables (daikon, carrots, burdock root, fish cake, butterbur, konjac, dried shiitake mushrooms)." The "Grilled sardine" was not exactly grilled, it seemed to be deep-fried and then simmered in broth, so maybe more like "deep-fried simmered?" It had a mild sweetness and the balance of flavors was quite enjoyable. The "pickles" were lightly pickled cucumbers and Chinese cabbage, with a refined taste. The "white rice" was probably made from Hokkaido rice, cooked firm, which I liked. The "miso soup" with tofu and seaweed had a delicate flavor with just the right amount of salt. The "shredded daikon salad, boiled egg, cherries" - the shredded daikon was dressed with mayo, and there were three cherries... a small touch that was nice. The "simmered vegetables" had a variety of ingredients (daikon, carrots, burdock root, fish cake, butterbur, konjac, dried shiitake mushrooms). With so many side dishes, it was hard to tell which was the main dish (laughs). There are plenty of overly sweet simmered dishes out there, but this one was not too sweet, with just the right amount of saltiness to go well with rice... a bit more umami would have made it perfect. I ordered a coffee for 100 yen after the meal, relaxed while watching TV, and returned to work at 1 PM. I was very satisfied with the well-balanced lunch menu. Thank you for the meal.