Tomiz, a food specialty store with stores nationwide, offers a variety of seasonings and unique canned goods that are exciting to browse. After browsing, I couldn't resist trying a few items for my evening drink. I purchased the following items: - Grilled mackerel in garlic sauce (from Takagi Shoten in Ibaraki Prefecture) for 303 yen - Sardine curry (from Shinda Canning in Chiba Prefecture) for 322 yen I lightly heated the garlic sauce in the can for the mackerel dish, made the oil smooth, and sprinkled some basil for flavor. I paired it with my favorite Chateraise white wine. The mackerel dish was mild and easy to eat, with a hint of soy sauce that added a touch of Japanese flavor. It was delicious and definitely something I want to keep on hand for a quick evening snack. I haven't tried the sardine curry yet, but I'm looking forward to enjoying it as well. It might be fun to pair it with baguette or a fresh vegetable salad.

I visited Niwaka Totsuya in Ebetsu in February 2022. They have a wide variety of organic products, and I purchased a few items that caught my eye. I bought a set for Samgyetang, which is easy to make as long as you have chicken meat. It is an additive-free dish that only requires rice, jujube, chestnuts, pine nuts, and salt. I made it using chicken thighs instead of bone-in chicken, and although the additive-free aspect was appealing, it was a bit bland until I added some chemical seasoning to enhance the flavor. The Jakko oil pickles were also additive-free and tasted delicious when mixed with pasta. I enjoyed the lentils with olive oil as a perfect accompaniment for my evening drink.

I saw a post by Mairevi and have been curious for a while, so I finally visited the place. Inside the shop, there were many items that seemed perfect for sake snacks or snacks, all lined up in a not-so-large space. After much deliberation, I bought two items. I haven't tried the mackerel can yet, so I will update later. The other item was the Lamudora from Kagoshima's Umetsuki-do. It is smaller than regular dorayaki and priced in the 300 yen range, so I hesitated a bit, but after trying it, I was convinced. When you open the package, you can smell the rum. The dough is fluffy, and when you bite into it, there are rum raisins inside, which match well with the sweetness of the bean paste. It was very delicious. There are still many things I want to buy, so I plan to visit again soon. Thank you for the meal.

On a certain weekday, I remembered a place I hadn't visited before and wandered into a store in Tsutaya Books in Ebetsu City that relatively recently opened, selling food and miscellaneous goods. The store is located where there used to be an Italian restaurant, and further back there is a different restaurant, with many items lined up that could enrich one's diet. On this day, I looked at the menu and was drawn to many tempting products, but the prices were on the expensive side, making it a bit of a dilemma. After consulting with the price tags, I picked out a few items that caught my eye. "Saba Karame Mentai (497 yen + tax)" - I, a fan of rice accompaniments, chose this one and was surprised by how spicy it was after taking a bite! However, the fish was not fishy at all and easy to eat, with a mild saltiness, but the portion was small, so you have to be careful not to eat it all at once. "Maze x Kake Nodoguro (432 yen + tax)" - also part of the rice accompaniment series, it can be sprinkled or mixed, so I bought it. After taking a bite, I completely forgot that this was nodoguro and thought, "Is this hijiki furikake...?" The benefits of nodoguro were a bit hard to discern, but it had a moderate amount of salty seafood flavor, allowing you to eat a lot of rice with a small amount. "Potato Chips Nori Shio (410 yen + tax)" - it came in a semi-transparent bag and looked interesting, so I bought it. The size of each chip was normal, with a bit of thickness, and when I bit into it, it was firm, with a surprisingly intense potato flavor. Overall, each item was good, but it might not be something I would go back to often. Thank you for the meal.