クラ僧
On a certain weekday, I took my junior colleague to a restaurant called Gyu-Kaku, where they were offering beer for only 100 yen per glass. I hadn't been there in over 10 years, so I was curious to see how it had changed. We arrived without a reservation around 6 pm on a Thursday and were told they were fully booked, but they could squeeze us in for just an hour. The restaurant was about 30% full, with many reservations for 7 pm. The beer on offer was Sapporo Super Dry, and the server was polite. Gyu-Kaku used to be known for family-friendly, affordable, and traditional meat dishes, but now they had some unique and higher quality meat options on the menu.
We decided to try a few dishes before heading to Susukino with my two junior colleagues:
- Duck Thick Cut Loin for 690 yen: Thick slices of duck meat served with truffle red wine sauce in a silver cup. The duck was tender, but lacked a distinct wild taste.
- King Harami for 790 yen: Thick slices of harami marinated in miso garlic, topped with white sesame. The marination was flavorful, and the meat was juicy and delicious.
- Shabu-Shabu Style Beef Tongue Roll with Aromatic Vegetables for 890 yen: Thinly sliced beef tongue rolled with cucumber, green onion, onion, and sesame in a soy-based sauce. The meat quality seemed a bit low for the price.
- Select 4 Types of Meat Platter for 1650 yen x 2: A platter of four types of beef, including classic black wagyu, premium kalbi, geta (balanced), and salted beef tongue. The meat was decent, but some cuts were too fatty.
- Spicy Seafood Salad for 790 yen: A salad with lettuce, wakame, tofu, dried baby sardines, scallops, and shrimp. The seafood portion was smaller than expected for the price.
- Assorted Namul (Korean seasoned vegetables) for 490 yen: A mix of fern, spinach, and bean sprouts. A must-have for a barbecue meal.
- Assorted Kimchi for 490 yen: White cabbage kimchi and long radish kimchi. Both were sweet and slightly sticky.
Overall, the meat quality at Gyu-Kaku was better than I remembered, but considering the prices in Sapporo, there are many other good barbecue restaurants to choose from. They have occasional half-price specials or events, so it might be worth a visit for those.