For lunch today, let's have a bento box. There are only two bento chain stores in the city. When it comes to bento shops in our town, it's either here or the Triton chain as the top two. There are also popular individually-owned shops. I usually order the "nori bento" at bento shops, but today I decided to try something different. I chose the "Chicken Tatsuta Bento" for 490 yen. The chicken is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It goes well with grated daikon and ponzu sauce. It's quite delicious! However, the amount of side dishes may be a bit lacking compared to the rice.

Recently, I tried mobile ordering at various chain restaurants. McDonald's, Sukiya, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Hotto Motto all offer mobile ordering options. McDonald's allows you to order on your phone before going to the store, so you don't have to wait in line. Sukiya also lets you pre-select your order and pay via QR code at the store. On the other hand, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Hotto Motto allow you to make reservations in advance for a specific time the next day. Hotto Motto even accepts credit card payments for online orders, which is not available in-store. I particularly enjoy Hotto Motto's meat and vegetable stir-fry, which has a delicious flavor with oyster sauce. It's convenient to order just the side dishes when you have rice at home. I was surprised to find out that Hotto Motto now accepts Quick Pay, JCB, and other electronic payment methods. It seems they are quietly expanding their payment options to include major electronic money services. I was happy to use Quick Pay for a drink I forgot to order.

I am aiming to conquer all the bento shops in Kitami, and today I completed it. There are no more left, so I brought up the idea of "conquering all the shops" just for show. The last bento shop on Yuhi Gaoka Street is called "Hotto Motto Yuhi Gaoka Store." It is very new and quite small. The girl who served me was very friendly, and I was indecisive while being stared at by her. I hesitated a lot. I regretted ordering the "Muroran Yakitori Bento" instead of the "Gapao Rice," but it cost 580 yen. When I got home, I reheated it. When I opened the lid, a ginger scent wafted out. It looked like just a pork bowl, but the ginger smell was from pickled ginger. The meat itself wasn't strongly flavored with ginger. It's made with pork belly, so it doesn't have a luxurious feel, but it's edible. I haven't tried Bibai Yakitori or Muroran Yakitori before. Well, it doesn't seem cheap. It's not bad, but it's not particularly delicious either. By the way, is the rice at Hotto Motto delicious? It's not bad, but it's not particularly tasty either.

◆February 2016◆ Yesterday, I had "Noributa" at a Hotto Motto in Abashiri, and another dish that caught my attention was the "Chinese-style rice with 10 ingredients in a thick sauce." Today, since I was in Kitami, I decided to buy it and bring it home. My personal rule for chain restaurant reviews is "only one review per city." I don't review all branches of a chain. There may be exceptions if there are significant menu or service differences. There are three branches in Kitami, but I chose the Yūhigaoka-dōri branch because it has a spacious parking lot and is easy to get in and out of. The other two branches are a bit difficult to enter. As for the interior and service, there is no noticeable difference from the other branches. I tried it at home right away. The rice and thick sauce are served separately. I'll heat them up and enjoy. The ingredients include cabbage, carrots, onions, wood ear mushrooms, shrimp, squid, snow peas, potatoes, pork... and one more ingredient? The vegetables are crunchy and delicious! When you pour the special sauce over the chicken broth-based thick sauce, the flavor intensifies. Maybe it's oyster sauce. Oh, it was delicious. If a bento shop serves this taste, specialty restaurants won't be able to rest easy.