When the restaurant first opened, I had heard good things about their lunch, but I wanted to enjoy it in the evening... After several attempts, I finally visited. - Maruefu draft beer for 650 yen, served in a slender tumbler with legs. A bit pricey. - Appetizer: a Chinese-style salad with bamboo shoots, menma, and cucumbers. - Yagen cartilage fried chicken for 750 yen, with a crispy coating that was delicious. - Koshino Ume Sato junmai daiginjo for 750 yen, a sake I had enjoyed at a stubborn shop owner's place in the Sapporo Clock Tower building basement. - Uguisunari pickles and cream cheese for 800 yen, a combination I tried after seeing it on a TV show and got hooked on. There are various types of sake to enjoy, and the regular customers at the counter were nice people. I would like to get to know them better if my home was closer. If you think you might be one of them, please message me.

A cross between a traditional Japanese restaurant and an izakaya!? It felt like a small dishes restaurant, with a counter lined with various whiskies and shochu. When I visited for lunch and saw the drinks on display, I was convinced that this was a place to drink, so I made a reservation and visited with 4 classmates for a night out. The appetizer, "tukicon tarako," was a delightful dish that tickled the drinker's palate. The starter included smoked pickled daikon with cream cheese, homemade cured mackerel, and a refreshing udon and vegetable salad. The udon had a smooth and chewy texture, perfect for a carb boost. The mixed tempura platter included shrimp, chicken, mushrooms, okra, and shiso leaves, all with a crispy and well-seasoned batter that paired perfectly with the delicious tempura dipping sauce. The pork shoulder steak was tender and flavorful. We switched from warm sake to highballs. The cold tempura udon with a dashi broth infused with bonito was a refreshing end to the meal. We couldn't resist ordering more tempura: shrimp, chicken, smelt fish, and eggplant. We kept drinking until the end, thoroughly enjoying every dish. It was a satisfying meal. Thank you for the feast. With our spirits high, the four of us headed to a second bar.

Atagoyama Zoo Street, the street here has various animal drawings on the signs. I heard that a new shop opened here last autumn, so I finally went there this year. This place is... Google-sensei guided me to a place that turned out to be an oil soba restaurant... Menya Kanaya Toyooka store (Asahikawa City, Toyooka 8-5-6-4). I thought I had come here last year, but it was actually the year before. However, this shop opened in October last year, so I must have visited a different shop a year later. Hmm... was oil soba not popular in Asahikawa? The lunch menu category is an izakaya. So, it's a Japanese food and sake restaurant for lunch. Yes, I remember now, it's a shop opened by a former hotel employee. The lunch menu is all over 1000 yen. Well, that's understandable. The menu includes udon, set meals, and rice bowls. There are also tempura and shishamo. As I had read in advance, I knew that... it was written in small letters. Udon dishes come with a small bowl of rice for free. It was written in very small letters. I wasn't asked by the staff either. I missed this due to my presbyopia. But since I had researched in advance, I was able to ask for it. Limited-time Curry Udon 1100 yen Nabe-yaki Udon 1300 yen Both are limited items. I'm curious about the Curry Udon... I'd like to try it. When the tempura udon (warm) 1100 yen was brought, the landlady said, "If you run out of rice, please let us know..." or something like that... I got one free bowl of rice, so it's quite nice. The tempura udon came in separate dishes. It's really nice. If you dip it in the soup, the tempura won't get soggy. It's like the tempura version of ten-zaru... The condiments were a little messed up, with seaweed, green onions, and ginger in separate dishes. Normally, you would drink the soup first before adding them, but for some reason, I added them first. I hurriedly drank the soup from the other side. The soup had a strong seafood dashi flavor with a slightly bitter taste of fish and a hint of acidity. It seems like the landlady, who comes from a Japanese food background, made a solid soup. It doesn't seem to have used any scientific methods. The tempura tempura was quite a generous portion. It takes a little time to fry it after ordering. I was actually torn between ordering tempura rice bowl, but since I got extra rice, I chose udon. It was the right decision. Tempura udon, so you dip it in the soup and eat it... but it was a waste, so... I asked for salt. It was black salt. Himalayan rock salt maybe... It had a slight sweetness and a strong salty taste, a delicious salt. I dipped the tempura in it and ate it. The udon noodles were like flat udon, with a firm texture and chewiness. The portion was quite large, and it was filling. By the way, my mouth got burned by the heat... The tempura, which was neatly arranged on a cutting board, collapsed when I lifted the shrimp. All six types of tempura were shrimp, salmon, eggplant, green pepper, and eringi. And... there was another item... shirako tempura. People who love shirako tempura would be ecstatic!! Shirako was included!! I'm not a big fan of it, so I ate it while thinking if I could change it with something else... like salmon maybe... But since the ingredients are fixed, I guess I couldn't change it. While eating, I couldn't help but eat the shirako... it was shirako after all... The tempura rice bowl I made by putting salmon and green pepper on the extra rice I received was delicious. I sprinkled salt on it... it was delicious in two ways. I wonder if they would have given me tempura sauce or tempura dipping sauce if I had asked for it... haha. But this was also good, in a way, it was like having two meals in one.

Finally made my first visit. Amazing!! Not udon, but incredibly delicious "kishimen", with a "seriously" flavorful bonito broth that rivals top Nagoya restaurants. The tempura is also outstanding, with perfectly crispy batter, tender inside, and the dipping sauce is unbelievably delicious. It took 3-4 minutes to prepare after ordering, but the wait was worth it for the incredibly delicious dipping sauce. Definitely want to come back with drinking buddies. Thank you for the meal.

This is my second visit to this restaurant. Following the tempura udon I had last time, this time I ordered the large shrimp tempura rice bowl for ¥1450. The freshly fried plump shrimp was so big and filling. The tempura crumbs and seaweed on the rice paired perfectly with the sauce.

This izakaya opened on October 1st along the Atago Zoo Street in Toyohoka, Asahikawa City. While many izakayas offer lunch service, this place stood out with its high-quality lunch menu. I arrived right at opening time and found one customer already there, with more coming in afterwards. The menu isn't extensive, but their tempura and udon seem to be popular. I ordered the "Large Shrimp Tempura Udon" (1,450 yen) served hot. You can also have it cold. During lunchtime, they offer free small rice, which I also ordered. The chef carefully fried the tempura and boiled the udon, and it was ready in about 15 minutes. The tempura and udon were served separately, not on top of each other. The tempura included 2 large shrimp, mushrooms, eggplant, and 2 shishito peppers, all fried to a crispy perfection. The tempura was of a quality that surpassed typical izakaya standards and was on par with a specialized tempura restaurant. I was very satisfied with the large shrimp. The udon noodles were made by Sudo Seimen and were like thick, smooth noodles similar to kishimen. They had a good texture and were delicious to eat. The broth was elegant and flavorful. I also had a coffee for 200 yen after the meal. It was a very fulfilling lunch experience. I wonder what they serve for dinner? I would like to visit again for dinner service!

A former hotel employee opened a new restaurant. I visited after observing for a while since there is limited parking. The tempura looks delicious, and I'm excited to try the udon noodles too. The menu shows confidence in both tempura and udon. I'm curious about the "Daily Fish Set Meal" (limited to 5 servings per day). The udon noodles are made with Sudo's fresh noodles, which are smooth and chewy with a slight wave-like texture. The broth is elegant, and the yuzu pepper adds a nice touch. The fish set meal features grilled salmon belly, and the aroma is delightful. The limited menu makes me wish they had a half-size set, but overall, it's a promising restaurant. The tempura udon comes with a separate bowl of tempura, and you can enjoy a mini tempura bowl with free small rice. Delicious!

Today, I went to a certain temple in Asahikawa after it opened. Unfortunately, the daily limit of 5 fish set meals was already sold out! What a shame! The tempura included large shrimp, seasonal vegetables, and delicious rice. It was amazing! The udon had a delicate broth, and I look forward to trying it again in the future! I will definitely be back!

Tempura shrimp and udon noodles in a large portion for ¥1450.