In June 2020, I visited a well-known fast food chain called "Hotto Motto" in Chitose City. This particular store is located in a somewhat offbeat area near the city center. It is situated on a road known as Shidan-dori, which leads from the city center to the Ground Self-Defense Force Chitose Higashi Barracks. While the northern side of the road is surrounded by residential areas, the southern side quickly transitions into mountainous forests, giving it a suburban feel. However, just a little further south from this road, it is designated as an urbanization control area. I ordered the "Cut Steak Don" for this visit, which is a dish consisting of rice topped with bite-sized pieces of grilled beef in a rectangular container. The dish is more reminiscent of a "yakiniku don" rather than a traditional steak, but the steak sauce added a nice touch and enhanced the overall flavor, allowing you to experience a hint of steak taste and the richness of the meat. While the portion of meat may not be substantial due to the price, they also offer a larger size option called the "Double Size" for those who desire more meat. Given the current situation, proper COVID-19 precautions are being taken, but it may be necessary to avoid peak hours to prevent overcrowding.

One day for lunch, I purchased a Beef and Pork Cutlet Bowl at "Hotto Motto Chitose Aoba Store" in Chitose City, Aoba 8-chome (390 yen including tax during the campaign). It came with shichimi pepper. It was a great deal with both beef and pork cutlet for 390 yen. It was my first time buying a bento at Hotto Motto Chitose Aoba Store. They are having a "Cutlet Bowl Fair" from October 1st to 14th, where you can get a Roast Cutlet Bowl and a Beef and Pork Cutlet Bowl for 390 yen including tax, or a Special Roast Cutlet Bowl for 490 yen including tax. The Beef and Pork Cutlet Bowl I had was tender and well-seasoned. It was delicious and affordable. If you're interested, it's available until the 14th! Thank you for the meal.

Today, I usually have dinner at home, but it got late. Normally, I would eat out somewhere, but since it's late, I don't really eat in Chitose. If it were Susukino, it would be different, but when it's late and places are still open, the options become limited. Luckily, there was a bento shop nearby, so I stopped by after work (the privilege of being an older person?). It wasn't crowded, and I got a set in about 10 minutes. It may be just a simple nori bento, but it's a proletarian (working-class) bento. Thankful, thankful.

"I visited the restaurant again on March 21, 2018, around 7 pm on a Wednesday. After finishing work and having some overtime, I didn't feel like cooking, so I activated my 'don't want to cook' mode and decided to go to 'Hotto Motto'! Do you remember when 'Hotto Motto' and 'Hoka Hoka Bento' split up? That was quite shocking, right? It's been about 15 years since then. 'Hotto Motto' is still very popular, even on weekdays I had to wait for about 20 minutes due to reservations and other customers. I ordered the 'Tokunori Taru Bento' for 430 yen. I didn't have the courage to order just the 'Nori Bento' for 330 yen as I didn't want to go over 500 yen. You understand, right? I quickly went home and had my meal. The 'Tokunori Taru Bento' is a familiar bento with various ingredients! It has rice topped with bonito flakes and seaweed, kinpira gobo, pickles, 1 piece of fried chicken, white fish fry, and menchi katsu. 'Hotto Motto's fried chicken tastes delicious with salt and pepper, right? The white fish fry comes with tartar sauce and soy sauce! Yes, soy sauce! The menchi katsu comes with its sauce. This is my usual way of eating it! Yes, the quality of convenience store bentos has improved, but they can't beat freshly made bentos like this, right? Ah, I wish it came with a 100 yen miso soup!!! ========="

This time for lunch in Chitose, I went to "Hotto Motto" (^^;; I wanted to eat beef, but then I remembered seeing a commercial for a slightly different tempura bowl. The commercial has the slogan "Tempura bowl, so that's how it is," and I wonder what kind of thinking led to this phrase (^^;; But personally, I thought of phrases like "Tempura bowl, so it turned out like that" or "Tempura bowl, did it go that way" (^^;; I prefer crispy tempura, so those are the kinds of slogans that come to mind for me (laughs). Well, it's not like I absolutely can't accept it. I think it's okay to have these kinds of tempura bowls (^^;; When I made my purchase, I specifically said "Ebitare Niten Don." The waitress, who never smiles, just said "Here," so I didn't suspect anything and waited. I immediately took it to the car and took a picture! "Huh? Only one shrimp?" "Wasn't it supposed to be three shrimp?" "Did they make a mistake?" "The receipt... Ah! It's a regular tare niten don!" "Gabi~n! (disappointed!)" I clearly said "Ebitare Niten Don"! They should really confirm orders, right? Anyway, let's eat! - Tempura shrimp, squid, imitation crab, lotus root, eggplant, green beans, maybe? - Sauce It's said to be simmered in a special soy sauce-based sauce, but... the flavor is bland and I don't really taste the umami (^^;; The tempura ingredients were all delicious on their own, so it's a bit disappointing (^^;;

I visited the restaurant on Tuesday around 6 pm on September 5, 2017. I usually pass by on my way home from work, so I was thinking about when to go in. I was getting tired of my own cooking and convenience store bento boxes. This bento shop is really convenient. The Nori Gyu (seaweed beef) bento costs 390 yen, which is amazing because I get change back from a 500 yen coin! It's much cheaper than cooking for myself. The beef is sweet and savory, topped with wasabi mayonnaise. Delicious food is made with fat and sugar, you know! Eating the rice with the flavorful side dishes is a guilty pleasure. I wish there was a Hotto Motto near my house.

I love the steak bento from Hotto Motto♪ It seems to disappear and then come back all the time. So, I thought it wasn't on the menu and was considering getting a nori bento instead, but when I walked in, guess what...＼(^o^)／ It's there! The steak bento! But the name is different (^^;; It's called "Obentoya-san's W Bifteki Juu." Bifteki is beef steak, right? But the sound of the word just screams "Showa era." I'm not sure if 890 yen is expensive or cheap, but as long as there's double the meat, it's good to eat (^^)v Bought it, took a picture in the car, and ate it right away(^∇^) So, let's eat! "This meat... is amazing~♪" "I love this cheap feeling~♪" "Not too thick, not too thin (laughs)" "Not too soft, not too tough" "The sauce is like magic that makes both the meat and rice taste better (laughs)" "The white rice... is so good, right?" "The absolute difference from convenience store bento is definitely the quality of the rice (white rice)" While thinking about that, I finished eating in no time (^^;;

On this day, I bought lunch at Hotto Motto. I had never been to the Hotto Motto in Chitose, so I stopped by on my way there. I was unsure how to park because there was a snow mountain in the parking lot, so I followed others and parked next to the store. However, it was a bit difficult to leave later because the customer behind me parked in a strange place. There was a new item on the menu, so I chose the "Tofu Gyudon" for myself, but my family requested the "Fish Bento," so I chose the Salmon Bento. After I paid and waited for a while, I heard a voice from the back saying, "That's not available." So, I had to choose something else. It took a while, and then I heard from the kitchen, "That's also not available." It was still morning, so I was surprised. If some items are sold out, they should be clearly marked or communicated properly. It felt like I was friends with the staff. The "Tofu Gyudon" for 500 yen had rice that was a bit soft for my liking. The sweet and salty sauce was a bit lacking. The tofu was delicious though. I took the photo after removing the pickled ginger (which was taken by my family).

I got takeout for dinner in March 2016. I tried Bento 5 (Fried Rice Plate) for 500 yen. Bento 5 is a menu with 20 different options that vary by store each day. On this day, it was the Fried Rice Plate. It didn't have anything I dislike, so I was happy with it. The set included fried rice cooked on high heat in an authentic Chinese wok, vegetable salad, fried white fish, and fried chicken. The salad was in a separate container, which was convenient for heating. It was a satisfying meal. I visited a Hotto Motto restaurant in Chitose in April 2014. There used to be more locations, but some have closed down. This was my first visit to this particular location, which seemed new or renovated. The double doors were a good hygienic feature. I had already checked the menu online, so I knew what I wanted to order. I love meat, so the Beef Steak Bowl and Special Steak Bowl caught my eye. The Yakiniku Combo Bowl with yakiniku, fried chicken, and croquettes was tempting as well. There was also a Bento with a variety of items for 540 yen, which was very satisfying. The manager, who I believe was serving, was very professional and likable. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

I tried the new bento box "Negi Shio Chicken Katsu Don" from "Hotto Motto" that was introduced in May. The bowl is filled with rice, topped with shredded cabbage and chopped seaweed, and bite-sized pieces of chicken katsu, drizzled with negi shio sauce. It's not the typical oyakodon style, but more like a salt-based sauce version of katsudon. The chicken katsu, neither fried nor roasted, has a nice texture with the salt sauce. For those who want more volume, there is an option to add extra katsu. The amount of green onions used is a bit lacking, as only thinly sliced green onions are sprinkled on top. It might have been better with white onions to enhance the negi shio flavor. I also ordered a side of "Green Salad" for 130 yen, which is simple yet a good additional dish. The "Negi Shio Chicken Katsu Don" is likely a limited-time menu, so those interested should try it soon!