I made a reservation through Tabelog and headed out! I'm so glad I made a reservation because there are people waiting in line. Oh, I'm so hungry and can't wait. Can't waste time waiting. Thank goodness! Thanks to the hotel coupon, the all-you-can-drink is cheap and the sashimi platter is a free service! Lucky! This restaurant requires a seating fee and a cover charge, so endless edamame is not possible. Haha. The menu has changed a lot since I came last year. I was looking forward to having salted fish roe in Hokkaido, but it's gone! It's gone! It's not there! Oh no! Even the ramen salad I accidentally ordered is gone too! But this time they have "Gan Gan Yaki"! Oh, there's a lot of cheese dishes, so I ordered them! This restaurant never disappoints. They have an asparagus festival going on. Yay! I've had so many Hokkaido melon sours, I've lost count, and I'm eating and drinking like crazy. Another delicious meal tonight. The potatoes are sweet, as expected from Hokkaido! The staff are all so friendly and lovely.

When I get tired of looking for a restaurant, I often end up at a mountain monkey restaurant, haha! This time, I found a December-January weekday limited course on a flyer, and it was only 3280 yen! And, you can make a reservation for 2 people! So, I decided to go for it. So, we ordered the "Kyoto Kujo Negi Chicken Sukiyaki Course" for 2 or more people, and it included: - Appetizer: Spinach with sesame dressing - Caesar salad with extra vegetables (tastes like plum or shiso) - Sashimi: Octopus, shrimp, tuna, salmon - Fried food: Potatoes and Zangi (chicken) for each person - Nabe (hot pot) finale: Udon or rice - Salmon Chan Chan Yaki (miso-flavored) - Vanilla ice cream - Sukiyaki (upgraded to special beef sukiyaki) I also ordered Tachi (cod milt) tempura as an additional dish. Tachi is creamy and delicious, and I always end up ordering it during this season. It's a Hokkaido specialty that I've grown to love even more than regular cod milt. The course included free-flowing drinks, which was great for someone like me who enjoys trying different types of drinks. I recommend ending the meal with udon instead of rice because the sweet and rich sukiyaki sauce didn't quite match with rice. Hopefully, they will have another great course after January!

Thanks to the coronavirus, I went to the half-price sale on Monday. As soon as I entered, I ordered a beer, of course it was Ebisu. Then I ordered everything recommended on the leaflet. I don't remember well what came out, but I think there were a lot of sashimi dishes. Thanks to that, I switched to sake for my second drink. They didn't have many good sake options, so I went with a junmai sake. It doesn't compare to the sake I drink at home, but the beer was pretty good so I rated it positively. I ordered more afterwards, but the total amount was a little over 10,000 yen, which I enjoyed at half price. I would like to go again.

The restaurant is an izakaya where you can use the sashimi voucher from the hotel in front of Dormy Inn Otaru. I was charged for the "otoshi" edamame and other dishes that I didn't quite understand. Paying 438 yen for one edamame is expensive, but since the sashimi was free, I'll take it as a win! ❗

My rating may be generous for this type of restaurant, but considering it is an izakaya, I felt that the price was reasonable for the amount of food and drinks I received. It's clear that you need to make a reservation in advance. I had the duck hot pot banquet course and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only downside was that the beer served was Sapporo Black Label, I wish they had Premium Malt or Ebisu instead! Overall, considering the price, I felt a bit guilty at the time of payment. I only visit occasionally, but I believe the value for the money paid is very good. The staff's smiles were lovely and the atmosphere was very pleasant. Thank you very much.

I liked having a private room.

The beer is delicious!

We often use it for company drinking parties.

In front of Otaru Station, there is a shop called "Yama no Saru Otaru Ekimae Store"! Visited with colleagues for a company gathering! On this day, the temperature was quite high and it was a bit sweaty, but dozens of us gathered at Yama no Saru for a course menu. To our surprise, a hot pot was set up in the venue on this hot day... Caesar salad, sashimi platter, black zangi (deep-fried chicken), butterless potatoes, and a piping hot seafood hot pot were served. And for some reason, a Margherita pizza followed by a Japanese-style deep-fried tofu. The combination of Italian and Japanese dishes was a bit confusing, but overall, it was a delicious feast.

I visited the "Yama no Saru" restaurant in Otaru, not my usual local spot. There are two branches in the Obihiro area. I met up with friends here and decided on this place because the all-you-can-drink option is affordable and they have a wide variety of cocktails and sours. Without looking at the menu, I simply said what I wanted to eat and ended up with exactly that. It seems that ramen salad is a popular dish in Hokkaido but not so common outside the region. Everything we tried was delicious, so I recommend trying a bit of everything. As first-time visitors, we enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, even extending our time there. At one point, some edamame fell from the ceiling, causing us all to laugh. It was a fun and enjoyable experience, and I recommend visiting Yama no Saru in Otaru for its great value compared to other tourist spots in the area.

After checking into the hotel, we wanted to have another drink since it was still early. The hotel recommended a nearby place called "Yama no Saru," which mainly serves Hokkaido dishes. It was a Sunday night and most individual restaurants were closed, but "Yama no Saru" was bustling with locals and tourists. We were seated in a private room and enjoyed some Sapporo Classic beer, which always reminds me of Hokkaido. They served complimentary edamame, which was great with the beer. The drink menu was extensive, and we opted for the all-you-can-drink option, which was a good deal. We ordered the "Legendary Tamagoyaki," a specialty dish recommended by the staff. It was delicious, with a gooey texture, plenty of cheese, and sauce. We also tried the "Wakadori Zangi," crispy and well-seasoned chicken, and the "Hokke," a thick and flavorful fish. The "Asari no Smoke" was a light and tasty smoked clam dish. Overall, we had a great time dining in the private room.

The restaurant "Yama no Saru Otaru Ekimae" is a part of a chain of izakayas mainly located in Hokkaido. It is situated underground, down the stairs of a building in front of Otaru Station. The atmosphere is characterized by wood and black tones, with all seats being private rooms. I ordered the 120-minute all-you-can-drink plan for 1080 yen (last order 20 minutes before closing), which offers a wide variety of drinks. There is also a 1580 yen plan with even more options. While individual dishes may seem a bit pricey, opting for the all-you-can-drink plan eliminates any worries about drinks. I particularly enjoyed the Paul Star, a barrel-aged sparkling wine, and ended up ordering several glasses. The staff members were all very friendly and provided excellent service.

This time, I made a reservation for both the other person's birthday and Jr.'s birthday, and it was also the last Saturday of the month. The rooms are all private rooms with sunken kotatsu tables, but the air conditioning and brightness vary depending on the room, so be careful if you have small children. I explained the situation to the staff (maybe the manager?) and they allowed us to bring in some items as it was a birthday celebration. The atmosphere of the restaurant was lively, and the staff were polite. They had unique items like limited edition beef skewers, steak, and cocktails with chewy tapioca pearls. The taste was not outstanding, but it was better than what you would get at a major izakaya, as this restaurant focuses on local ingredients. There weren't many types of cigarette brands available, so smokers may want to bring their own. Personally, the other person's mother even treated us to "saltwater sea urchin," which was extremely delicious and completely different from the artificial tasting sea urchin on the mainland. It was a moment of envy for us, and we were grateful for the experience.

On a regular day, customers kept coming one after another. I ordered the all-you-can-drink premium option. First, the beer arrived followed by a plate of boiled edamame. Then we ordered octopus with wasabi, grilled whole squid, sashimi platter for three, mini roast beef bowl, yakisoba with thick sauce, and garlic sautéed new potatoes. The yakisoba felt lacking in ingredients, but the rest was typical of a casual izakaya. Looking at the bill now, there was a charge for seating fee and appetizer of edamame, which seemed unnecessary and overpriced for the small portion. It felt like they were double-charging. Due to these reasons, I have significantly lowered my rating compared to last time.