いづ麦酒
This is my first review of the year. I met up with my husband at Sapporo Station, took the Seikantetsu Line together, got off at Takuhoku Station, and planned to go to my favorite yakiniku restaurant, but it was full! So we changed plans and went to a yakiniku restaurant near Takuhoku Station. We had tried to go there once before for my husband's birthday but couldn't get in, so this time I called ahead to make a reservation and confirmed that there were seats available at the counter.
The parking lot was spacious, but the restaurant itself was small. It's better to make a phone reservation to ensure you get a seat. They offer all-you-can-eat and a la carte options, and we chose the a la carte option. The price for beer including tax was 3,600 yen. There was no option for a course without alcohol, but the drink prices were reasonable so we went with a la carte.
We started with beer and ginger ale, and they served three kinds of namul as a complimentary side dish. We used a coupon for a free serving of salted hormone. We ordered sagari for two, seseri for two, hatsu for one, spicy miso hormone for one, and stone-grilled cheese bibimbap. We also ordered yukhoejang soup, level 1 spiciness, and a mini cold noodle with thick noodles.
The food was overall on the sweeter side, with plenty of green onions and a sweet taste. I love hatsu, so I was happy to see it on the menu. The salted hormone had a strong garlic flavor and was salty, while the spicy miso hormone was sweet. The restaurant seems to specialize in hormone dishes, and the fatty texture was to my husband's liking. The yukhoejang soup was level 1 spiciness, and even though I like spicy food, my husband, who can't handle spicy food, was sweating profusely. I tried it and thought that if this was level 1, level 5 would be really spicy! I would like to try level 5 next time.
The stone-grilled cheese bibimbap was delicious, according to my husband. The only dish that the cook didn't have to prepare was the cold noodles, which were just average. The male staff members were more attentive and friendly than the female staff. The manager and staff could be heard chatting loudly.
I could only drink two beers, so it was a good decision not to go for the all-you-can-eat option. My husband wanted to have soft-serve ice cream, but we had to skip it due to our train schedule. The total bill was 6,050 yen. Today, I treated my husband to a little celebration, but honestly, when you go to a yakiniku restaurant, the cook doesn't have time to drink or eat, so I wish my husband had treated me instead. Thank you for the meal.