The restaurant I was always interested in
It has been two years since I started traveling by car from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido to Iwamizawa. If I use JR, I take a train to Sapporo, change to Super Kamui and go to Iwamizawa. It takes about an hour and a half because this is a detour. Even at the same JR, it would be a little faster if I went from New Chitose Airport to Minami Chitose Station, transferred to the Sekisho Line, and then transferred to the Muroran Main Line at Oiwake Station. However, this train operates only about two times a day.
I drove a car and made four turns from the airport to reach Iwamizawa. This is because the roads in Hokkaido are straight. The distance is shorter than JR, so I can get to Iwamizawa in less than an hour. I often see SDF vehicles on this road. During the Kumamoto/Oita Earthquake, troops from Asahikawa and Engaru headed for Kyushu through this road from the Iwamizawa interchange on the expressway to New Chitose Airport.
There are two signs I was interested in along this way. One is the “Red bowl” in Naganuma Town, and the other is “Yuhigaoka Restaurant Zensho”, which is located immediately after entering Iwamizawa City. This area was originally Iwamisawa city, but originally it was Kurizasa town. After the great merger of Heisei, it became Kurisawa, Iwamizawa city.
The priority of the meals that I want to eat when I come to Hokkaido is as follows.
- Buckwheat (Soba)
- Raw seafood (Sashimi/Sushi)
- Ramen
Red bowl is Tendon. Zensho is a Western restaurant. Therefore, I hardly visited both places. Today I suddenly decided to try lunch. Today is Saturday, so the restaurant famous for “Red bowl” is closed. I decided to have lunch at this restaurant.
Yuhigaoka Restaurant Zensho
The restaurant is built on the hill. The view is very good. Inside the building is a stylish cafe with a magnificent view of Hokkaido and bossa nova flowing. The restaurant was full of seats at the local madam. There is no middle-aged man wearing a suit. There is about a couple of the same generation enjoying a lunch together.
The lunch menu is also substantial. I wasn’t sure which to eat, but I ordered the most popular original lunch, 990 yen. Drinks are included for lunch. I am happy that I can choose carbonated water. I think a restaurant that emits carbonated water is rare in Japan.
Original lunch, Beef Stew and Salad
First, the salad was served. It’s fashionable. I feel more and more out of place. Immediately, the main dish, soup and rice were served. It’s called a rice farm restaurant, so I can refill the rice for free. The dressing is lighter than it looks. The crunchy texture of vegetables is irresistible to me.
Beef stew has miso mixed with domiglas sauce. I can easily cut meat with chopsticks. The meat is stewed very well. I felt that the taste was not too dark and not too light, and was elegant. The various fried vegetables served as a side dish reminds me of soup curry culture. The pickled vegetables are neither too sweet nor too salty, and their saltiness is exquisite. Unintentionally I changed the rice. Personally, I like cooked rice a little more solidly, but I’m guessing that this is probably because the age of the customer base is older.
The menu makes me come here again
I thought. Isn’t this 990 yen cheap? At that time, regular female customers came into the restaurant. Is it a local madam? At the Kansai dialect, they asked the clerk in a loud voice.
“There was a special udon, right?”
I looked at the menu. It says, “Mother-made udon noodles.” A woman who seems to be a landlord answered.
“I’m sorry, it ended in early March. My mother was busy working in the fields…”
Madame continues to ask.
“Then soy milk udon?”
It may be “shredded udon soybean milk miso soup”. The landlady answers.
“It will end in two days.”
There are also many attractive dishes on the menu, such as pork cutlet and steak bowl. I also want to see the sunset from here. But I don’t want to visit here alone… Do I have to visit this restaurant at least three times in this situation?
I will still go to Iwamizawa many times. Each time I pass in front of this restaurant. I will look forward to the day when I will visit here again. I left here.
Yuhigaoka Restaurant Zensho
Kurisawa, Iwamizawa-city, Hokkaido
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1122374-d3868278-Reviews-Yuhigaoka_restaurant_Zensho-Iwamizawa_Hokkaido.html
I ate at more than 1,000 restaurants in 3 years!!
I am a Japanese middle-aged man living in Okinawa. I was an office worker until the corona shock. I went on a business trip all over Japan, and sometimes abroad. I visited more than a thousand restaurants in three years. (more info…)
