After work, I stopped by a restaurant in the KDDI Building in Otemachi for the first time in a while. It was a cold day, almost like the first snow in Tokyo, so I decided to warm up with some Hokkaido dishes. I ordered octagonal fried chicken (cooked well so you can eat the bones), dried flounder, and a ramen salad (thick chijire noodles, even though it was a half portion, it was quite filling). The standout dish was the squid marinated in salt, it was delicious and melted in your mouth. The food was great overall, but on the pricey side.

On this day, there were 7 of us visiting. [Food] - Appetizer - Edamame - Potato salad - Zangi (recommended!) - Genghis Khan - Half of grilled hokke fish - Assorted sashimi with 11 pieces (recommended!) - Assorted skewers with 5 pieces [Drinks] - Draft beer - 2-hour all-you-can-drink for ¥590 * Fair until 8/31 [Restaurant] - The restaurant has a large number of seats, making it easy to get reservations even on the day of. - There are a few counter seats, as well as many private and semi-private table seats. - Orders can be made through a touch panel from the second time onwards. Be careful as the panel becomes available after the first order. -------------------- * The information provided is based on the visit date and posting date, so please check the official website of the restaurant for the latest information.

There is a post office inside, so I often have lunch here when I have errands to run. It's a hidden gem since it's located underground. Today, I had the Hokkaido B-class gourmet "Spa Katsu" for 960 yen. It comes with pasta instead of rice. They also offer pork bowl, grilled Atka mackerel, seafood bowl, and fried chicken.

I used it for a customer's entertaining lunch. We had 5 people, but it was nice that they provided a spacious private room. We had a carefully selected course menu with premium all-you-can-drink, and the food was delicious and the portion was sufficient. The premium all-you-can-drink included Mio sparkling wine and local sake like Yonetsuru, so it felt like a good deal. It seemed busy during lunchtime, as it took a while for the staff to come when we tried to order more drinks, which was disappointing. The staff were kind and helpful.

First visit. Located in a place like the second floor of the Otemachi subway stairs, the shop is spacious and has a very calm atmosphere. Ordered the lunch special of hokke and zangi (fried chicken) for 960 yen. Tried to keep up with my partner who was eating quickly, so couldn't fully enjoy the meal. However, the presentation was beautiful, and I would like to come back again.

On March 20, 2023, I attended a farewell and welcome party at work. Despite it being a send-off party, S and I had to step in for two senior colleagues who were leaving their managerial positions. As I gave closing remarks, I couldn't help but wonder if it was a farewell party or an encouragement gathering. I had hoped to remain a regular employee for life, but that dream only lasted a year. Last month, my boss told me that it's better to meet dozens of quotas in the field than to hold a title or position. So, I took on the challenge. Even in discussions with HR, I was told that if it didn't work out, I could return to my original position. I agreed and decided to just drink it off. I had six highballs and enjoyed the course meal, which included sashimi, steamed dishes, grilled dishes, and salmon. It was delicious, as I love salmon. It was a rare occasion to have a mask-free gathering with 20 people in a private room. Although this review is not about the food, I hope to revisit the restaurant with a small group when things settle down. As I laughed with my friends, I felt a sense of responsibility to protect my important colleagues. As we joked around, I also felt a bit nervous about the upcoming challenges starting next month. It was a night of mixed emotions.

I was shocked by the results of my health check showing high levels of neutral fat, so I decided to thoroughly review my lunch and snacks. Today's lunch was a set meal at an izakaya. I had hokke fish with a small portion of rice. This is a satisfying and healthy lunch. Lunch in Otemachi usually costs around 1200 yen, but here you can get a set meal for under 1000 yen. It's a chain izakaya, so there are plenty of seats and even a counter where you can sit alone without feeling awkward. Just a heads up, the restaurant is spacious so the signal for mobile phones may be weak. I thought it might be because I have a smartphone from a competitor company! Thankfully, I have Kindle on my phone. When it came time to pay, I wanted to use PayPay but the signal was weak, so they kindly provided me with the Wi-Fi password. Problem solved! I will definitely come back again.

On the day of the draft meeting, I went out near the Yomiuri Shimbun headquarters to take care of some errands. Suddenly, I felt hungry. I noticed that it was already close to 1 o'clock and I decided to step into Hokkaido. This is a chain restaurant mainly serving izakaya dishes. I often used the one in Senri Chuo. I had my temperature checked at the entrance and was guided to a table. Due to COVID-19 measures, I was allowed to use a 4-person table by myself, which was great. Since I was at a Hokkaido restaurant, I chose the Zangi set meal (890 yen including tax). Rice and miso soup were free for refill, which was a nice touch. As soon as I placed my order, I was served barley tea in a large glass. The service was really efficient. About 8 minutes later, the Zangi set meal arrived. The Zangi came with tartar sauce and a unique sauce. I first tried it with tartar sauce, and the hot chicken with tartar sauce was a perfect match. The white rice went well with it. Next, I tried the special sauce, which seemed to be Worcestershire sauce mixed with a little vinegar to make it refreshing. This also went well with the Zangi. I enjoyed changing the flavors while eating and finished in about 15 minutes. Even though I didn't get a rice refill this time, I was still full due to the generous portion. I paid with a card. This is common for affiliated stores, but actually many restaurants in this area do not accept card payments for lunch. I appreciated this as well. They had various lunch menus, so I will definitely visit again.

I didn't have much time until my next appointment, so I visited this nearby restaurant. Perhaps due to the influence of the coronavirus, there were not many people around. This time, I ordered the daily special menchi-katsu set meal (\850). The plate came with two menchi-katsu, curry-flavored fish cake, a small salad, and pickles. It was served in about 5 minutes. The curry fish cake was quite chewy and had a subtle curry flavor. Overall, it was an average lunch at a chain restaurant.

During lunchtime, this restaurant offers around 6 lunch menu options, all of which are rice bowl dishes. Not suitable for those on a low-carb diet. I chose the Genghis Khan rice bowl this time. The result was quite oily and the amount of meat was minimal. The Genghis Khan itself had little odor and was cooked well, but the meat was just too thin. This place is more suitable for those who want to consume calories mainly from rice for lunch.

The title may be misleading, but this time I ordered the seafood bowl (\1,080)! In addition to the food, I will review other aspects. The location is as described in the restaurant information. It is a bit far from Tokyo Station. Even so, it was very crowded. I arrived after 12 o'clock and there was a long line that seemed to turn the corner of the hallway. For groups of 5 or 6 people, you may have to wait a bit to be seated. The tables in the restaurant are mainly for 4 people. The speed of serving the food is normal. Not particularly fast or slow. The taste is very good. The seafood bowl had no tough parts even though it was a lunch dish. It was fatty and came with enough wasabi. That's the overall feeling. (Not just this restaurant, but lunch in Tokyo is always expensive...)

This day was a farewell party for the Tokyo Obihiro Association, which is a gathering of people who have worked in Obihiro. I was the pioneer (first representative) of working in Obihiro, but over 10 years have passed since then, and with the recent personnel changes, the 5th representative has been appointed. It has been almost 9 years since I left Obihiro. My interest in starting Tabelog was also sparked by my food adventures in Obihiro, so in that sense, my relationship with Tabelog has been just as long. Thinking about these things, I really feel how swiftly time flies. This time, it was a farewell party for those who have worked in Obihiro and are currently working in Tokyo, with 3 people leaving for Kyushu and one person leaving for the Chubu region. The Tokyo Obihiro Association used to choose restaurants related to Obihiro, but as time passed and the membership grew, it became difficult to find suitable restaurants, and recently there has been a noticeable lack of effort from the organizers (laughs). This time, the event was held at a restaurant that was somewhat related to Obihiro just by the name "Hokkaido", but in reality, it was just a common brand owned by Colowide. As a recent trend in the Tokyo Obihiro Association, we do not usually confirm the number of participants and order a set course menu. Due to the busy schedules of many people and last-minute cancellations, as well as some people coming from distant work locations in Tokyo, we just make a rough reservation for the number of people and have a semi-open participation style. This time, the event was also held in this style (but we did include an all-you-can-drink option). The restaurant we chose is located in the basement of the KDDI Building in Otemachi. The event started at 6 pm. Some people are busy, while others have free time or are efficient in finishing their work, so the early birds start drinking around 5:30 pm. I was one of those early birds this time. The staff who took care of our table that day was quite thoughtful. There were some signs of a business-like attitude, but overall, they were very friendly. Their calm demeanor and witty way of speaking made me think that they might be the manager of the restaurant. In the past, I had reviewed the poor operation of this restaurant, but on this day, there were no such issues. It may have been partly due to the fact that it was the beginning of the week and the restaurant was not busy, but perhaps the decision was made that "it's better not to skimp on service in Otemachi, where an antenna-like role can be expected." The food included both standard menu items and seasonal dishes, offering a wide variety typical of a chain izakaya. We ordered dishes one by one, starting with a small appetizer that looked like koji pickles. Surprisingly, it was quite delicious. After the appetizer, the first dish served was chilled tomatoes. These were accompanied not only by mayonnaise but also by Yama-wasabi (horseradish) typical of Hokkaido. Yama-wasabi can be enjoyed with soy sauce or mixed with mayonnaise. I mixed it with mayonnaise, and the strong flavor of wasabi spread in my mouth, making it quite delicious. The next dish, homemade tamagoyaki, is a typical dish for a chain izakaya. However, compared to the poor-quality tamagoyaki found in lower-grade izakayas, it was much better. The following dish, deep-fried sweet shrimp (from Mashike), was a seasonal menu item and highly recommended by the staff. Indeed, it was worth the recommendation. The large, crispy fried shrimp was moist inside, and the flavor of the shrimp spread in the mouth. It was very delicious. We also ordered the herring sashimi from the seasonal menu, which was surprising to see herring sashimi available even in Tokyo. Herring was a fish that I had developed a fondness for during my time in Obihiro, so there was a sense of nostalgia, and it was delicious. The ramen salad was a fun addition. It has become a standard Hokkaido dish. It was simply delicious. Finally, we ordered the butter-grilled squid and the gyoza made with Yume-no-Daichi pork. Each dish showcased its unique characteristics and was well-prepared. The speed of serving the dishes was quite good.

I went to a restaurant where you can taste Hokkaido ingredients, but they only offer lunch menus during lunchtime. For dinner, they have dishes like lamb shabu-shabu, seafood, and melon. The lunch menu consists of 7 set meals priced at 830-1080 yen each, including seafood bowl, chicken nanban, grilled fish, oil-drizzled chicken, ginger pork, ramen salad, and negitoro bowl. The seafood bowl (1080 yen) includes octopus, tuna, white fish, salmon, negitoro, and ikura. In terms of quality and quantity, it seems reasonable for a lunch in Tokyo. If you're looking for a light and affordable lunch, this place is not a problem.

Zangi set meal for 960 yen. It's nice that you can enjoy two types of sauce. The tenderness of the meat is also good.

Ordered the ginger pork set meal that my partner had said was delicious. The portion size was just right and truly representative of Hokkaido. A unique touch was the addition of mentaiko.

I may have been at fault for booking on the same day, but when I asked the staff, they said "Same-day online reservations don't always go through, so we don't have a reservation for you." I had reserved a private room, so I was a bit disappointed, but I tried to stay positive and sat at a regular table. It took about 20 minutes for the beer to arrive, and the first dish (a boat platter) took about 60 minutes to come out. I thought this was too slow.

When I used to visit this place at night, I was honestly a bit hesitant, but when it comes to lunch, I think it's very reasonable. This time, I had the daily lunch set (\850 including tax) which came with Zangi. I wasn't sure what Zangi was at first, I thought it was just another term for fried chicken. But it seems to be a bit different, maybe like a regional dialect? The Zangi that was served had a crispy texture and a slightly richer flavor compared to regular fried chicken. There were about 6-7 pieces, so it was quite a generous portion. It came with mayonnaise and cabbage, which went well with the rice. By the way, you can have unlimited rice and miso soup refills. I didn't need a refill this time because there was plenty of food, but I left satisfied. Thank you for the meal.

I went to a company social gathering! I forgot to take photos, but I'll describe it in text. This time we had a 4,500 yen all-you-can-drink course which included Caesar salad, assorted sashimi, fried chicken, grilled salmon with vegetables, salmon belly, stingray fin, scallop and corn rice, and melon ice cream. Well, for 4,500 yen, it was decent! ☺️