I visited "New Mutsumi" for lunch during my business trip to Kitami. The parking lot was a bit hard to find, but the restaurant seemed to be part of a hotel. I ordered the recommended lunch special, the "Yakiniku Set" (720 yen). The yakiniku was delicious, just as expected from a recommended dish! The portion of rice was also satisfying. Additionally, when you have lunch here, you get a free cup of hot coffee, which was also tasty.

"The restaurant name 'Omeshi-dokoro New Mutsumi' gives you an idea of what kind of restaurant it is, right? It's in Kitami, and I used to come here often for work, but I rarely visit Kitami anymore. I always end up going to the same four cities on weekends, so I don't have any ramen places to go to. Today, I decided to try 'New Mutsumi' dining hall. Is it a Western-style restaurant? The name says 'Omeshi-dokoro' so it must be a dining hall, right? It says 'New' but I wonder how long it's been 'New'. It's an old 'New' for sure. What should I eat here? Since there's no fried rice or pilaf, I guess I'll go with the surprise option of 'Shoyu Ramen' for 620 yen. It would be nice if it were 600 yen, but I'll manage. It's a typical restaurant, so I can't complain. There are table seats and a raised seating area. Coffee is complimentary, but I don't drink it. Rice is self-serve and you can have seconds. There's an ashtray. It took 7 minutes. The soy sauce ramen was mediocre, as expected. The noodles were slightly thick and standard. The soup was nothing special. The negi and menma were short and had a slightly sweet taste that I didn't like. The chashu was tough and made of pork loin. One bite was enough. The soup seemed to have a tonkotsu-like flavor, but I wonder if it's commercial-grade. I'm not a fan of the renge, it's like an eye exam chart for people with big eyes. The soup was decent, but I wonder why they bother making it from scratch. I hope the tax is included. The previous customer lit three cigarettes in a row after finishing his ramen. I thought he would leave quickly, but there was no smell of smoke. Maybe it's the airflow. I couldn't hear the conversation at the register, but I hope the tax was included. It stayed at 3 points."

This is a dining room located behind Hotel Kurobe. It seems to be in the same series as Amormutsuki. The parking lot is entered from the right side of the shop to the back. The inside of the shop is quite spacious. There are many table seats, as well as a raised seating area. There are also manga and self-service coffee available. The menu is not a 500 yen flat rate, but more like a regular dining room style. There are set meals, curry, rice bowls, noodles, and more. Today, I ordered the recommended hamburger curry. The curry is glossy and has a lot of onions, giving it a European-style curry taste. Also, the rice portion is huge! The hamburger is also big, and it comes with soup and salted cabbage. I was surprised by the unexpected volume. The curry is not very spicy, but it has a rich flavor and is delicious. I am now completely full. Given its location, it seems like a place where nearby office workers would come for lunch. Next time, I am aiming for the udon noodles in hot pot or the shrimp fry set meal.

Lunch near the Red Cross. It's a restaurant in a prominent location on a corner. It was recommended to me as "if you don't mind not having a specialty dish," so I decided to try it out. It seems to be operated by a social welfare organization, as they have short operating hours other than lunch. The interior of the restaurant is actually quite spacious, with a raised seating area in the back. The menu is similar to a typical small diner, not too extensive. The staff consists of about 4-5 women. If you order a set meal, you can get free rice refills. And for those who have eaten, one cup of coffee is complimentary. I ordered the "Shrimp Fry Set Meal" (820 yen) from the menu outside, which had "So delicious, it's addictive~♡♡" written on it. It was a hot day, so I quickly drank my water, but the waitress promptly came to refill it. The dish was served in 8 minutes. There were 3 large shrimp in the set. The heads were separately deep-fried, which was a nice touch. The shrimp had a crispy texture from the breadcrumbs and a chewy texture from the shrimp itself. The generous amount of tartar sauce was a nice addition. The deep-fried heads were also crunchy! I was a bit worried about the antennae poking my mouth if I got too carried away. In the end, the meal was quite filling, so I didn't get a rice refill and opted for coffee instead. The coffee was brewed just right, as I saw the waitress setting up the coffee maker while I was eating. It was a delicious cup of coffee. I would definitely visit again when I'm in Kitami next time.

Last year, I bought "New Mutsumi" osechi (New Year dishes) at a restaurant called located behind Hotel Kurobe on Chuo Street in Kitami. It is a dining hall operated by the social welfare corporation Kitami Mutsumi-kai. I have used their dining hall a few times, and they offer a variety of dishes such as set meals, rice bowls, and noodles at reasonable prices. During lunchtime, it can get quite crowded with office workers and housewives. I went to pick up the New Year's osechi I ordered with a voucher. Ta-da! It was placed in the center of our New Year's Eve dinner table. The osechi was enough for 4-5 people and cost 5000 yen, which was quite reasonable. Although the contents were simple, it was a delicious meal enjoyed by my family.