SAPPORO
Onthesurface,theprefecture’scapital
couldpassforanylow-riseJapanesecity,
butgiveit a goodscratchandyou’llfinda wealthofsubterranean
andcleverlysheathedstreet-levelstripsjammedwithgreatgrub.
Diga littledeeperforoff-trackculinaryexperienceslikeNikka’s
YoichiWhiskeydistilleryandKinokoOkuko(Mushroom
Kingdom)whereyoucansamplea selectionofthe1000-plus
‘shroomvarietiesin theeateriesattached.Sidestepcentrally
locatedfishmarketsin favourofjyogai-ichiba(wholesalemarket)
worththeextrafewtaxikilometresforsublimeseafareandtorub
shoulderswithneighbourhoodchefs.Trytotimeit withtheless
regularSapporoasaichi(morningmarket)fora peekintohome-
boundshoppingbaskets.
FondofJapanesebeer?You’llalreadyknowthenameSapporo,
buta recentexplosionin craftbrewhasspawneda slewof
brewpubssuchasTsukitoTaiyou(MoonSun),forgettingstraight
tothe‘sauce’,andBankeiskiarea’sinspiredCraftBeerForest
festival,heldeachJuly.Guaranteedfrothandfrolic.
In Japan,drinkingis usuallyaccompaniedbyfood,soit’sa
mysteryastowhycrowd-pleasingsoup-curryis seldomseen
outsideHokkaido.It’snutritiousanddamntasty– imaginedeep
bowlsofthincurrybroth,heatscaledtopersonallimits,brimming
withseasonalvegetablesincludinglotusroot,pumpkin,peppers
andfriedeggplantalongsideoptionalproteinlikeroastchicken,
eggornatto(fermentedsoybeans).Riceanda coldiear e served
ontheside.Vegetariansbeware,asit’scommonfordashi(stock)
tocontainfish.Committedcarnivorousshouldbolttowards
acclaimedSoupCurryCocoroforthechef’ssuperbsouprich
withveal,chickenandporkbones.
Sapporo’s hearty miso ramen (reportedly good for hangovers)
comes topped with much-loved combinations like butter, corn,
pork belly and spring onion, or laden with seafood, chilli, garlic
and sesame oil. Sniff out ramen alley Ganso Yokocho for 17 of the
city’s best bowls. Can’t decide between cold-slaying chicken
ramen from Toripan, the super-spicy blend from Higuma or
Shimijimi’s shellfish special? Well, order a plate of zangi (Hokkaido
fried chicken) while you ponder. The basement of the Hokuren
building contains a select number of venerated eateries such as
Ichiryuan, where, among other flavour-drenched varieties,
a soupless ramen featuring chewy house-made noodles is
drizzled with concentrated, smoky hokkigai (surf clam) dashi
emulsified with pork fat and garlic and topped with sizzled slithers
of pork belly and onsen tamago (soft-cooked egg) – redolent of
top-notch carbonara.
An enduring late-night ritual of slurping shime-ramen (loosely
translating to ‘end the night’ noodles) is being nudged aside by
the rising popularity of a shime-parfait movement. Evenings
capped with complex ice-cream concoctions in a spectrum of
flavours including tea, fruit, seeds, fresh herbs and booze can be
located at Parfait, Coffee, Liquor, Sato – just one of many ‘afters’
bars featured on the dessert-directory Sapporo Shime Parfait.
Hokkaido lusts after dairy-opulent foods with unparalleled
enthusiasm – flaunting its creamy, sugary decadence across theCLOCKWISE: Sapporo’s
Ganso Yokocho (ramen
alley); a chef busy at
work over the pans at
Soup Curry Cocoro;
snowy beauty en route
to the Hokkaido Shrine;
nigiri sushi (inset).PHOTOGRAPHY (OPENING IMAGE)
GETTY IMAGES
132 delicious.com.au