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▫ Furano, Biei, Sounkyou and Asahikawa: Amazing Autumn Colours
▫ Jozankei, Noboribetsu and Hakodate: Unparalleled Beauty
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"I, Mr Hairy Crab, do not approve of this blog post."
When you think about Hokkaido gourmet, a couple of things immediately spring to mind: Dairy (cheese, milk and its' products) and Seafood (uni, ikura, and crab). So of course no trip to this island would be complete without a meal at a crab specialty restaurant - we chose Kani Honke (かに本家) because:
1. It has good reviews among gaijins on the web;
2. It was near our hotel in Susukino, Sapporo; and
3. '本家' which literally means 'original/head family,' sounds really gangsta'.
OK, we were a little joking on that third reason. Anyways, depending on where you are in Sapporo, the restaurant is within easy walking distance from either the Susukino or Odori subway stations. If you're walking from Odori and the weather's not cooperating do remember that the Pole Town shopping alley runs the entire underground stretch to Susukino.
During our dinner visit in early October we didn't have to make reservations (but there's no harm getting your hotel concierge to phone in a booking to be safe). The restaurant doesn't have a large, open dining area; instead, there are multiple small mini-rooms separated by sliding shōji doors so you're guaranteed a pretty private dining experience.
As you'd expect, Kani Honke basically serves nothing else but varying types (and quality) of crab and crab-based dishes. We found that navigating the photo-heavy menu was easy enough, and that randomly choosing a set menu based on your budget works wonders.
We went with the Hokkaido Hairy Crab Set Menu for two (¥13,200 or s$151.93) off their seasonal Autumn menu, which starts off with 前菜 ('zensai' i.e. appetizer of the day). All three items - some sort of fish fillet with lotus root, a mini bowl of seasoned raw squid, and fish cake - are cold, with very delicate, refreshing flavours.
The next dish, also cold: Japanese silky tofu with bits タラバ ('Taraba' i.e. King Crab). The other two types of crab mainly eaten in Hokkaido are ズワイガニ ('Zuwaigani' i.e. Snow Crab), and 毛がに ('Kegani' i.e. Hairy Crab).
Snow Crab takes center stage in the next course (also cold, obviously) of Seasonal Assorted Sashimi, with slices of raw salmon and squid accompanying the raw snow crab leg. It's the first time we're trying raw crab, and neither of us liked it at all. The taste (sweet, juicy) wasn't too bad but the slimy, jelly-like texture was really off-putting.
To round off the trinity: a whole Hairy Crab just for the two of us! Two dipping sauces are provided: clear white vinegar, and a milky, vinegary, yoghurt-like sauce, both of which are light-tasting and complement rather than override the natural sweetness and flavour of the crab. Absolutely delicious.
We also ala-carte'd a separate order of Grilled King Crab Leg (can't remember exact price, should be ¥2,000-ish), to be eaten plain with just a hint of lemon and salt. I think grilling is the way to go when eating King Crab; there's a delightful char and aroma that comes from the shell & the meat that you don't get with other cooking methods.
One criticism: the thicker/fatter parts of the leg seemed a little undercooked, perhaps, since the center of the meat was a little raw. Not sure if this was intentional.
Back to the set meal: more Taraba bits, served in a マリモ (stuffed glutinous rice ball), lathered with a hot, thick, savoury gravy of some sort. Also delicious.
To finish off, we're served some Crab Sushi rolls and a bowl each of Crab Miso Soup. The sushi rice in the rolls were vinegared nicely, and pressed much more compact than with normal nigiri sushi. Decently generous portions of egg and crab mayo inside, too.
Finally, for dessert, we're served some homemade yoghurt with assorted fruits: A sweet, sweet end to a pretty awesome meal.
For a final bill coming to just under ¥16,000, we thought Kani Honke's set meals were pretty good value for money. The highlight of the meal was, of course, the Hokkaido Hairy Crab (which, being a lot larger and meatier, are not the same species as China/Shanghai Hairy Crabs). Service is provided by cheerful, kimono-clad waitresses who are just fluent enough in English to briefly describe the dishes as they're being served.
Kani Honke has one other location in Sapporo, next to the Sapporo train station, and twelve other locations nation-wide. Open for lunch & dinner all year long except for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
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