The "Autumn Hokkaido Exhibition" kicked off on September 3rd at the event hall on the sixth floor of the main building of Isetan Shinjuku. This event, where you can enjoy freshly prepared Hokkaido cuisine, immediately envelopes you in the aroma of savory meat and the sweet smell of sweets made with raw milk. The beef and venison, raised in Hokkaido's natural beauty, are particularly fragrant. Even passing by the cooking area, the sizzling of frying pans resonates and starts your stomach rumbling. One dish sure to entice beef lovers is the "Beef Toro Donburi" (950 yen) from Bistro Comuni in Obihiro City. This healthy bowl of rice topped with colorful beef flakes, a soft-boiled egg, hijiki seaweed, and a generous amount of leafy vegetables and tomatoes surround the main flakes. It's like a beef flake version of taco rice. The flakes are made with beef from Tokachi Slow Food in Shimizu Town, Hokkaido. When mixed with piping hot rice, the flavor fills the bowl, making it easy to finish off.

If you're looking to enjoy a variety of meats, we recommend the "Meat Shop's Three Kinds of Meat Bowl" (1,297 yen) from Sapporo's "The Meat Shop." Choose three meats from beef, pork, chicken, and venison, and top them on freshly steamed rice with Hokkaido corn and peppers for a luxurious bowl.

This time, we chose meats other than pork. The generous servings of Ikeda beef, Nakareinai chicken, and Ezo venison are served individually, or combined to enjoy the delicious fusion! By the way, you can also order without rice, so if you want to enjoy a little bit of everything at the Hokkaido Exhibition, we recommend the meat-only version. For ramen lovers, we recommend Shirakaba Sanso's "Pure White & Melty Grilled Cheese Ramen" (1,297 yen), topped with a generous amount of Hokkaido's seasonal ingredients. This miso ramen, garnished with cheese and butter, is packed with a colorful array of toppings, including bean sprouts, green onions, carrots, radishes, menma (bamboo shoots), boiled egg, roasted pork fillet, minced meat, green onions, and wood ear mushrooms. The key to this ramen is the inclusion of 200g of super-sweet "Pure White" corn. Due to Hokkaido's unique temperature differences, this Pure White corn is significantly sweeter than average corn. The addition of this corn further enriches the flavor of the dish, enhancing the umami of the miso and cheese. One bowl is quite filling, so if you're looking for this ramen, we recommend making yourself hungry the night before and arriving as soon as the restaurant opens!