Umihe Minami 6 Jo

Umi-e Rokujo offered us a nice dining experience in an informal Japanese gastropub. We got the last two seats at the bar (shoes on), noting that all the low tables in the tatami mat area (shoes off) were full. The waitress immediately brought us menus in English, which helped us immensely with our s...elections. This was our first night on the island of Hokkaido, where we soon learned that English menus are few and far between. As is the custom at gastropubs, we ordered our food slowly over many courses, depending on what appealed at the time, starting with edamame as an appetizer. My husband and I ensured that each item we chose was something we both wanted, because sharing is the custom at such establishments. The number of possible selections overwhelmed. A man sitting next to us turned to my husband and said in English that everything is good. I asked him what he was having and he replied, "Hairy crab." I took one look at the massive creature and knew that, even together, my husband and I would not be able to put a dent in it. Throughout the evening, we ended up ordering a huge daikon radish salad, grilled rock fish, a rice bowl with sashimi and fish eggs and the most delicious baked potatoes that I've ever tasted. The dinner tab was a reasonable Y4,573. The only drawback for me was that a few customers were smoking in the restaurant and I'm allergic to cigarette smoke. All were far enough away, however, to cause only a minor annoyance.

Visited June 2016