Jingisukan in Sapporo

Jingisukan is a Japanese mutton dish cooked on a convex dish, that is particularly popular in Hokkaido. The dish is thought to be named after the Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan because the Mongolian were strongly associated with having sheep as livestock, or perhaps because the shape of the dish the meat is cooked in resembled Genghis Khan’s warriors’ helmets. Naturally, when Yuki and I went to Sapporo, we just had to try it. The first night we attempted to eat Jingisukan, we walked around Sapporo for what seemed like ages in 30-degree weather, only to find that most of the Jingisukan restaurants had waits over an hour and even up to two hours in some cases. That evening, we were so hungry, tired, and cold that we simply gave up and ate somewhere else. The next evening, we set out with a confident mindset and armed with warmer clothes, determined to have the famous Jingisukan. We passed by a popular restaurant that we had passed the night before, but that still had a two hour wait, and a long line, extending out of the restaurant out to the freezing temperatures. After walking around for some time, we settled on a restaurant called Menyoutei Gojo. The restaurant had a wait, but one that was not as formidable as that of some of the other restaurants. In all, we waited, huddled together outside, for about 30 minutes.

When we finally entered the Jingisukan restaurant, we were greeted by a small woman who was clearly in charge, with a bandana on her head, a dirty apron, and a strong attitude. The restaurant walls were lined with delivery boxes, pots and pans, and storage materials. She quickly gestured for us to sit down at the edge of the bright orange countertop and tossed two plastic bags at us, assuming we would know what to do with them. We looked around the restaurant without a clue as to how to proceed, until the woman indicated for us to put our coats in them. It really made perfect sense, as the small restaurant was infiltrated with the smell of meat which, as I found out later that evening after emptying an entire bottle of clothing freshener spray on my clothes, would also seep into every single thing it came into contact with.

As we settled in, the woman brusquely asked if we wanted two beers, deterring us, with the look on her face, from ordering anything other to drink. So, beer it was, but we were not complaining. As she came back with the beers, we expected her to hand out menus, but instead she asked, or perhaps confirmed, if we were a party of two. She nodded and soon afterwards we found ourselves with a plate of raw meat in front of us. After all, who needs menus and choices anyway?

While we grilled our meat, the woman passed by each party at the counter with a plastic bag full of vegetable, including bean sprouts, rationing them out with a handful to each of our grills. We were also provided with a small plate each with two pieces of salted and baked fish as an appetizer (which we also did not actively order). I am not a fan of salted and baked fish and Yuki assured me it was alright if we did not eat it, but I grew increasingly worried as I watched the woman adamantly urge the couple next to us to finish the last bit of their beer before leaving. Nevertheless we carried on with the rest of our meal. The mutton itself was quite delectable, and the ability to cook it exactly how we wanted made it even better. The bean sprouts also served as a great accompaniment to the meat and the glass of cold beer was the perfect way to top it off. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and we left with full and happy stomachs, but not before the woman’s demanding gesture had Yuki downing both his and my pieces of fish.