Shibetsu Barbecue

If you want to eat delicious lamb in Sapporo but are tired of going to chain restaurants like Matsuo Jingisukan, we introduce you to Shibetsu Barbecue, a restaurant located on Raccoon Shoji. While it is said that 99.3% of the mutton used in jingisukan restaurants in Sapporo is imported, Shibetsu Barbecue is very particular about purchasing lamb of the Suffolk breed (a breed with black face and legs) from Hokkaido, which is extremely rare, and sends it directly from the place of origin.

So, how tasty is Suffolk lamb compared to the imported meat we are used to? With such a question in mind, I made a firm decision to visit the restaurant during my stay in Sapporo on the evening of the day I decided to go on a business trip to Sapporo, and immediately made a reservation on the Internet. When I arrived at the restaurant at 5 p.m. on the evening of the day I made the reservation…

Strictly speaking, it is not a “Jingisukan” restaurant… but this is what Shibetsu Barbecue is like.

Shibetsu Barbecue is a restaurant that opened in 2012 in the 7-chome arcade of the Sapporo Raccoon Alley shopping street, and is currently operating as one store together with the main store and a second store, Shibetsu Barbecue East Exit, right next door. The official number of seats is unknown, but according to the restaurant’s food log information, the first floor, second floor, and terrace together seat a total of 62. There are no private rooms, but the second floor seats can be reserved for private parties, making it suitable for small parties. It is also OK to bring children, and there are six counter seats, so solo yakiniku is no problem at all.

Now, I must tell you one important thing here. It is…

That is to say, you cannot eat Jingisukan at Shibetsu Barbecue. As the name says, this is a barbecue restaurant, not a jingisukan restaurant. This comes from the fact that in Shibetsu City, where the owner of the restaurant is from, people used to eat mutton not in a jingisukan pot but on a grill. So here, you cannot enjoy the flavor of vegetables that have absorbed plenty of lamb fat. Instead…

You can enjoy a healthy lamb barbecue with a personal shichirin, which removes excess fat…

What can you eat at Shibetsu Barbecue where you can’t eat Genghis Khan? Actually, the menu is quite extensive…

What can you eat at Shibetsu Barbecue, where you can’t eat Genghis Khan? Actually, this restaurant has quite a rich menu of lamb meat alone…

Lamb loin, lamb ribs, lamb harami…there are a total of 20 different types of meat on the menu, all of which are familiar to customers who enjoy beef yakiniku! Moreover, not only red meat, but also internal organs such as hearts, tongue, and hormones can be enjoyed. There are probably not many lamb restaurants in Japan that offer such a detailed menu of different parts of the lamb. The introduction of the menu on the restaurant’s Facebook page is sure to make you drool in your mouth…

Examples of Hokkaido Suffolk menu at Shibetsu Barbecue (prices are exclusive of tax)

• Lamb kawa: 1,080 yen
• Lamb Sagari: 1,580 yen
• Lamb Misuzi 2280 yen
• Lamb Ichibo 2280 yen
• Lamb fillet: 2,580 yen

Incidentally, the omelette with lamb that won the 2015 “Omurice Stadium Hokkaido Tournament” was not on the menu. Too bad…

What did you think of Shibetsu Barbecue’s seven Suffolk lamb platter, which is made by carefully selecting the best parts of Hokkaido’s Suffolk lamb?

If you are at such a loss for what to order first at Shibetsu Barbecue, how about the Suffolk Platter, which is a selection of the best parts of Hokkaido Suffolk lamb? The platter is available in 3, 5, and 7 types, and the type of meat offered changes depending on the availability, so you can enjoy different parts of the lamb every time you visit. For your information, the 7 kinds platter (priced at 6580 yen + tax) on the day I visited the restaurant looked like this…

From front right to back left: Australian lamb rump, Hokkaido lamb ichibo, Hokkaido lamb shank, Hokkaido lamb thigh, Hokkaido lamb seri, Australian lamb shoulder, and Australian lamb chop. Looking at this lineup, you may be thinking, “What? There’s Australian lamb in here!” This is because Hokkaido Suffolk is so rare that the supply cannot keep up with the demand at this time. According to the manager, he would like to use only Hokkaido Suffolk once the supply is stabilized. We are looking forward to the future! We can’t wait to see what the future holds.

But, as one would expect from a lamb expert, the Shibetsu barbecue selection was a seven-course assortment….

Australian lamb rump, which is relatively rich in fat and juicy…

In contrast to lamb rump, Hokkaido lamb ichibo is a lean, firm and chewy meat…

Hokkaido lamb’s snout is extremely elastic, and when chewed, a good amount of fat oozes from the cross section….

Hokkaido lamb thighs are softer than ichibo, and unlike chicken thighs, the meat is mainly lean and light….

Hokkaido lamb sirloin with elasticity, crispy texture, and a good fat content…

Australian lamb shoulder roast with tender meat and a good balance of fat and lean flavor….

It was wild and full of flavor! The charred fat was fragrant and juicy, just like a very juicy Australian lamb chop.

Also, when comparing the Hokkaido Suffolk and the imported Australian lamb chops, the imported lamb had a slightly stronger odor. The Suffolk breed has a reputation for being one of the least fatty and best quality lambs. In the sense that I was able to compare two types of meat from different regions, it was probably a good thing for me that the seven types of meat were a mix of Hokkaido and Australian meat. However, I didn’t feel any peculiarity in either of the meats. I think the Australian lamb is also of very high quality.

Also, the seasonings are great. Three types of seasonings are available: lemon ponzu, original herb salt, and soy sauce sauce sauce based on kombu dashi (kelp soup stock). The original herb salt, which is a blend of rock salt, coriander, oregano, and other ingredients, was particularly refreshing. One of the customers bought some of the herb salt as a souvenir (unfortunately, they don’t sell it by mail order)…

So, I was very satisfied with the seven kinds of Suffolk at Shibetsu Barbecue. I think the fact that you can enjoy the taste of the meat itself, and not the lamb already seasoned with sauce, is very appealing to those who love barbecued meat. The net-grilled mutton is easy to eat because the excess fat is removed, and it is also very healthy. I recommend you to start with grilled mutton.

Lastly, too good to be treated as an “bonus”, I ordered a Suffolk rice bowl (priced at 1,200 yen plus tax) as the day’s closing dish. It was too much for a closing dish, and the surface of the bowl was covered with a generous amount of Hokkaido Suffolk lamb! The marriage of the sweet soy sauce sauce and the fat of the lamb meat makes this yakiniku rice dish different from that of beef.

If you mash the egg yolk in the center, you can enjoy the atmosphere of takikakegohan (TKG), and the crispy purple cabbage is also pleasantly crunchy, so you can enjoy this bowl in many more ways than expected. This bowl of rice alone will easily fill you up with a beer, or you can have this Suffolk rice bowl as your main course for dinner.

Suffolk rice bowls are available at lunch time at a reasonable price… Access to Shibetsu Barbecue is an 8-minute walk from the nearest station, Susukino Station on the Sapporo Municipal Subway Namboku Line.

At Shibetsu Barbecue, you can enjoy one of the most popular menu items, a bowl of Suffolk rice bowl, at a reasonable price of 900 yen (tax not included) per bowl during lunch time. The only difference is that the meat is Australian lamb, not Suffolk mutton…

If you don’t have a strong preference for Suffolk lamb, then Shibetsu Barbecue’s lunch is a pretty good deal. If you have a hankering for a lamb lunch in Sapporo, please recall the existence of this restaurant.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant. Check below for store data…

It is a 23-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station and a 16-minute walk from the Sapporo TV Tower in Odori Park.