A crab feast at Hyousetsu-no-mon (Photo-essay)

As reported earlier, the very first meal I had on my recent Hokkaido visit was at a crab restaurant -- and so good was it that my mother and I vowed that we'd have another crab feast before the end of the trip.  And while it was tempting to head back to Sapporo Kanihonke, I decided that we should try another kani-ya -- specifically, that which specializes in king crab and may well be the oldest crab restaurant in Sapporo.

At Hyousetsu-no-mon, my mother and I were seated in a private room -- as at Sapporo Kanihonke, and years ago, when we had tofu kaiseki at the Dazaifu branch of Umenohana.  This time around, both she and I ordered separate crab kaiseki for ourselves rather than opt for any a la carte options.  

At an average of around 8,000 Yen (~HK$636 or US$82) each, our multi-course meal was easily the most expensive of the ones we had on this Hokkaido trip.  But I really do feel this crab feast was worth it -- because so much what we had was imaginatively conceived, immaculately prepared, and exquisite in taste. And, coupled with the elegant surroundings, I really did come away thinking we had had a first class meal in more ways than one...

The kind of decorations that I've come to expect of

Japanese restaurants that serve some form of kaiseki

 Feast your eyes on these three beautiful crab dishes! :b

Crab legs on the grill right inside the room!

Crab dumplings that wouldn't have looked out of place

on a Cantonese dim sum table ;)

A crab dish that I don't think would look out of place

in a Western fine dining establishment

 A creamily rich crab croquette served 

with a tomato-y sauce and pickles

This noodle dish was the rare course that appeared 

crab-less -- and was pretty filling as well as tasty

The spotlessly clean corridor in the restaurant that 

looked to have no seating in other than private rooms 

(where, yes, one has to remove one's shoes before entering)!