King Crab in Hokkaido? What could possibly go wrong? Katukani no Hanasaki

Japanese cuisine is one of my favorite, and although there is more to Japanese cuisine than sushi, its probably what most people think of when you mention Japanese cuisine. For fans of sushi, one of the places most known for fresh seafood in Japan is Hokkaido. Being so far north, the cold waters are perfect for various types of seafood like scallops and uni. Another seafood I really wanted to try in Hokkaido was king crab. After some research, I found a place where the chef will prepare an entire king crab in front of you. Sounds like a dream so I booked it. TIP: if you go to Sapporo, which is the largest city in Hokkaido, be sure to pay attention to the floor of the places you are looking for. Many buildings have multiple floors, and the restaurants could be located on 2F, 3F and so on. This will save you a lot of time if you remember this. Anyway, the place I decided on is called Katukani no Hanasaki. Here was the menu that evening:

Upon arrival, we were seated in our own private room complete with private restroom which I loved.

Our server brought out the first course which was a bunch of appetizers. To me, nothing was particularly mind blowing. I would say this type of course would appeal to a seafood purist. If you want fresh seafood, served in the least amount of prep, cooking etc possible, this is for you. Now, I love fresh raw seafood as much as the next person; for instance, I like small oysters that are of the one slurp variety. What we were served was the gigantic variety which is not my preference. A lot of other stuff was served pure, like whelk, but to me, had no taste.

The next course was uni sashimi. This was amazing. To be eating Hokkaido uni in Hokkaido is any uni lover’s dream.

After this, our server brought in the crab and the excitement built.

The chef came in and introduced himself, he spoke a little English, but its OK, food is universal. At this point, the preparation started and I was having a great time watching the action.

Unfortunately, this is where the disappointment set in. I would say that the first three preparations, fresh, lightly boiled, and medium boiled were not to my taste. I eating everything, and will try anything once, but the fresh version had no flavor. Maybe the taste of salt water, but none of the meaty sweetness that comes out when the crab is cooked more. I also love my king crab with sauce. Whether garlic butter or maybe fried in some salt and pepper. The meal continued with some of the less common bits like the eggs and crab fat. These are not my favorites either.

By the time the grilled and hard-boiled versions came around, I was pretty full so did not enjoy these as much as I wanted (they were the most decent parts of the meal). After all the crab was served, we got a big bowl of rice and ikura, which I normally love, but was full.

For dessert, a cantaloupe and some XO that you could spray onto it which was a first for me, but it DID enhance the flavors of the melon.

On our way out, we saw the live tanks:

Overall, service was fantastic. Our server was very attentive and very polite. The chef was wonderful and it was very interactive. The problem was the was the crab was served is not how I like my crab. This, combined with the fact that the meal was VERY expensive, leads me to say that I would not return. However, I don’t regret going, and I do understand why its served this way and why it costs so much. Would I recommend this to someone? Yes, but only to a very specific person. If you want a pure seafood experience, where all you taste is the sea for almost the entire meal, then this may be heaven for you.