Picchu, Sapporo
It’s funny how the internet has developed into what it is. It started off initially as a system of interconnected systems built by the U.S Militiary for militiary purposes, but has turned into a social media behemoth. How does this relate to Picchu ? Well, I think it’s fair to say that I wouldn’t have discovered the restaurant if it wasn’t for the this thread on chowhound.
Hidden away in one of many dark alleys in Sapporo, Japan, it’s a hard restaurant to find and even more hard to find since it is off the beaten track. We somehow managed to find it on our recent trip to Japan, but I suggest you get someone who speaks Japan to make a booking or find directions if you ever decide to go here.
Picchu symbolises what is great about Japan, hole in the wall eateries. Restaurants which are off the beaten path, away from the masses and where people naturally come to the restaurant regardless of it’s distance. Picchu is around twenty minutes from the main area of Sapporo, away from the loud bars and flashing lights of the main tourist trip. The illuminated sign you see there is a godsend, without it I wouldn’t of found the restaurant. From the outside, it looks more like someones house or even a small bar. Little did we know, it’s home to one Chef, his assistant, twelve bar seats and the some of the finest Italian inspired food I’ve eaten outside of Sydney.
View from outside window
The restaurant fits about 12 people and is extremely cosy. There are no tables, only bar seats in plain view of the chef and his kitchen. The Chef has roughly 5 to 6 metres of space to work with and mans the kitchen by himself. There is a younger gentleman who plays the role of a waiter, translater and dish washer quite admirably. Serving plates are stacked neatly near our bench, they are constantly re-filled as the younger bloke washes them as each customer finishes their meal. All the Chef’s equipment is on display too, it really was an awesome restaurant to eat in if you are into seeing how your meal is prepared.
We don’t speak Japanese, therefore ordering was a bit difficult. We asked for an omakase which helped a little bit, but had to use hand signals to show how hungry we were so that the Chef knew how much to serve us. We had a big lunch so we only wanted a few dishes. The chef was more than happy to cater for our unusually weakened appetites. I think it worked out to around $40 AUD per person with a bottle of wine, which was pretty good value for a four course meal.
- Chef on the right
The Chef looks like he is in his mid 30′s, he barely spoke during the dinner, even to his Japanese speaker customers. He was as cool as a cucumber when preparing all the meals and I noticed he discarded a few of his creations on a few occasions after taste testing them. This is not something I normally get to see as a customer, maybe he had the luxury to do so because he only gets to serve a maximum of twelve customers at any one time, but it was reassuring none the less to see and know a chef is making sure what he sends out is up to his or her standards.
The wine list is pretty decent, with a large and affordable range to choose from. We decide to take it easy and order a bottle of prosecco.
We had a bit of a communication breakdown when this dish came, neither of us (the waiter and Chef ) had any idea what the type of fish was called in English. It tasted a bit like kingfish, but I’m not sure. Anyone have any ideas? Either way, it was a refreshing and fantastic start to the meal. At the bottom of the dish is a carpaccio-like layer of fresh raw fish, topped with lemon rind and graited daikon (oroshi). Flavours were clean and minimal, allowing the freshness of the fish to dominate.
Home made crab sausage w/ crab reduction
The crab sausage was surprisingly good. I was worried that it would be too ‘fishy’ for lack of a better term or that it would be a mix of crab meat and some sort of filler ingredient. Instead, the sausage is made up almost entirely of crab meat and sat on top of what tasted like a crab reduction. It’s not much to look at, but the highlight really is the crab sausage. Sausage is such a simple piece of food which you rarely see on a menu unless it’s a cafe or pub, but the Chef here manages to make the sausage the focal point of the dish.
Crumbed pan fried cod sperm (shirako)
I’ve had cod sperm a few times now, at you know, restaurants. Cod sperm, also know as shirako is regarded as a delicacy in Japan. On both occasions which I’ve had it, it was with sushi, so it was interesting to see how it was prepared here. It is crumbed sparingly and pan fried until golden brown, served on top some sort of reduction which I couldn’t exactly pin point what it was. The taste of shirako is hard to describe, it’s very soft and creamy but has the same effect on me as foi gras. I love the taste of it, but only in small portions because the flavour is too strong and overwhelming. I guess the fact that it was pan fried made the dish more enjoyable than usual, the crispy exterior balancing well with the creaminess of the cod sperm.
Spaghetti w/ fish roe, garlic
We finish off with a spaghetti tossed in olive oil, garlic and parsley and with a generous portion of fish roe. The dish is simple, not outstanding, but I can appreciate a well cooked pasta dish especially when cooked al dente.
Hokkaido milk ice cream w/ cracked black pepper
We still had a bit of room for dessert and we could only make out the words ‘gelato’ on the dessert menu. I asked the Chef whether he had anything with hokkaido milk in it because I became addicted to the stuff whilst I was in Hokkaido/Sapporo. He recommended the vanilla ice cream, which I presume was made with hokkaido milk. It was totally worth it, unbelievably rich and creamy and tasting like something from a box of premium ice cream such as Maggi Beer or Connoisseur. What was interesting was the black cracked pepper which the waiter put on top of the ice cream, it gave the ice cream a bit of a kick and is something that has grown on me in desserts.
It’s funny how some of my favouritr meals in this recent Japan trip were from non-Japanese restaurants as the primary cuisine. Picchu is certainly one of them, the fact that I traveled halfway around the world to Sapporo and spend a good ten minutes trying to find the place with the taxi driver and still walk out very happy with my meal is a testament to the food and the restaurant. I love it’s cosy and warm feel, some people might regard it as claustrophobic considering how close you are to the person next to you. But to me, Picchu is everything great about Japan when it comes to making use of small spaces on serving great food in great ambience. Here is a Chef who has never been to Italy, yet can churn out amazing Italian inspired food with the finest Japanese ingredients. It was a bloody good meal and experience in the most random of places in Sapporo, but it’s these type of experiences which make me constantly want to travel, explore and eat.
Picchu
Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
南三条東1-chome, 5-1-2 011-222-6144
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By Howard
We started eatshowandtell in 2008, it was meant to be just a journal of where we ate. The first thing I usually do when I'm looking for a restaurant is check out eatability and the restaurant website. But what is usually missing is pictures of the food, how do I know I'm getting what I expect? This blog hopefully plugs that gap.
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This article was written on 15 Feb 2010, and is filed under Around the World, Japan, Japanese.
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I am amazed at how dingy the restaurant looks but the food looks like out from a fine dining establishment. I so wish there is chef’s table like this in sydney where you can see all the action and tasting what they are making.
.-= billy@ATFT´s last blog ..Beer tasting dinner at Mumu Grill – Crows Next, Sydney, NSW =-.
Sounds like you had an awesome. I agree with Billy, we need more establishments like this in Sydney.
What an interesting post. I never would find somewhere cool like this place.
.-= Mark @ Cafe Campana´s last blog ..Opening Soon =-.
Whoah concur with Billy, this place produces unexpected dishes but it just shows that u cant judge a book by its cover.
Must check it outs whenever I go to Sapporo thx!
.-= FFichiban´s last blog ..Sepia – Sydney CBD, Sydney (Valentines & CNY 2010) =-.
Seriously a chef’s table experience where the numbers are very limited and you get a bird’s eye view of the action. Golden!
.-= mademoiselle délicieuse´s last blog ..Here piggy, piggy, piggy! =-.
Wow looks like a great little place and I love that you can see what the chef is doing! I’m so envious of all your Japan eats! Looks like you had a great time
.-= Jacq´s last blog ..Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday =-.
For such a small and hidden restaurant, the food looks top quality and amazing!
You guys must be having an amazing time! *envious*
-d
.-= debbii´s last blog ..Cocolat, Adelaide =-.
wow, its hard to believe that the chef has never been to japan, yet can produce such high quality italian japanese fusion dishes. I wonder where his influences come from? The presentation simple but immaculate.
.-= kthxbye´s last blog ..tooty frooty =-.
I have been admiring your pictures! Very nice indeed! Your pics here are beautifully lit in a seemingly dark restaurant – what kind of lighting/flash do you use?
love the description of the place…
hidden gem sounds nice and cosy… that sausage looks the goods
@Billy : Yeah I think we’ve spoken about this before on another post, we need more of it in Sydney!
@Phuoc : Ditto
@Mark : I’m hoping these exist in Sydney, just hiding.
@FFichiban : Yeah for sure, Japan always has unexpected places and dishes.
@mademoiselle délicieuse : I love seeing the chef prepare the food, an experience not to be forgotten.
@Jacq : I sure did, you should get the travel bug again !
@debbi : I didn’t want to come back!
@kthxbye : I wish I could of found out what his influences were, but damn that language barrier.
@harrow : I use all natural light, the 50mm 1.4 lens is good for low light photography.
@abercrombie : Sausage was amazing, not meat at all only crab.
Wow, this looks like just the kind of thing I want to eat (cod sperm notwithstanding…)!
.-= Y´s last blog ..Daring Bakers Challenge : Tiramisu =-.
I lived about 10 minutes from this restaurant last year and it is just unbelievably good. The menu changes with the season but it always has the highest standards. The first time I went there I almost wept with joy while eating! For anyone else who wants to go there, the easiest route is to turn left out of Sapporo station (south entrance), turn right at the first big intersection (pachinko parlor on the near side, hotel on the far side), walk straight for 10 minutes until you get to the shopping arcade (covered). Picchu is on the other side of the road down a narrow alley.
I’ve never really been a fan of Italian food in Japan, but after reading this blog and hearing all the comments, maybe I’ll try it again.
Thanks for the info.