It’s really surprising that I haven’t updated this blog for almost a month.
Currently, both the lead wall and the boulder wall at the Bibai City Sports Center have been closed since yesterday due to preparations for the Preliminary Round for the National Sports Festival in Hokkaido Block, which will be held this weekend (July 22-23). The setters are working on to make problems for both lead and boulder.
Since all tapes of existing problems are removed for the competition, the number of problems will be quite small immediately after the competition. However, you can try new problems used for the Preliminary Round, and I’m thinking of setting some problems after the competition so that climbers visiting Bibai can enjoy various problems until the expansion work of the lead wall begins (construction period: TBD). Please come and climb in Bibai.
Today, I would like to introduce some restaurants in Bibai that I have been to. If you have a chance to visit Bibai or climb at the Bibai City Sports Center, it may be a great idea to visit one of these restaurants (there are other great restaurants in Bibai, too!)
Grilled Skewers TATSUMI
Speaking of Bibai, I guess “Bibai Yakitori” is a famous local dish. Various parts of chicken giblets are skewered with onion sandwiched in between and grilled with charcoal.
This restaurant TATSUMI offers set menus during lunch time, such as a “Yakitori (chicken skewer) + Soba (buckwheat noodle) + Onigiri (rice ball)” set and a “Yakitori + Soba + Chicken broth simmered rice” set.
At the diner time, you can enjoy various dishes and an exquisite menu that can be only served here.
I personally like the “yakitori + chicken broth simmered rice” set for lunch, and as for the dinner menu, I love torisashi (chicken sashimi, which can be achieved by thorough hygiene management!) and motsuni (giblet stew with the savory miso flavor, a good amount of volume perfect for two people!).
Chicken Sashimi 
Giblet stew
Reference (in JP): https://www.bibai.net/tatsumi/
JURAKU
Although this eatery is advertised as a family-oriented restaurant, by looking at the menu, it not only offers a wide range of meals from Japanese to Western dishes but also offers course meals, etc. This restaurant can be also used for banquets.
I visited this restaurant during lunch time and had Kashiwa soba (chicken soba), which was very delicious.
Chicken soba
Reference (in JP): https://www.jyuraku.info/
STAR
This restaurant offers Nepalese curry and soup curry and is located along National Route 12, so I guess many people may have seen it while driving along the Route 12.
You can enjoy authentic Nepalese curry in Bibai at this restaurant, which serves not only savory curry but also very delicious cheese naan.
If you like curry, do you wanna try their dishes?
Chicken salad
Set menu: Cheese naan & 2 kinds of curry
Reference (in JP): https://www.city.bibai.hokkaido.jp/soshiki/2/10437.html
FUJI KANKOU
This long-established restaurant has a very large parking lot, and is often used by truck drivers and those who drive other large vehicles.
Although it is called a cafeteria, this restaurant is spacious and has table seats as well as tatami-mat seats, so you can enjoy meals in a relaxed atmosphere.
The menu varies from set meals, rice bowls, and torimeshi (chicken broth simmered rice), standard dishes such as ramen and curry, and a hearty lunch menu at a reasonable price during lunch hours.
When I visited here before, I had the “Bibai miso pork lunch,” which was excellent.
Bibai miso pork lunch
Reference (in JP): http://fujikan.server-shared.com/
Family Restaurant CENTURY
This restaurant has been around for a long time, and when you enter this restaurant, you can feel the atmosphere similar to that of a good old coffee shop.
It is a restaurant that can also accommodate many customers as it has table seats on the 1st floor and rooms with tatami-mat seats on the 2nd floor.
There are various delicious dishes such as gomoku fried noodles (fried noodles with various ingredients) and pork cutlet curry, and there is also a lunch menu with a drink of your choice (they even serve freshly squeezed orange juice as well!).
When you have a chance to visit Bibai, visiting this restaurant and enjoying delicious dishes can be a great option while feeling the atmosphere of a good old Showa era?
C lunch (Ginger pork, salad, soup, drink)
Reference (in JP): https://www.city.bibai.hokkaido.jp/soshiki/2/10397.html
Cafe STOVEN
This cafe is a bakery, but it also offers a lunch menu, and you can enjoy meals while watching sheep grazing through the window.
There are various kinds of hard bread, which is my favorite. I believe this cafe is an irresistible place for bread lovers.
It’s located right near the Bibai City Sports Center, so why not stop by and enjoy their bread when you come to climb in Bibai?
Assorted bread and side dishes
Seasonal sandwich
Dessert (Ice cream and apple pie)
Reference (in JP): https://stoven.cafe/
These restaurants above are those that I have been to.
There are other must-visit restaurants in Bibai such as the following:
・RAKURA izakaya http://rakura-bibai.com/
・Handmade Soba MATSUKI soba (buckwheat noodle) https://www.city.bibai.hokkaido.jp/soshiki/2/10427.html
・FUKUYOSHI yakitori (chicken skewer) https://www.fukuyoshi.tv/shop/bibai-honten/
・HOUTENROU Chinese dishes
When you come to Bibai for climbing, wouldn’t it be a fun way to spend a day enjoying climbing and the delicious cuisine of Bibai?
