Call me particular, but it took until now for my husband to win out in choosing a restaurant for this project. His choice was a jingis-khan joint, a Hokkaido specialty of lamb barbecued at your table (a la Genghis Kahn c. 1200). We’ve tried it a handful of times around Sapporo, and while it makes for a good time with friends, I was never particularly impressed with the food. Enter Daruma. Nat read about Daruma months ago on Shift Sapporo (an excellent English-language guide to Sapporo) and has been trying to persuade me to give jingis another chance ever since.
Daruma has been open for over 50 years, and is run by a rowdy bunch of older women who may or may not have taken over the place during WWII when men were in short supply in Japan. It has three locations but we decided on the original - a smoke-laden hole in the wall in the entertainment district with minimal seating. We arrived there shortly after opening and were lucky to have a short wait as the waiting bench (which seats as many as the actual restaurant) filled up within minutes of our arrival. Daruma has no menu. When you finally score your seat (after the other diners are kindly asked to shift left or right on their stools to accommodate), the charcoal on your grill is ready and immediately topped with generous fistfuls of onions. You are quickly served a plate of lamb per person and a dish of Daruma’s famous sauce. The only decisions left to the diner are yes or no questions: beer? rice? a spoonful of garlic and chili from the communal bowl into your sauce?
In all aspects, Daruma is incredibly straightforward. It is also incredibly delicious. We ate two helpings each on our first visit and a short week later were back for more. It’s proprietors are entertaining, the bbq smoke substantial, and the food some of the best we’ve eaten in Japan. Daruma is a gem of the kind that I hesitate to even share. Except with a very satisfied husband.
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