Arata Naru Bondz Susukino Honten

There’s no question about it: jingisukan (transliterated from “Genghis Khan” due to its resemblance to northeastern Chinese dishes) is the quintessential Hokkaido food. Like many Hokkaido dishes, at its core, it’s simple — sliced lamb, mutton and assorted vegetables cooked on a central grill — but hearty and nourishing to sustain people through the frigid winter nights. As such, it’s no surprise that Sapporo’s nightlife district of Susukino is packed with jingisukan restaurants — but not all jingisukan restaurants are made equal. One in particular stands out, not least for its unusual name: Arata Naru Bondz. Like its name, which literally means “new”, Arata Naru Bondz puts a new spin on a classic dish, not by reinventing itself entirely, but rather, just simply by changing the style of cooking. Typically, jingisukan works like yakiniku: guests are served the ingredients raw, and they cook it themselves. But Arata Naru Bondz’s concept is that of “a family-run jingisukan restaurant”. As such, each table is assigned a staff member, who isn’t just there to grill the meat to the ideal level of doneness for the perfect flavor and texture, but also to banter with the guests at the table. This lets the conversation flow freely between guests, and takes the responsibility of cooking off the diner. This characteristic friendliness isn’t the only secret ingredient contributing to its success. Where most jingisukan restaurants may offer about three to four types of meat, Arata Naru Bondz offers 10 types, sourced from all around the world, letting guests freely try multiple different cuts — and letting them get additional orders of their favorites. Regardless of the cut, all meat at the restaurant is fresh, and never sees the inside of a freezer. This is topped off by the restaurant’s two types of sauces. The first, the restaurant’s “rich sauce”, incorporates grated vegetables and fruit, and is served warm to prevent the fat in the lamb from coagulating when it is dipped in the sauce. The other is a sharper, vinegar-based sauce that is simultaneously tart and sweet. Alternatively, to enjoy the purest flavor of the lamb, guests can opt just to use salt.