This is a truly Hokkaido-esque location: a dome house on a hilltop.

Restaurant La Motrice is located on a hill about a 10-minute drive from JR Shintoku Station. Drive past the large park, Sahoro Riverside Sports Ground, up the hill, and turn left. Follow the signs and you'll arrive.

The surrounding area is lined with birch trees, creating a magnificent location typical of Hokkaido. The beautiful scenery, a blend of blue and white unique to winter, made me instinctively reach for my camera.

Here's a look at the shop's exterior. It's a truly unique dome-shaped house. Surrounded by trees, it has a secluded feel and somehow looks like something out of a storybook.

As I was admiring the dome-shaped house, the owner's wife noticed my car, opened the door, and greeted me. I felt warm and fuzzy even before I entered the shop.

Since I visited during the harsh winter, the shop, enveloped in the gentle warmth of the wood-burning stove, was a calming and soothing space. The other customers were all engrossed in their own conversations.

The cozy atmosphere, spacious tables, and carefully chosen interior design made the time spent waiting for the food very enjoyable.

A moment to savor the bounty of vegetables from the Tokachi Plain.

All meals at "Restaurant La Motrice" are served as a set course. You need to specify your main dish when making a reservation by phone in advance. The restaurant will serve you an amuse-bouche, salad, main course, homemade bread or rice, and a post-meal drink.

Our recommended main dish is a meat dish featuring Tomuraushi Jersey beef. This is a brand of beef raised at Sekiya Ranch in Tomuraushi, often called Japan's last remaining wilderness.

The amuse-bouche minestrone is a dish where the fresh acidity of tomatoes and the sweetness of the ingredients blend together. The texture of the ingredients, which crumble together with the soup, is addictive.

Next came the salad. More than 10 kinds of colorful vegetables and mushrooms were arranged in a three-dimensional way.

With their beautiful appearance, they could be called "jewels of the field." You can enjoy to your heart's content the fresh, juicy vegetables grown in the nutrient-rich Tokachi Plain.

The cooking method, which involves using vinegar to enhance the flavor and lightly grilling to bring out the aroma, is also a key point. This dish truly reflects the love for the ingredients.

The subtle additions include meat and cheese from Tomuraushi Jersey cows. The perfect balance of saltiness and richness provided an exquisite accent to the fresh salad.

The main course was a hamburger made with Tomuraushi Jersey beef.

The most popular item is the Jersey beef hamburger. You can choose from three sizes: small, medium, and large. The hamburger has a perfect char, which shows the chef's excellent cooking skills.

With just one bite, the robust and somewhat wild flavor of Jersey beef spreads throughout your mouth. The juicy hamburger patty pairs perfectly with the refreshing grated daikon radish.

Tokachi-grown vegetables adorn the plate to complement the main dish. There's so much of it, it's hard to tell whether the hamburger or the vegetables are the star of the show.

The chef's unique cooking style brings out the best in the ingredients, adding a special touch to the flavor of the meat. The sweetness of the fresh vegetables also perfectly balances the richness of the meat.

"Why is the bread I eat in Hokkaido so delicious?" I tried it with olives and with meat. My mouth was filled with the aroma of wheat, and it made me feel happy.

A moment to encounter birds and animals with a cup of coffee in hand.

After the meal, they brewed us some carefully selected coffee. Since the other customers had just left, the owner's wife kindly offered us a seat by the window. These kinds of thoughtful gestures are really appreciated!

The rich, bitter coffee was incredibly delicious. I forgot about the harsh cold outside and savored it for a while.

The grounds of "Restaurant La Motrice" are a treasure trove of wildlife. On this particular day, we were lucky enough to have a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a red fox and an Ezo deer. We could also enjoy watching wild birds coming to feed outside the window.

The chef's father was adorable, getting excited every time he saw an animal, and the way the two of them warmly saw us off at the end was also very memorable.

So, this time we introduced "Restaurant La Motrice," a renowned restaurant in Shintoku Town. It's a hidden gem of a restaurant where you can enjoy a wonderful time along with delicious food. Be sure to visit it at least once!

Yuhei Tonosho, a cyclist and photographer who delves deep into Japan

Born in 1993 in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. Graduated from Doshisha University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Cultural History and Department of English Literature. While working as a salaryman, he is a travel writer who travels all over Japan by bicycle and mountain climbing. He captures and shares the changing seasons of Japan with all his senses.

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