On 10 September I visited Hige Danshaku, near Bus Center-mae station.
It is about a five-minute walk from the library I often use, roughly halfway between Odori and Bus Center-mae on the subway.
Coming from the city centre, head east along Route 12, cross the Sosei River, turn left at the first traffic light onto a one-way street, and the shop is on your right.
There are two dedicated parking spaces in front, plus coin parking next door and across the street, so arriving by car is no problem.
It had probably been about fifteen years since my last visit.
The shop opened in 2007, so it has been going for nineteen years, and next year marks its twentieth anniversary.
For a restaurant to last twenty years is something I can only respect.
I walked in at 11:25, and twenty-five minutes after opening there were already six groups, about ten people, seated.
I ordered the chicken curry at 1,530 yen, spice level 1, regular rice, and added broccoli as a topping for 160 yen.
There are also weekday specials, bacon, egg and cheese on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and simmered beef tendon on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but this time I stuck with the classic.
A regular serving of rice is about 300 g, Hokkaido-grown Nanatsuboshi mixed with barley.
By 11:40 the place was full, with two groups of four waiting.
Given the location, it seems to draw both tourists and office workers on weekdays.
The curry arrived at 11:46, about eighteen minutes after ordering.
The soup opens with sweetness, followed by the aroma of Japanese dashi rising through the nose.
The spice notes you might expect, cumin or coriander, do not come to the front.
The heat follows afterwards, so there is still plenty of spiciness.
Level 1 felt just right to me, but level 2 would probably be quite hot.
If you are sensitive to heat, even level 1 may feel spicy.
The chicken leg is simmered until tender and then seared on the surface, so it is both fragrant and soft.
The broccoli topping was properly deep-fried, eight small florets in all.
The standard vegetables are eight kinds: Chinese cabbage, carrot, cabbage, green pepper, eggplant, pumpkin, daikon and potato, all carefully cooked.
An unusual touch is the glass noodles, whose slippery texture goes well with the soup.
I left at 12:05, and there was a line of about ten people outside.
Payment is cash or PayPay only.
After the heat of August, September in Sapporo has turned into long-sleeve weather.
It is becoming a good season for eating something spicy.
