Yoichi Town in Hokkaido is home to a whiskey distillery, made famous by the NHK TV series. There is an Italian restaurant called "Jijiya Babaya" in this town. It is actually a well-known Italian restaurant, and some people come from far away to visit. I visited there by chance, but the food was so delicious that I asked the owner for permission to publish the article on this website.


A chance encounter

Originally, I was planning to have lunch in Otaru after the distillery tour, so I asked an acquaintance living in Otaru for a recommendation of a sushi restaurant. Then, on the morning of the day of the tour, I somehow received information on three oden restaurants. And all of them were open only at night. I know it was a bit odd that I had been given this information, but I was still in a panic. I was in a rage. (By the way, I visited one of the oden shops at night. (By the way, we visited one of the oden shops at night, where the regulars were warm and the oden was very tasty.)

Although I was off to a bad start, I thought it might be a good idea to eat in Yoichi, and picked up a small tourist pamphlet that was available at Yoichi station. I picked up a small tourist pamphlet at Yoichi station, which listed Jijiya Babaya. Attracted by the unique name of the restaurant, I decided to give it a try.

Beware of drunken people

After leaving the distillery, I headed toward the town hall along Route 229. It was about a kilometer to Jijiyabaya, and we walked along the snow-covered road, which we were not accustomed to walking on, with the Yoichi River slightly icy in early February.

For those who would like to follow the same route, I would like to mention that you can taste whiskey at the distillery tour. There is also a paid tasting area. In other words, at this point, you are "drunk" to one degree or another. If you are not used to snow-covered roads, I recommend you to take a cab.



The stylish building that suddenly appears amidst the snowfield is Gigi Babaya. The Italian flag extending from the wall stands out prominently. Inside the restaurant, there is a counter where you can sit comfortably and several tables. We entered the restaurant just as it opened, and were probably the first to arrive.


The specialty is "Spatula crab pasta.

I quickly looked at the menu. The main dishes include more than 15 kinds of pasta and pizza. Light snacks, desserts, and alcoholic beverages such as wine are also available.


I ordered the most popular dish, "Spatula Crab Tomato Cream Pasta. It is said to be the restaurant's signature dish.


A whole crab is placed on top of the pasta with cream sauce. The dish does not betray its photo, or rather, it has a greater impact than the photo. You can even feel the spirit of the dish.



The official name of the blue king crab is "Hira Tsume crab". It seems to be a small blue crab that is landed in various places in Japan. Depending on the region, it is also called "Hiragani," "Akagani," "Shiragani," etc. It is not often distributed to urban areas and is eaten freshly caught in miso soup. It is not often distributed to urban areas and is eaten freshly caught in miso soup.



According to the owner, the legs are so thin that the only edible meat is the shoulder meat (at the base of the leg). Since the shell is very soft, the owner said that the owner takes the leg in his hand, bites down on it, and eats it while slurping down the meat. Indeed, there was very little meat. However, the crab was refreshing, yet rich, and you could taste the flavor when you slurped it down.

The pasta under the crab is condensed with this flavor. The tomato sauce, which may have been mixed with miso (soybean paste) and meat, was incredibly tasty. It is rich and thick, but not sharp, and everything is in perfect balance. It is a pasta that fills your body with a delicious aroma.

People in love with Domaine Takahiko

There is another "specialty" here. The wine of Domaine Takahiko, a small brewery located nearby, is another specialty. In fact, it is said that wine lovers from all over Japan come to drink this wine.

Domaine Takahiko uses bio-grown Pinot Noir from its own farm to make wine that is naturally fermented without the addition of yeast. He aims to create a "natural wine that only a farmer could make. The wines are highly acclaimed for their taste and are attracting attention as an up-and-coming Japanese winery.

The production volume is small, and only a few stores carry their wines. However, when you come to Jiziya Bhabaya, you can drink this rare wine and eat delicious food. In fact, on the day of the visit, there was a customer who was going to visit the brewery. For wine lovers, this may be the restaurant of their dreams.

I was served a red wine called "Koharu. The refreshing fruitiness of the grapes was impressive.


Pickled grapes?

There is a menu item that I was told goes well with Koharu. Homemade pickles" are a perfect balance of sweetness and sourness. It contains pickles of grapes. The fresh pickles bursting with flavor are a new sensation. It matched the delicate Koharu and gave the taste buds a sense of good taste.


By 12:30 p.m., the restaurant was about 80% full. Some had come from far away, while others were families who appeared to be locals. It seems that the restaurant is supported by a wide range of people.

When I mentioned the name of Jiziya Babaya at one of the restaurants, the staff, who were born and raised in Sapporo, said they knew the name of the restaurant. Is it a well-known restaurant in Hokkaido? In any case, I would like to express my gratitude to the staff of the restaurant for giving me a wonderful time. If I visit again, I would definitely like to enjoy pizza and wine.