Sourcing matters.

Sapporo Jingisukan Shirokuma

Even lamb of the same age can taste different depending on where it's raised, they explain, and the shop serves Australian lamb and mutton, Icelandic lamb, and Hokkaido lamb. The Hokkaido lamb is sourced directly, whole, from "Charo Menyo Bokujo" sheep farm in Shiranuka — about one to one and a half sheep at a time. It's paired with a light, soy-sauce-based sauce. The flavor, which never gets old, hasn't changed since the shop opened. Finely ground Mongolian rock salt is also recommended.

"Hokkaido Lamb Curry" was born from a desire not to waste the tougher shoulder and neck cuts unsuited to jingisukan. Simmered for about 10 hours, this curry comes in small, medium, and large sizes — many customers order it to finish off their meal after jingisukan. The menu also features a lamb offal assortment, letting you try liver, heart, sagari (diaphragm), and tongue, as well as house-made Hokkaido lamb sausage — a chance to enjoy the many different flavors of Hokkaido lamb. Even the vegetables and rice served alongside are Hokkaido-grown. From the menu posted on the wall to the notes on the lamb itself, a deep dedication to ingredients comes through. This jingisukan, the kind you somehow find yourself craving again, is the crystallization of that dedication.