We thought we’d get something simple and light at Lucky Pierrot…turns out that was not the case at all.

Lucky Pierrot, known affectionately as “Rappi” based on the contraction of sounds in Japanese, is a hamburger chain local to Hakodate City in Hokkaido Prefecture. It’s almost like a rite of passage for anyone visiting the city to grab a bite there, so during our recent travels up north we pulled up to the Minato Hokudai Mae branch, right across from Hokkaido University’s Hakodate campus.

One of the hallmarks of Lucky Pierrot is that the decorations at each individual location are different. The theme of this particular one is Elvis Presley, so the entire interior was outfitted with all kinds of Elvis paraphernalia reminiscent of 1950s America.

Truly though–they had really taken the theme to the next level. All kinds of photos, posters, and record covers of Elvis’ albums graced the wall. It was pretty darn impressive.

Besides the unique decorating schemes, the chain is most famous for its large-sized burgers, especially the Chinese Chicken Burger. On this particular day, however, we were in the mood for something a little bit lighter than that, so we ordered omuraisu (“omelet rice”). This Japanese-style dish consists of a layer of omelet draped over fried rice and seasoned with ketchup. It’s beloved by children and is a comfort food for adults as well. We thought the dish might be lonely on its own, so we also added some fries on to the order for a total of 770 yen (US$5.43).

Little did we know the GIANT mistake we had just made. Behold–it arrived and we were lost for words. There, resting on a large silver plate (platter?), was a veritable yellow mountain with a stream of ketchup lava.

Just how big was big? We’d equate it to the size of a kid’s rugby ball or even a kid’s face.

After recovering from the visual shock, we tentatively inserted a spoon into the middle of the mountain and gently cut into the glistening layer of egg…

…to be greeted by the inner stuffing of rice flavored with ketchup.

Somewhat unusually, the dish was also served with some small vegetables pickled in soy sauce on the side. It soon became clear that there were plenty of onions and generous chunks of pork mixed in with the rice, too. The Donan region of south-central Hokkaido is famous for pig farms, so we wondered if pork was perhaps cheaper than chicken around there–or if it was just a coincidence.

Regardless, a bite confirmed that it had that classic omuraisu taste and was easy to down.

▼ We just weren’t expecting to down quite so much.

Seriously, the mountain didn’t seem to shrink no matter how much we ate, even after taking rests at frequent intervals. It was like a bad dream in which we couldn’t escape from the reality of the unfinished omuraisu at every turn.

Sure, the familiar taste was what we had been craving, but we hadn’t signed up for the crazy portion size. It turned out that four eggs and over 300 grams (10.6 ounces) of rice had gone into its creation. If this were a beef bowl fast food place, it would be the equivalent of an extra-large serving–enough to fill two regular bowls. The fries made it harder to finish the whole thing, but they also provided a welcome break from the continual egg and rice.

Well, we’d know for future reference never to order omuraisu at Lucky Pierrot ever again if we were in the mood for something simple and light.

By the way, it turns out that Lucky Pierrot’s menu also differs a bit from location to location, so omuraisu isn’t even an option at certain branches. This one, at least, had a constant stream of local university student customers who could benefit from the large and inexpensive dish. On our end, we’ll probably stick with some other local find the next time we’re visiting Hokkaido.

Restaurant information
Lucky Pierrot Minato Hokudai Mae branch / ラッキーピエロ　港北大前店
Address: Hokkaido, Hakodate-shi, Minato-cho 3-18-28
北海道函館市港町 3-18-28
Open: 10 a.m.-11 p.m.
Website

Reference: Lucky Pierrot
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