A note on the words: lamb chops are bone-in cuts from young sheep, roasted here tender and mild and finished with rock salt and charred lemon. Lamb-burg is a variation of Japanese hamburg steak made with minced lamb, while budo-gyu is beef from cattle raised on grape pomace.
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The SHEEP FORCE on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. It seems the tenant shops inside Ark Hills near Roppongi-itchome Station have changed quite a bit. Looking into what had opened, I came across a place called “The SHEEP FORCE”. It seems to be a restaurant specializing in lamb — a grill and steak spot opened by Hitsuji SUNRISE in Azabu-juban. Curious to see how the other shops had changed as well, I decided to go see what it was like! It faces Ark Karajan Platz; what was originally here again…? I cannot quite recall.
The shops facing Karajan Platz seem to have changed here and there. I felt sure Chen Mapo Tofu used to be about two doors down from The SHEEP FORCE, but that spot had changed hands too!
Premium roast lamb chops — 2,900 yen
Lamb curry with grilled vegetables — 1,200 yen
Lamb-burg — 1,500 yen
Roast pork with grilled vegetables — 1,900 yen
Grape-fed beef steak with grilled vegetables — 2,900 yen
Hmm, grills and steaks are the main draw. With hamburg steak, curry, and even pork and beef, it is a lineup you could surprisingly enjoy even if you aren’t specifically looking for lamb. It is a bit on the pricier side, but having come all the way to a Hitsuji SUNRISE affiliate, maybe the premium roast lamb chops are the way to go? So that is what I chose.
And apparently you can have a pie from a shop called “THE PIE HOLE Los Angeles” for dessert (500 yen); I hadn’t heard of it before, but it piqued my curiosity, so I added that as well!
A drink is included, so I asked for iced tea.
Next, the salad. Quite a hearty portion.
The soup. With drink, salad, and soup included at this price, it might not actually be all that expensive after all.
And finally, the main dish arrived: the roast lamb chops.
Oh, that looks delicious. Cutting in with a knife, the meat is smoothly tender. It is roasted nicely, with a pleasant aromatic char. There is that characteristic sheep flavor, but it is not overpowering — more of a refined impression. Still, for someone who wants that full-on hit of sheep meat, it might feel a little mild, ha, since that distinctive aroma is part of what lamb is all about. The pairing with rock salt and whole-grain mustard is outstanding. Mmm, really good.
I paired it with rice, and it goes thoroughly well with rice too. After finishing one chop, squeezing the grilled lemon over the rest added even more freshness. Exactly what you’d expect from the Hitsuji SUNRISE group! Refined lamb, truly delicious.
This is the lamb-burg; apparently this one had virtually none of that distinct sheep gaminess either.
And here is today’s pie.
A fairly moist pie; walnuts, perhaps? The nuts are delicious!
I still haven’t made it to Hitsuji SUNRISE itself yet. But since I was able to enjoy such delicious sheep meat without any gamy odor at their sister shop, my expectations have only grown! I definitely want to go sometime! They also have terrace seating, so on days with a cool breeze, having roast lamb chops outside sounds like a fine idea.
The SHEEP FORCE (Bistro / Roppongi Itchome Station, Tameike Sanno Station, Kamiyacho Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
