Foodies Asia (en)For "foodies" who are particular about food.

 

The main dining area of “LAND STATION HAKUBA,” a collaboration between Snow Peak and architect Kengo Kuma, has been supervised by the three-star Tokyo restaurant “Kagurazaka Ishikawa.”

With a concept of “eating nature,” utilizing the rich environment, the restaurant has the potential to become a new food landmark in Hakuba.

Ave. Budget: Lunch 1,000-2,000 JPY, Dinner 10,000-15,000 JPY　

Check the information on ‘Tabelog’

 

 

Features　

Opened in May 2020, the “LAND STATION HAKUBA” collaboration between Snow Peak and Kengo Kuma has gained attention.

The restaurant, supervised by the three-star Japanese restaurant “Kagurazaka Ishikawa” in Tokyo, has also been a topic of conversation.

Although I visited the “Restaurant Seppou” at the “FIELD SUITE SPA HEADQUARTERS” in Sanjo, Niigata, and the order was reversed, I finally had the opportunity to visit this restaurant.

 

The concept is “cuisine that eats nature.”

Now, what are Snow Peak and “Kagurazaka Ishikawa” aiming for in their collaboration?

Let me quote their intention from their website.

Eating is an encounter with the nature and people’s lives of the land. The majestic mountains, the view of the river, the scent of the wind and soil. We respect nature and the feelings of the producers who love it. We put all of these things into one dish. We are deeply connected with the local producers and we provide “natural cuisine” of Japanese and Western dishes that allow you to taste the season’s blessings by carefully selecting and preparing the ingredients with the best cooking techniques.

from Official web-site

 

ncorporating both Japanese and Western cuisine in a way that goes back and forth between the two is unique to this restaurant, but the preceding statement has become the mainstream way of thinking in modern gastronomy.

Personally, what I find interesting is the intersection of outdoor activities and gastronomy.

As someone who enjoys both, I feel that I have a stronger understanding of this than the average person. When it comes to food, if you focus on local gastronomy and destination restaurants, your movement and travel destinations will become quite similar to that of an outdoor enthusiast.

Therefore, rather than seeing successful outdoor companies entering the gastronomy industry with their financial power, I hope that a synergy will emerge culturally.

 

The course is available only in the evening.

Overall, the menu is centered around set menus, but there is also a course menu available at night by reservation only.

This time, we had the only course menu available, “Hakuba,” which costs 7,590 yen.

It consisted of roughly 6 dishes.

The drinks are mainly focused on biodynamic wines.

There is also a wine pairing course available that is tailored to the course, but it seemed like a lot of alcohol, so we opted for a lighter glass of wine on this day.

The Sauvignon Blanc from “Neudorf” in New Zealand had a rich taste, and it was based on a fresh taste achieved through 100% natural yeast and natural fermentation, with some of it fermented in old barrels.

 

Appetizers included: Iwana (char) from Oide, black beans, Tosa vinegar, Azumino wild wasabi, and herbs.

Sashimi of iwana (char) with jellied Tosa vinegar.

It’s topped with fluffy boiled black beans.

I don’t get many chances to eat iwana at restaurants like this, but it’s really delicious.

 

Wanmono: Hakuba Vegetables with Tateshina Beef Thigh, Myoga Ginger, Perilla, Daikon Radish, and Medicinal Herbs.

Grilled Tateshina beef thigh is served with deep-fried Hakuba vegetables (shiitake mushrooms and eggplant) and a dashi broth with medicinal herbs poured just before eating.

 

Yaki-mono (grilled dish): Shinano yukimasu (snow trout) with cherry wood chips, pickled vegetables in vinegar, coriander, and bread.

The grilled dish is said to be made with Shinshu yuki masu (snow trout), and here it comes. Smoke is rising from the dish.

They bring the dish to the table with the smoky scent of cherry wood chips.

When the lid is opened, there is a sandwich with salmon, coriander, and pickles inside.

As a side dish, there is a small bowl of gazpacho.

Another glass of wine is served to accompany the next main course.

The wine is an Albariño from Spain.

 

Main course (meat, fish dish): Shinshu salmon with cider, Hakuba Onihikari rice, citrus, and seasonal shellfish.

You can also select Iiyama pork fillet and Shinshu Alps beef sirloin (+2,310 yen), but we chose pork for the rice dish, so we went with fish for the main course.

The Shinshu salmon is cooked perfectly to medium rare. The seasonal shellfish is scallop.

Instead of the typical white wine sauce, we use cider, which is typical of Nagano. The sweetness and acidity of the apples can be lightly savored.

 

For the rice or noodle dish: ginger rice cooked in a clay pot, Amagin pork with soy sauce koji from Azumino, and fresh wasabi from Azumino.

The final carbohydrate dish is either rice or noodles.

For noodles, it would be “homemade fresh noodles with Shinshu golden shamo and soba soup”, but I wanted pork so I chose the ginger rice cooked in a clay pot.

The grilled dish of Azumino pork will come separately.

That’s a full course meal in itself.

By the way, the clay pot used to cook the rice is made by Snow Peak.

It has a cylindrical shape similar to a rice cooker, which is easy to use when camping or enjoying outdoor activities.

 

 

Dessert or after-dinner drink.

Choose the seasonal dessert.

From the top, a watermelon granita, soft serve ice cream made from Jersey milk in Koufu, and a three-layered cold parfait with crementine.

 

After-dinner drink: Matcha espresso from Ichibou Tea House.

In addition, you can also choose coffee or black tea.

 

A restaurant that should lead gastronomy in Hakuba

My honest impression is that a really delicious restaurant has been established in Hakuba.

There are certainly excellent soba shops in Nagano as expected, and there are also favorite restaurants such as Western food and organic cafes, but in the area from Azumino to Omachi to Hakuba, I couldn’t find a restaurant where I could feel that it was delicious and gastronomic.

One way of looking at it is that this may be the difficulty of a resort area.

When the high season comes, customers come on their own. The ability to handle this smoothly is what is first required of restaurants in a resort area, and it is often difficult to break out of the situation where something outstanding cannot emerge.

I am frustrated that the rich natural environment is not being fully utilized, but this restaurant gave me hope that the situation might change.

 

MENU

【Rice】
※The rice menu comes with seasonal vegetable appetizers, freshly cooked rice nurtured by the water from Hakuba Daisetsu, and Shinshu miso soup.

• “Tateshina beef roast beef bowl with the fragrance of Azumino wasabi” 3,190 yen (limited to 10 servings)
• “Shinshu salmon and Fukumi chicken wrapped in yuba, baked in a clay pot” 2,255 yen
• “Itoigawa crab cream croquette with tomato sauce” 2,200 yen
• “Shinshu beef special om hayashi rice” 2,420 yen

 

• Set menu “Hakuba Sanzan” 3,960 yen
• Shinshu salmon yuba-wrapped bake / Itoigawa crab cream croquette / Tateshina beef roast beef Large Japanese char and Azumino wasabi

 

【Pasta】

• “Shinano yukimasu (snow trout) and Azumino wasabi spaghetti” 2,640 yen
• “Homemade fresh rigatoni pasta with Shinshu blue cheese cream, ham, and mango sauce” 2,420 yen
• “Chef’s recommended pasta” ask

 

• “Restaurant Setsuhou Chef Original Salsiccia di Finocchiona” 1,595 yen
• “Shinshu ginjo pork, Shinshu beef, and Fukumi chicken liver country-style pate” 825 yen

 

【Desert】

• “Today’s daily dessert & after-meal drink set” 770 yen
• “Setsuhou special Hakuba white pudding” 880 yen
• “Obuse Jersey milk fruit parfait” 1,320 yen

 

＊Please note that the menu and prices are for reference only, as they are subject to change depending on the season and availability of ingredients.

 

予約方法

Reservations are required for dinner. It is recommended to make reservations for lunch during peak season and on weekends. Please call to make a reservation.

 

MAP / ACCESS

 

 

 

 

 

 

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