AYA Kitchen — Restaurant in Kutchan

Grilled mutton dish: mutton was quite flavorful- sweet and savory. A bit too much fat for my preference (I prefer lean cuts) and dish as a whole had way too much oil. Grilled vegetables were infused with the flavor from the oil. Quite good. Carrot was tender, other vegetables were crunchy but pumpkin could've been a bit softer. Rice was good. Miso soup: sweeter than any other miso soup I've had before. Not as salty either.

Both were served at a good hot temperature. We came at 13:00 and had to wait at least 10 minutes to be seated. It was a bit tricky to order the food initially as the website wasn't working but staff were friendly. Food took a while to come- not too long in the grand scheme of things but I've definitely had faster service at some other lunch places while skiing/snowboarding (but that might just be mountain restaurants are faster...

Made a reservation in advance and paid for set meals. The restaurant was slightly understaffed for a busy season, we didnt get an explanation of the set meal until we asked. The restaurant wasnt too crowded at 7pm. For set meal, you have a choice of Boiled Crab + Soup or Crab Hotpot. You will also get salad, a plate of cold meat (ham and the likes), wagyu beef and dessert (ice cream and frozen mochi). The Crab Hotpot was fabulous and will be served in a single pot with multiple portions if there is more than 1 order at the table. The wagyu was also well cooked, very soft and buttery. We also ordered a side of Genghis Khan Mutton - which was very bad. You are better off eating at Daruma in Sapporo. The 100Hr Curry was not bad but please take note there is no meat...

We stopped there for an early lunch during our ski trip. It has a perfect location at the base of Ace Family Chairlift. Big space with lots of dark wood and booths. Classic feed the hungry crowd and move them on. Order is done via an app and the service is quick. However, the BBQ pork bowl did take the longest time to arrive compared with the other food ordered around the table. I assure there is more effort involved. In terms of serving size, it was generous. It will hit the spot if you have burned the calories while skiing. Price wise, it is mountain price but at least the food is above average and plentiful so it is reasonable given...