Bi-on Niseko — Restaurant in Kutchan

Food prepared by head chef & sous chef only - all viewable in open kitchen. Intimate space with 4-5 tables & counter seating. I think there’s just one service (7pm), maybe a 2nd after 930pm?

We selected our menu in advance via email - 4 options ranging from 10-35k JPY - but there are no details re: the tiers so it’s a bit blind. The 25k JPY is a lot ... a lot ... of food for 2 ppl. But it’s stellar and certainly validates the price point, just def skip the bread.

Sounded like the menu changes daily; our lineup was more seafood than meat. Standouts included the toro steak w/caviar, flounder-wrapped uni, King Crab in olive/sun-dried tomato broth. Entree was an amazing slab of steak & fatty, crispy-skin pork. A smattering of veg, mostly arugula & some fab mushrooms, and 2 desserts - dense choc cake & panna cotta.

Only issue was the pace of the service. The table beside us took a smaller menu (3-4 dishes) while we took a larger one, ~8 plates. Since the kitchen preps food en masse, it had to push out our extra dishes rapid fire & our table overflowed w/4 starters at one point. Meanwhile our neighbors had long gaps between plates. We weren’t able to sit & savor & wine sip & gush over the just-devoured plate with each other the best part of a meal!

We would definitely return on the food alone, and especially now that we understand some nuances. A viewable menu at the beginning of service would also be useful to diners (and the charming, albeit...

If you are looking for the best restaurant in town, look no further. Head chef Nao I learned is a Hokkaido local and everything he cooks with is local/regional. The cuisine you could say is a Japanese/Italian fusion that favors cooking incredible quality meats and seafood on his wood grill right in front of you. This...

We had the 23000 menu. Quality ingredients, inviting dining atmosphere, nothing fancy, kind of expensive (in case you are looking for fine dining experience). The chef was really nice and he even drove us back to the hotel since the taxis were all booked. Worth a try if you are in town looking for a low-key but good...