BLACK WOOD GRILL ブラックウッドグリル — Restaurant in Kutchan

4 minutes out of Hirafu village, this was a welcome and surprisingly quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the ski resorts and tourists. I still don’t even know how we stumbled upon this true hidden gem!

The food was phenomenal and service was impeccable. Our servers anticipated our every need and provided our best dining experience by far in Niseko and perhaps even all of Japan.

The potato soup appetizer and Hokkaido butter with baguette were just the right intro to the upcoming meal - warm and inviting after coming out of the cold Niseko evening snow.

The Butcher’s block sampler was perfectly cooked with the most tender and excellently seared Wagyu.

The chicken and pork were also extremely well done with sides of mustard, sea salt and crushed peppercorns to provide seasoning to one’s taste.

Dessert was incredible - a Hokkaido whipped mousse of the perfect consistency with hints of Japanese tea. Truly well executed and a great way to put a memorable bow on the feast.

Reservations are a must and try everything on the menu (including the extensive French wine list and Japanese whiskey and cocktail menu).

Would travel across the globe to come here...

A solid, well executed meal with flavorful dishes. I especially loved the 3-way shrimp risotto and the scallops course. I just wish we knew about how large of a wagyu portion we were getting before ordering because then one of us would have gotten the venison and the other one get the wagyu. A full wagyu strip steak per person, though awesome, was just a bit too much for us by the end of the meal. Our Singaporean waiter was delightful and fluent in multiple languages. its a bit out of the way, buy our concierge called and the restaurant shuttle van picked us up. it was also offered to have a colleague give us a ride back to the hotel but we had already prearranged a taxi.

The restaurant wasn't full but people were getting turned away. Reservations...

After a long day’s hike, coming to black wood grill is a reward for the soul. Chef-sommelier-GM-and auteur, Atsushi Maruyama, is a rare find and an artist in his own right over the little kingdom that is black wood grill. The food served is beautifully presented, and feeds the soul as well as the body. We had the wagyu four -course plus the wine/sake pairing, and every step was perfectly on point .Chef’s passion for food, and local produce shines through his deft preparation. Black wood grill is not to be missed and we shall remember the warm welcome and culinary experience here for many years...