méli mélo -Yuki No Koe- — Restaurant in Kutchan

Poor management with untrained staff that were unhelpful. They missed our order without apology and made us wait for a long time. The portion of the food is super small.

Rather than a French Japanese fusion, their food is a subpar hotel breakfast cafeteria with boring food superficially elevated by the facade of expensive ingredients to supposedly increase its value. Moreover, the food served is not even French but just western dishes made with Japanese ingredients—not exactly unique considering both the price and the advertising. We had previously booked in advanced only to find that they were apparently “fully booked”. We were then informed that there had been a cancellation giving us a table. After arriving, we were greeted with a less than packed reception. Instead, just a bunch of empty unreserved tables. Based on the supposed full booking, I would expect an experience of interesting combinations with rich and light subtleties only available here considering the advertised mix of French richness and Japanese precision. However, I was served with food that I have seen all too much of. The food was simply a splatter and butchering of Japanese ingredients with a lazy mockery of French cuisine. That being said, praise goes to where it is deserved. The wagyu beef penne ragu, though I have seen this dish before, was consistently good. While not exactly creative, it’s a dish that I always enjoy.

Overall, a frustrating experience that could have been avoided had the staff, especially senior management and the executive chef given their experience, taken accountability for mistakes. Hopefully, they can improve their performance both with service and with...

We were a group of 25 people celebrating Lunar new year in Niseko earlier this year. Meli melo is one of the few restaurants in Niseko that can accommodate a big group like ours. We had to reserve ahead of time, and Manager Mr. Yamamoto was very helpful (even the response was slow at times). Most restaurants would asked us to go with only set menus, but Meli Melo let us order a la carte directly from the full menu if we order ahead of time and we took full advantage of that opportunity. The restaurant was very nice and they blocked off part of the restaurant for us so we could have a semi-private setting. We were a bit worried that we have made it too complicated for the kitchen as we have ordered close to 70 items. Yet to our delight everything came out perfectly. The quality of the food was amazing and everything came out in a timely manner. Not one mistake even though some in our group kept ordering extra items and drinks. I was truly amazed by their ability to handle such a big group so smoothly. Ingredients were fresh, food and drink variety is wide, food tasted amazing and service was great. When we finally asked for the bill it was under 10k yen per person, not exactly cheap but definitely worth it, especially when comparing to the subpar dinner we had the night before at twice the price. If it wasn't the last day we were staying in Niseko we would definitely have re-visited meli melo for another dinner. That was a very decent surprise on our trip. Thank you for an amazing new...

Hidden in plain sight. Right beside the main road in Setsu but frequently over looked for dinner, which means I can always get a table here. In busy Hirafu, this is great for me and it frustrates me to give a positive review, knowing that more people will go. The food is typical but honest French nouvelle with Japanese influence. Showcasing the best aspects of local ingredients. The menu rotates based on the seasons giving the restaurant a sense of place. I was here for both summer and winter, and I love to try new food. Portions are smaller than what people might expect but it means I get to sample more flavours. The only downside might be the inconsistent service that's part and parcel of the town with high turnover of workers, but the manager is sincere and always trying his best. Ambience is simple and unstuffy. Big windows allow natural light to flood in and after dark, they turn down the lighting for dinner. Icing on the cake is the live DJ spinning and laying down the tracks to set the mood.

PS: Views of Mount Yotei whilst you dine are...