The Lounge (ザ・ラウンジ) — Restaurant in Kutchan

Can only speak for our dinner experience of Jan '23, and definitely not worth it whatsoever. The hotel offers a buffet dinner for ¥9000 per person (excl tax) with two seatings. As the other restaurants were mostly booked, there wasn't many options so we thought we'd find something we'd like from here given its a dinner buffet.

Let's leave the high cost aside for a moment, options were so limited and very underwhelming. Given this is Japan, there were zero Japanese options which was surprising. Pasta was literally boiled pasta with packet sauce. There were really 6 hot dishes: the pasta I mentioned, meat pies, chicken thighs, sirloin (which was good but not flavourful), chips (the best out of everything), cheese fondue and roasted vegetables. They also had some mixed leaf and raw veg, some chicken nuggets and kids section. The best part of the buffet is the dessert as it was all Pierre Herme desserts.

We absolutely do not recommend and was quite disappointed in this. To put it in perspective, the breakfast buffet the next day (which was free) is at least 4 times the size with a good spread of western and eastern dishes. For this dinner we paid the equivalent of almost $230-$240 AUD for 2 people was severely lacking. Putting it in perspective, we dined at China Kitchen the next day with 4, ate a feast and costed $300 AUD.

I should end with a nice note - and the live music from 7.30-8pm was fantastic.

Do not recommend the food for dinner...

The dinner here is served buffet style, but the quality of the dishes is exceptional. Although the variety isn't extensive, each item is exquisitely prepared. I particularly recommend the grilled Wagyu beef steak and the roasted pork chop from Hokkaido. While the average cost per person is nearly 10,000 Japanese Yen, compared to other restaurants in the same price range, the ambiance, décor, service, and quality of food here are all five-star worthy.

By the way, great view...

スタッフの皆さんは明るく、挨拶もしっかりされていて、とても好印象です。数年前と比べて、皆さんが日本語でしっかり会話できるようになっていることも素晴らしいと感じました。 All the staff were cheerful and greeted us warmly, leaving a very positive impression. It was also wonderful to see that, unlike a few years ago, everyone can now communicate well in Japanese.

ただ、ゆっくり食事と会話を楽しんでいたところ、店内に他のお客様も少ないにもかかわらず、何度もお皿を下げに来られたのが少し残念でした。 However, while we were enjoying a leisurely meal and conversation—and even though there were few other guests—the staff came by several times to check our plates, which felt a bit intrusive.

まだ食事中にもかかわらず「お下げしてもよろしいですか」と聞かれ、お客様にまで気を使わせるような状況になってしまい、少し落ち着かない気持ちになりました。 At one point, while we were still eating, they asked if they could clear the plates. It created an awkward moment that made even our guest feel compelled to respond, which was a bit uncomfortable.

レストランは空いていたのに、まるでお皿が足りないのかと思ってしまうほどで、何が何でも片づけたいという印象を受けました。 The restaurant was nearly empty, yet the eagerness to clear the plates made us wonder if they were short on dishes.

お皿を下げるタイミングは難しいかもしれませんが、静かな時間帯はもう少しゆっくり過ごさせていただけると、より心地よい時間になると思います。 While we understand that timing plate removal can be tricky, during quiet hours, giving guests a bit more space would make the experience more relaxing...