There are few things I love as much as a good buffet, and Prativo and its lunch-time smorgasbord ticks all the right boxes.
Choose a balmy summer afternoon and take your time enjoying the scenic drive out to this Higashiyama farmstead, which is also home to the deservedly famous Milk Kobo. The luscious fields and grazing cows serve as a reminder that this is no contrived provincial façade, but rather an authentic dairy farm that survived the challenges of a national milk surplus to emerge as one of the region’s leading tourist attractions.
When faced with a milk glut some 15 years ago, farmer Mamoru Takahashi couldn’t bear to waste the produce the family farm generated and decided to use the surplus to make ice cream. The Takahashi cows graze on the fresh greens straight from the Niseko fields, drink only natural spring water and are lovingly hand milked. It’s little wonder that their yield produces dairy treats that are heaven on the tongue, and no surprise that Milk Kobo became a huge hit.
The Takahashi family saw an opportunity to introduce a special kind of restaurant in an area that offered little in the way of eating spots. Milk Kobo had shown the world the superior product that Niseko farms had to offer and they put the same principle to work in Prativo, a restaurant that serves dishes made almost entirely from Niseko’s natural bounty.
When I choose to love a restaurant, it’s always about more than the food. Prativo is pretty and airy, the staff are happy and helpful, and you never have to wait too long for the dishes on the buffet to be refilled. The tiered seating is designed so that every table can enjoy uninterrupted views of Mount Yotei, which is almost flooring in its majesty.
If the views don’t floor you then three servings of the creamy potato gratin will certainly do the trick. Prativo offers a very reasonably priced lunch set, which includes a free run of their vegetarian buffet. The dishes are rich with the milky goodness that you would expect from such a farm-fresh locale, so be sure to pace yourself – you need room for dessert!
Dishes include quirky treats such as eggs poached in spring water with sesame cream sauce, roasted cabbage with mustard and cheese sauce, and soy beans in milk stew. Carnivores fear not – although the buffet is 100 per cent veggie, you can choose from four seasonal mains that always include a meat or fish option such as a juicy pork steak or a grilled salmon fillet.
Move along to the dessert end of the buffet and load up a plate with fresh custard pudding, fluffy sponge cake and sweet mochi cakes in milk, all made by those dangerous doctors of delectableness over at Milk Kobo. If you’ve got room – or if you’re like me and just can’t help yourself – finish up with a glass or three of Milk Kobo’s famous drinking yoghurt, which is sure to have you purring like a cat.
I had intended to visit Milk Kobo after lunch to indulge in a gooey choux cream, but I rolled out of Prativo in a blissful food coma and decided it was high time for a nap. To complete your own idyllic summer day out with a flourish, visit Prativo for lunch or dinner. Make sure you arrive hungry.
Emma Lee is Niseko’s most prolific food writer. If there’s a restaurant she hasn’t tried, she’ll be trying it soon! Keep up to date with all her Niseko culinary adventures by signing up to the blog at nisekoalpineaccommodation.com.