The Japanese love their hotpots and so do visitors to Niseko – and rightly so.
These belly-warming bowls of simmering meat and vegetables – called nabe in Japanese – are the perfect end to a day in the snow, and healthy to boot.
Nabe is easy to come by in Niseko, but Ryu Nabe offers a hotpot experience that turns this traditional favourite into a fine-dining spectacular. There is a good chance that restaurant hall manager Vivien will greet you as you walk in the door, whether it be in Japanese, English or Chinese – all of which she speaks fluently. Together with the expertise of renowned chef Alex Chan, Vivien and her team bring us the delectable secrets of Cantonese cooking with a quiet pride and passion.
The menu is deceptively basic, and offers guests a choice of set menus and à la carte options. Diners then select their soup base, all of which are home-made on the premises and slow cooked for so long that the gas company had trouble keeping the kitchen supplied.
“They couldn’t keep up with us,” Vivien jokes. “They just couldn’t understand why anyone would be cooking for 36 hours straight!?”
The answer is Fresh Seafood Tomato Soup, Hokkaido Fresh Fish Thick Soup prepared with Hokkaido Milk, and Chinese Traditional Dried Fish Maw with Chicken Soup. Each soup provides a delicious base for your nabe feast, but the Chinese Traditional Dried Fish Maw also offers celebrated age-defying properties and is wildly popular in China for its nutritional benefits.
First up in your set course is a selection of tender Hokkaido sashimi, including delights such as salmon belly and hairy crab. While you’re enjoying these succulent morsels the nabe is set to boil before your eyes, and then things really start to get interesting. Wagyu beef cuts, Spanish Iberico pork, and whole Hokkaido kinki fish are just a few in a parade of platters that grace your table, ready to be braised in the tasty broth and dipped in special sauces, some of which you get to make yourself. Staff members are highly knowledgeable and explain every course at length, including recommended cooking time so you don’t over-do your Hokkaido clam or undercook your spinach and truffle dumplings.
The A5 wagyu beef defines the cliché of ‘melt in your mouth’, and another special mention goes to the homemade Kurobuta fish roe wonton, a flavour sensation truly unique to this remarkable restaurant. Accompanying this feast are plates of fresh local vegetables, tofu and udon.
Expect to loosen your belt and pat your belly with deep contentment after dinner at Ryu Nabe, an enjoyable night out as well as a divine dining experience. The care that has been taken with each detail is genuine and humbling, and will ensure you leave with a smile on your face and a warm feeling that has to do with more than just your satisfied belly.
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.