An Dining is a newcomer to the Niseko bar and restaurant scene, but its location gives it an advantage right off the bat. The restaurant, café and bar are housed inside Ki Niseko, Niseko’s newest ski-in ski-out luxury hotel, which makes it an ideal venue if you’re coming directly from the slopes or simply hoping to take in a view with your meal.
The café and bar serve premium coffee, beer, wines and snacks from 7am to midnight –great for a morning pick-me-up or celebratory drinks overlooking Mt. Yotei after a big day of riding, while the restaurant is open for all three major meals.
A mixed Japanese and western-style breakfast and a hearty lunch menu adhere to the mantra that mountain food should be simple, filling, warming and of course, delicious. Lunch options include soba and udon noodles, rice bowls and pasta, and range in price from a very reasonable 800JPY to 1,800JPY.
Dinner is where celebrity head chef Shinichi Maeda really gets his chance to show his personality and upbringing; his appreciation for Hokkaido’s fresh produce and local flavours shines through in his cooking. His dishes use an eclectic mix of ingredients that are prepared in a “Japanese new cuisine” style using traditional and modern cooking techniques.
Maeda’s Premium Signature Course menu starts with an exquisitely prepared plate of sashimi, accompanied by sea urchin, shellfish, bonito dashi and vinegar jelly. Stand-outs of the set also include the smoked Takikawa duck breast with sundried tomato and fig served with mandarin vinegar, as well as the very generous serving of grilled Taraba King Snow crab leg.
On the Signature Course menu, the saikyo-miso marinated grilled black flat fish is simply prepared but notably rich and tender. Maeda has a particular interest in this breed of fish, and sources it directly from local fishermen for whom it is a bycatch, given that it lives at significant depths.
The Jingisukan-style slow braised Erimo shorthorn beef cheek is also a must-try – juicy, succulent and cooked to the point that it falls away with the cut of a spoon.
For those with a sweet tooth, An Dining does not disappoint. The Premium Signature Course menu finishes with an gianduia and raspberry mousse with chocolate crumb, rich dark chocolate nemesis soil, raspberry and white chocolate sorbet, apricot liqueur jelly and fresh berries. If that’s not enough to get the heart racing, consider the beautifully presented light, fluffy umeshu marshmallow with a cheesecake centre topped with white chocolate shavings.
An international wine list, as well as a selection of local sake picked from three of three of the region’s most distinguished distilleries, ensures that restaurant guests can toast to a fantastic holiday in style.
To reserve a table at An Dining, contact the Niseko Central guests services team at [email protected]. For more information on the restaurant, visit their website.
Posted on 12 February, 2015 by Rupert Orchard in Niseko Life.
