Robata Niseko Naniwatei, a Theatrical Dining Experience

Positioned just minutes away from the busy Hirafu village, check out Robata Niseko Naniwatei for an immersive dining experience completed with fresh Hokkaido seafood.

Having set up a strong customer base in Sapporo for over 57 years, Naniwatei opened its Niseko branch in winter 2016. Since its opening, Robata Niseko Naniwatei has been well-patronised by foreign guests traveling to the area and for good reasons.

Serving kaiseki ryori (traditional multi-course Japanese dinner) with Hokkaido’s world-famous produce, cook Kohji Murai entertains diners with a great Japanese culinary performance in Niseko making a dining experience to always remember.

Sitting down at the countertop, diners can watch on as the chief cook creates each plate with a specific culinary technique. Firstly, the chief cook first assembles sushi with uni from Shakotan. Secondly, he moves on to the fatty salmon roe. To finish, a gentle dusting of truffle as well as gold flakes on top. Watch him slowly cook large Hokkaido scallops from the regional coast in the shell to retain their moisture. Meanwhile, on the other deck, he chars an array of in-season fish over an open fire.

Robata, a Japanese Style of Cooking

Large scallops, A5 wagyu beef, delicious crab and more. The chef’s style of cooking is called Robata grill. This is a traditional Japanese-style grilling which translates to “fireside cooking”.

The restaurant makes use of the best ingredients. This is mostly from around Hokkaido. For instance, there is beef from Shiraoi, oysters from Akkeshi and crab from Okhotsk Sea.

The chef grills the majority of the ingredients on the Robata and serves it one by one. The atmosphere and food make a wonderfully real Japanese dining experience.

There many performances all night long but keep your eyes out for when the gong rings. This signals the start of the main performance, flambe of premium wagyu. Cooked to medium-rare, it is served sizzling hot to diners.

With an old fashioned long board, the cook passes each delicately pieced together dish over the counter. and engages each guest.

Well-trained in Kyoto, Murai blends fresh local produce with traditional Japanese cooking practices. He pays strong attention to the natural flavours of each component.

Robata Niseko Naniwatei showcases the top local produce in the area and is open throughout the entire season. The restaurant hopes to introduce more people to Hokkaido cuisine. Visit in winter for their kaiseki course or in the summer season for their savoury broiled eel.

Enjoy an elaborate culinary performance at Robata Niseko Naniwatei.

For other places that bring out the natural flavours of local produce, visit Prativo.