The Barn – Niseko Restaurant Review

The Barn is an entirely new style of restaurant in Niseko when it comes to, well pretty much everything! It has everything you look for in a fine dining restaurant, minus the inflated price tags and pretentiousness.

From the outside it really does look like a barn, but not only that, with all the cold concrete buildings that seem to be popping up on every available square inch of ground, it is refreshing to see something that is not only stunning to look at but adds character to the village.

Upon entering The Barn, you are met by the maitre d’. Your jackets are taken and stored before you are shown to your table. The first thing you notice when you enter is that it is beautifully appointed, warm and spacious inside. Downstairs is the main dining area, while the smaller upstairs floor contains a bar and a seating area. It’s got to be said that the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the street make for some great people watching while you’re eating!

If you have been to Niseko before, you will see a few familiar faces as it is run by the dynamic duo of Brett and Takayo and of course Hachi (all who made Wild Bills what it was, in our opinion). They each seem quite at home in this French Bistro style of restaurant.

We were seated upstairs and had fresh, crunchy bread to enjoy while we decided what to order. Now, before I continue to try and do justice to the remainder of the night, let me point out that the butter is made in house with truffle oil. Genius. How can butter taste so good?! My mind is still blown just thinking about it! We were given a large ramekin filled with the stuff and initially scoffed at the amount, only to find ourselves scraping every last morsel from the dish.

To the main event…

We ordered:

Mains
Braised Beef Cheeks in red wine sauce with vegetables
As an Australian living in Japan (or even just on holiday) you occasionally find yourself experiencing cravings that only a good piece of steak can satisfy! This absolutely fit the bill for me. Tender, juicy beef, rich red wine sauce and fresh vegetables. You can stop drooling now.

Flounder Poêle with pink grapefruit cream sauce and vegetables
Read that again. Yep, pink grapefruit cream sauce. This added a great tang to the flounder, without overpowering it. In my opinion, the beef cheeks outshone the flouder, but if you’re after something light, this would be a good option. My dining companion was happy with it. Of course, the fish was cooked perfectly. “Poêle” means that it is cooked in its own juices.

Desserts
Anise Créme Brûlée with tea ice cream
Ok, the classic Créme Brûlée can be difficult to master. But fear not… this is fantastic. A perfectly silky consistency and just the right amount of crunch on top. No scrambled eggy lumps. No burnt sugar aftertaste and full of flavour! I was thrilled to see this on the menu, featuring the unique combination of anise and tea, which I had never heard of or tried before. My only complaint? I would like a bigger serving size!! I would go back to The Barn just to order this. Wait, can you do that?!

Crèmeux White Chocolate with framboise sorbet
The framboise sorbet was tangy and fresh, equal in deliciousness to the creamy white chocolate creation it was paired with. We were told that the chef makes everything himself; if this includes the sorbet I will be seriously impressed.

Kiyomi Orange Jello Kumquat Compote with yogurt sorbet
We decided to order this as a third dessert to share, as it sounded like an interesting combination and I’d never tried kumquats before. This would be the perfect dessert if you are close to being full, but still want a little something sweet to finish the meal. Not too heavy, not too sugary and definitely delicious. The yogurt sorbet was fantastic.

The balance of flavours and serving sizes of each dish we ordered was ideal. I think three courses with bread would be a good sized meal to feel full and satisfied. In this case, we decided to forego the entrees as we had a late lunch that day.

If you like the odd glass of wine you will be impressed with the selection that includes wines from the owner’s vineyard in France. Of course, the bar is well stocked with everything else you have come to expect from Brett and Takayo – if cocktails are more your style, you will be well catered for also.

Overall, we were very impressed with everything we ordered, the warm atmosphere and level of service. I loved that classic French cooking techniques had been combined with unique flavour combinations that all worked so well. The menu changes regularly so we will definitely be back. An added bonus is that I wasn’t sweating about the bill at the end of it all!

If you want dinner, pick a convenience store, another restaurant or a food van, but if you want a dining experience, go straight to The Barn!

Details

Open: 6 days a week from 6.30pm

Last Order: 9.30pm (food), 11.30pm (drinks)

Phone: 0136 23 0888

Website: The Barn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Barn-Niseko/

Location Map

Photo Credits

• Company Website: The Barn
• Company Blog: The Barn Blog

 

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