MACCARINA

172-3 Midorioka, Makkari, Abuta District,
Hokkaido Prefecture 048-1615, Japan
+81 136-48-2100

Prize : ¥ ¥ ¥ Food : ⭐⭐⭐ Place : ♥️♥️♥️♥️

A Hidden Gem in Niseko

A recent ski trip to Niseko in Hokkaido allowed me to stumble upon a few lovely restaurants that I simply have to share with you in my next few posts. The abundance of excellent food around tiny Niseko has always amazed me, so let me start by sharing a post about Maccarina. Maccarina is a French-Japanese restaurant with one michelin star. Its located in a tiny town called Makkari, about 30 minutes drive from Hirafu village where all the main hotels are.

Housed in a small wooden building, Maccarina’s interior is a little outdated yet somehow still manages to ooze some coziness.

There are two choices of set menus. We chose the more extensive one which cost around 11.000 yen per person and here is what we had.

The first course was a mixture of tiny appetizers beautifully arranged on one plate. Grilled abalone, breadcrumbed beef tongue, roasted duck cooked in red wine, foie gras apple tart and a mixture of vegetables of the season.

I’m not sure I liked the concept of having all the appetizers mixed together in one plate but each of them tasted delicious and the presentation was amazing.

Next came an interesting dish. Poached lily bulbs in a most delicately light cream sauce. I loved this dish.

A mini traditional French onion soup followed. I love onion soup and I found this one to be particularly delectable. It was light and had the perfect amount of cheese in it.

A pleasant seafood risotto came after. It was light and absolutely delicious.

You had a choice of roasted beef steak or roasted venison for your main course. I chose the beef.

It was accompanied by the most delicious roasted potatoes. I was disappointed by the fact that I was so full I could not bring myself to finish them.

I always have a soft spot for all things sweet, especially caramel so I loved the hot pumpkin tart dessert with caramel ice cream. The mixture of hot and cold can never go wrong in my opinion.

The food at Maccarina was delicious in a more classic French kind of style, but were I a michelin star judge, I don’t think I would have given them a star simply due to the fact that they didn’t really have a sommelier and the service really wasn’t up to michelin star standards. But then again, I am not a judge and what’s most important in my book is excellent food and Maccarina certainly has this. So I believe it is well worth the 30 minute drive.

Prize : $$$

MACCARINA

172-3 Midorioka, Makkari, Abuta District,
Hokkaido Prefecture 048-1615, Japan

PHONE : +81 136-48-2100