I visited Hida Kisetsu Ryori Sakana for the first time in four years. This Michelin one-star restaurant, featured in the Gault & Millau guide, is a representative of Hida's Japanese cuisine. The chef personally forages for wild vegetables and catches river fish, creating dishes that are deeply connected to the natural environment of Hida. This year, the warm weather arrived early, making it a lucky timing as the wild vegetables are just about ready this week.The interior has a bar-like counter space. You can enjoy sake paired with the dishes while listening to the chef's unique explanations. The sake pairing is quite interesting. For the wild vegetables, a light sake with around 14% alcohol is served, while a robust 10-year aged Daiginjo sake is paired with meat and Hoba miso, showcasing a thoughtful approach to pairing.At the end, we enjoyed freshly brewed tea with spirits, chilled with good ice in a wine glass. This playful touch was delightful.The dishes we had included:- 20 types of wild vegetables: such as Japanese knotweed, butterbur, bent bamboo, Kaga white bamboo shoots, kogomi, bracken, and more.- Water dumplings with 8 types of wild vegetables: including bamboo shoots, butterbur, wild garlic, and more.- Tempura of wild vegetables: including taranome, butterbur, and bracken.- A refreshing salad with wild vegetables.- Hida beef marinated in sake lees.- Ishinagi fish with wild vegetable sauce: It was surprising to find such a rare deep-sea fish in the mountains. This large fish is said to come up to about 150m during spawning season.- Butter-fried butterbur and miso-fried taranome: I vividly remember enjoying these two dishes four years ago. They were delicious.- Cold chawanmushi (savory egg custard) with wild vegetables.- Hoba miso with wild vegetables: including kogomi, butterbur, and wild garlic, paired with the robust 10-year aged Daiginjo sake.- Yamagaya nabe (hot pot): made with natural iwana (rock trout) broth, fried iwana, and various wild vegetables.- Knotweed ice cream with strawberries and kiwi: This ice cream is made only with knotweed and sugar, without any milk, creating an unbelievable texture. It’s not gelato but true ice cream.Tabelog rating: 3.92, overall rating: 4.02 ⭐️⭐️⭐️Budget: JPY 26,000 (wild vegetable course + Hida beef addition, including sake)Reservations: Online reservations are available, but calling is faster.
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