Dining out in Furano

Furano's peak season is in summer (lavender) and winter (ski-ing and snow).  As a result, they do have quite a number of hotels and quite nice little restaurants for a small town.

Toiletries and spa goodies at Hotel Natulux

Most of the hotels, however, are up near the ski slopes or away in the surrounding area so we were lucky to get rooms at the Hotel Natulux, located right by the Furano bus and train station for easy access.  It was a nice hotel, with a superb range of toiletries which of course we appreciated very much!   The hotel came with breakfast too - choice of western or Japanese breakfast, so as we were there for a few nights we had the opportunity to try both.  The best thing about breakfast was the bottle of fresh milk - so rich that the cream has risen to the top and sticks to the foil top - so you have to shake it hard to redistribute the cream again.  

Lunch was largely eaten on the road so we had to make up for it at dinner.  We went to Kumagera, known for their beef shashimi and nabe (hot pot).  The beef shashimi comprised thin slices of wagyu over seasoned rice.  There is a yummy soy-wasabe-savoury marinade which is poured over the beef before eating - probably lightly cooks the beef, much like lemon and olive oil for fish caparccio.  The hot pot nicely complemented the beef too - duck, chicken, venison (one little piece) and vegetables in a miso broth.  Washed down, of course, with Sapporo beer.

Fukuzushi - Chirashi Sushi Bowl

Another night, we went to Fukuzushi, right next to the hotel.  I had a lovely, huge chirashi sushi bowl. Large pieces of sashimi (that's what they are known for, apparently) - really a delight to eat these large fresh pieces of fish.  Probably the best meal I had in Furano!  

We also went to a well-known little patisserie, Furano Delice (I call it "Felice" for short, and I do feel happiness there!).  It's known for its milk pudding but we ate their Double Fromage Cheese Cake - with a normal cheese cake base at the bottom and a mousse-y layer on top.  Really quite light and yummy, so it's easy to

Happiness at Furano Delice

get down.  I must confess that I was also very happy with the mini cheesecake I bought from Furano Marche (the shopping mall for tourists, specialising in local produce) the day before.

Curry Rice at Masaya- check out the milk!

Apparently Furano is also famous for its omelette curry rice, so I had to have that too, at Masaya, an omelette curry rice restaurant at the heart of town.  I got the Furano special, so called because itis meant to showcase the best of local produce. As such it is served with a little bottle of milk (much like what we have been eating for breakfast every morning).  I am not a big fan of Japanese curry (lacks the lemak-lemak flavour of Southeast Asian curries) and I guess this still doesn't change things but I liked the thinly cooked omelette the rice came in, the tender strips of pork and the pickled cabbage (sauerkraut style) on the side.

So that's the run-down on meals in Furano.  The food adventures continue in Sapporo.....