Riverside Kitchen & Bar

Located in Hotel Indigo in Hakone Gora is this modern restaurant that also doubles as the breakfast room. We had a dinner here and our only criticism was that the service was far too quick and you had the feeling they were just trying to push you out the door. We opted for the Signature menu. For ap...petisers there was a bowl of kelp jelly which was a bit weird and five types of raw seafood. We avoided the tuna but the two types of salmon, prawns and roe were quite nice with a light vegetable garnish. Then came rye bread which we got topped up. The butter was a good idea but being gorgonzola, honey and beets was a bit strong for us. Then came the fish dish which was sea bream with Sakura shrimp which were really tiny little shrimps with zucchini and rigatoni pasta. It was a nice simple but very well done pasta dish. The meat course was a sensible 100g sized piece of Japanese beef. The meat was beautifully cooked medium with a nice red wine jus and peppers. It came with white carrot, radish and other vegies and was lovely. Dessert was also a highlight. It came in a delicate little bowl of meringue, honey ice cream and elder berry and citrus highlights. It was delicious. The meal finished off with coffee. Overall a very satisfying meal.

Visited May 2024

We were so happy to find this place! The food and service were impeccable. We were so grateful to Shun who helped us with our reservation and arranged a taxi back to our hotel. He was so gracious and helpful. The prices are premium but so is the experience. It was well worth it. We tried to return b...ut it was booked out, so make sure you reserve for dinner. Unless you’re staying at the restaurant or very close by, suggest you take a taxi there - the walk from Gora Station May look close, but it’s not really walkable at all and quite dangerous navigating the steep paths and roads.

Visited July 2023