Steak so good, they named it twice
Any establishment that declares “Steak” as part of its name is staking its reputation on one thing: its steak. (Sorry, couldn’t resist the stake/steak play on words there). As a Japanese steak restaurant, Steak Rosso Rosso declares its “steakiness” in the most demanding market in the world for gourmet beef, though its location in a ski resort probably saves it from some of the fierce competition found in Tokyo and the other great cities of Japan.
So how does it fare? We’d heard some great things about it from fellow expats, describing it as “the new thing” in town. So after some delays, we finally got a chance to try it. The menu is attuned to the Japanese approach to steak, offering one not just a variety of cuts, but also wagyu marbling ratings, weight, and Kobe steaks of the utmost provenance and pedigree. Those who fancy the largest of Kobe offerings will pay for the privilege, but there’s actually a great range and variety at prices that seem pretty reasonable. We selected two different cuts. I went for a wagyu sirloin, and Lindsay chose and higher scored wagyu eye fillet.
Steak cuts, cooking and accompaniments are a thing of almost religious zeal, so our tastes may not match yours. We tend to prefer our steaks blue, or at most rare, and that’s what we decided on for these, to allow the flavours in the wagyu marbling a chance to be released in the cooking process, and contribute to the Maillard reaction to bring forth the best flavour.
My sirloin was very good, though interestingly, I couldn’t really say it was the best steak I’ve ever had. I think that’s more to do with the sheer variety of steak I’ve eaten - it was still an excellent dish. Lindsay fell on her eye fillet as if in spiritual rapture, and even afterwards simple words apparently couldn’t describe the joy of eating it. I must say that the magical umami-flavoured sauce presented in a little stainless steel dish on the side was a thing of wonder, and a definite amplifier of the steak’s flavour. If only my Japanese was better, I might have understood the waitress when she valiantly attempted to explain its ingredients.
Steak Rosso Rosso does more than just steak. As you’d expect for a quality Japanese restaurant, they have a range of seafood and other dishes, should you find yourself dragged along by your steak-eating buddies but don’t fancy a Kobe fillet or two. We tried the scallops wrapped in bacon (you weren’t expecting something vegetarian, I hope). It’s easy to underdo or overdo scallops, but these were perfect, that just-cooked-through succulence of a scallop in its prime, and the amazing sauce that went with it was so good, I nearly licked the plate clean at the end. From the flavour, I’m guessing something ponzu based.
A final comment is that Steak Rosso Rosso is modest in size, and gets busy. We tried getting a table as walk-ins the first night, only to find that we’d need to wait until after 9pm. We had a back-up plan that evening, and booked the following night. So bookings would be wise.
Steak Rosso Rosso
+81 (0)136 21 7100
Hirafu
Niseko
Hokkaido
Japan