FROM OUR KITCHEN VOL.2

Hotel Indigo is a stickler for local foodstuffs.

Hotel Indigo’s “neighborhood stories” are tales about the unique landscape, culture, history, and community in the its vicinity. Each of the hotels opened by Hotel Indigo in countries around the world incorporates such neighborhood stories and provides them to guests in the form of hotel interiors, designs, highly individualistic services, and restaurant experiences.
Here, we present a series of neighborhood stories revolving around foodstuffs from the kitchen crew of the Riverside Kitchen & Bar.

VOL 2

Have you ever heard of Ashigara beef?

It is a local brand of beef selected by the kitchen crew in their desire to have guests experience the little-known stories of Hakone Gora that pique curiosity in the aspect of cuisine as well. It may be that few people know the name because these cattle are few in number. If you are wondering if we might think the beef is delicious just because it is little-known, you need not worry about that. We chose the Ashigara beef of Kadoya Farm because it won the grand prize at a contest held for judging premium beef in the entire Kanto region. It is a brand of beef that we can serve to our guests with complete confidence.

Why is Ashigara beef so delicious?

The No. 1 reason is the environment in which the cattle are raised. The place is Mount Ono Kadoya Farm, which is situated at an elevation of about 700 meters, almost on the summit of Mount Ono, in Ashigarakami County. It is a quiet setting far from residential districts, with a supply of Tanzawa water, which is rich in minerals and was selected as one of the 100 best types of water in Japan, plus plenty of fresh air. It has all the conditions needed to keep the cattle free of undue stress.

A second reason is the feed. The cattle are fed a blend of grains consisting mainly of barley and wheat. This blend is carefully adjusted in terms of five grades, in step with the cattle’s growth. Grass, barley, wheat, barley bran, and other ingredients are added while monitoring the condition of the cattle. The farmer also mixes powdered Ashigara green tea, a local specialty, into the feed. The effects of the catechin in this tea make an additional contribution to cattle health.

A third reason is the cattle shed, which meets global standards. Cattle are said to be delicate animals, and can feel stress from conditions in sanitation and even a change in the animal in the adjacent stall. Stress can greatly affect the flavor of the beef. For this reason, the shed environment is also of vital importance. Kadoya Far has Farm HACCP* certification, and its cattle are raised in a shed with the ideal environment.

See Vol. 3 for a description of the cuisine devised by the kitchen crew at Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora to make the most of the attributes of the taste and deliciousness of beef from these Ashigara cattle that were so carefully raised.

*Farm HACCP: The global standard for feed & hygiene control. Under it, critical control points are established for hazards such as residue of organic substances and control of the product temperature. Continuous recording and management based on these points enables control of risk factors at the stage of production on the farm.

*To be continued in Vol. 3