Ashigara beef is a local brand of beef that was selected by the kitchen crew of Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora. It is not yet very well known. As we mentioned in Vol. 2, however, it proved its quality by winning the grand prize at the contest for premium beef in the entire Kanto region. In this installment, we describe the features of Ashigara beef and the most delicious way to eat it.

The biggest features of Ashigara beef are its exquisite shimofuri (marbling) and umami (savory flavor). It was given high marks in the contest for its excellence in respect of these two points.

Ashigara beef therefore has excellent shimofuri and umami, but is currently being produced by only four farms. Even Kadoya Farm, which produced the prize-winning beef, ships only a few head of cattle per month.

Ashigara beef is therefore precious, and the kitchen crew pondered the question of how best to cook and serve it to guests. The answer they came up with was broiling directly with the flames of a wood fire. They figured that, by using firewood, the fragrant smoke from it would seep into the juice of the meat, bring out the meat’s umami to the maximum, and make for the most delectable eating. To this end, they also focused on the grill. They introduced a pulley-operated rotating grill from overseas, and the chef broils the beef with the firewood flame while skillfully manipulating this grill. The Riverside Kitchen & Bar in Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora is the only place in Hakone (or rather Japan as a whole) where you can eat Ashigara beef cooked in this way.

Ashigara beef is precious beef from cattle that were carefully raised at a local farm. We members of the kitchen crew are all eagerly waiting to serve it to guests so they can experience one of the little-known stories of Hakone Gora that pique curiosity. President Ninomiya of Mount Ono Kadoya Farm, its producer, likewise told us how he feels complete confidence in his supply of Ashigara beef, with its superior shimofuri and umami, to the customers of the Riverside Kitchen & Bar. We are all looking forward to helping as many guests as possible experience the joys of Ashigara beef.

Why we are sticklers for local foodstuffs?

It is not merely a matter of the philosophy shared by the Hotel Indigo locations around the world, which calls for exploring the history, community, culture, and nature in the hotel area, and providing them to our guests. It is also because we believe such action is in line with the need for sustainability and attainment of SDGs.

The use of local foodstuffs shortens the distance they have to be hauled and is therefore linked to lower CO2 emissions. We also thought that, by locally sourcing foodstuffs, we could have a sustainable connection with local producers through agricultural products.

“The existence of a business that will regularly purchase from us helps us producers to continue our business with peace of mind,” said the aforementioned Mr. Ninomiya.

To meet the needs of food tourism (visiting a certain district to enjoy the food and culinary culture unique to it) as well, we intend to continue being sticklers for excellent food together with local producers.

*To be continued in Vol. 4