Enjoy the new menu at “Owakudani Kitchen” while taking in the dynamic natural scenery that dates back about 3,000 years. As soon as you step off the gondola at Hakone Ropeway’s Owakudani Station, you’ll immediately notice the smell of sulfur. You can sense right away that Hakone is a hot spring resort. The “Owakudani Station Cafeteria,” which had been located adjacent to the station, has been completely renovated and reopened on July 17 as “OWAKUDANI KITCHEN.” In addition to the curry that carries on the tradition of the Station Cafeteria era, new dishes cooked in cast-iron pots using solid fuel have been introduced. The selection of drinks—including lassi—and desserts has also been expanded, allowing you to enjoy your meal in a spacious setting while gazing out the window at the dynamic scenery of Owakudani. The new cast-iron pot dishes come in three varieties: chicken in cream sauce, seafood in tomato sauce, and hamburger steak in demi-glace sauce. For this visit, I chose the chicken. First, I enjoyed the chicken in cream sauce on its own. Next, I added rice and cheese to the pot as it simmered. Once the cheese had melted, I added a hot spring egg and enjoyed a risotto-style meal while savoring the changing flavors. No matter the stage of the meal, it never felt gimmicky—it was rich yet easy to eat, and absolutely delicious. For dessert, I chose the mango pudding, which was generously topped with whipped cream and sliced mango. The contrast between the white cream and the mango sorbet was visually stunning. The rich sweetness and the refreshing sorbet left a lasting impression, and just like with the cast-iron pot dish, I enjoyed experimenting with different flavors by adding the bright red raspberries.
© Source travel watch