Let’s not waste time. This is the fifth entry in my Niseko restaurant series. It is another review, but not a recommendation. The search for good, honest food in this part of the world continues, and it is proving more difficult than it should be.
This time, I went back to Markie Curry in Kutchan. The journey to Niseko is an ordeal I’ve described before: flights, trains, and finally a long walk into town. I made the trip to Kutchan for soup curry, a dish I’ve eaten extensively over the years. This was my fourth or fifth visit to Markie’s. I came back because I remembered it being decent. A reliable, comforting bowl.
Memory can be a treacherous thing.
Soup curry is Hokkaido’s soul food. It should be warm, complex, and restorative. It’s the kind of dish that justifies a walk through the snow. This time, it wasn’t.
The place was full, mostly with tourists. That’s often the first warning sign. When a local spot becomes a tourist checkpoint, the quality can waver. The kitchen starts cooking for a transient audience that won’t be back tomorrow, so consistency becomes less of a priority.
I ordered the chicken soup curry. It arrived looking familiar, but the first bite told a different story.
The chicken drumstick was tough. It resisted the pull of the fork, the meat clinging stubbornly to the bone. A proper soup curry chicken should be fall-apart tender, slow-cooked until it has surrendered to the broth. This one felt rushed. It tasted of effort, not comfort.
The vegetables were another issue. A good soup curry often features deep-fried or roasted vegetables that add a smoky depth and textural contrast. Here, the vegetables were simply boiled. They were bland and watery, adding little more than color to the bowl. If you wanted fried vegetables, you had to pay for them as a top-up. The dish felt deconstructed for profit.
The soup itself, the heart of the dish, was thin. It lacked the layers of spice and umami that define a great soup curry. It was just a watery, mildly spiced broth. It was technically curry, but it lacked a soul.
For the quality, it was pricey. You pay for the location and the captive audience, not for the skill in the kitchen.
This experience was a disappointment. It wasn’t just a bad meal; it felt like a good memory had been erased. I used to think of this place as a safe bet in Kutchan. It is not anymore.
This is the second restaurant to be struck from my list this season, after the service disaster at Luke’s Alpine Club. My search for reliable food in Niseko is becoming a process of elimination.
Perhaps the problem is me. My standards have risen over the years. I’ve been fortunate to eat some of the best soup curry Japan has to offer. Maybe my palate has evolved beyond what a simple, tourist-focused shop can provide. When you’ve tasted the peak, the valley looks much deeper.
It is a sad thought. Comfort food shouldn’t have to compete with your best-ever-meal memories. It should just be good. It should be honest. This was not.
I doubt I will come back again. The search continues.
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