Enjoy a French course meal at Restaurant Himawari (Hokuryu Town) by Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Volunteers, Nishijima Yasuhide and Nakano Chiaki!

Friday, May 6, 2022

At the restaurant Himawari in Hokuryu Town (owner chef Mitsuo Sato), enjoy a French course meal prepared by Hokuryu Town regional revitalization volunteers, Yasuhide Nishijima and Chiaki Nakano!

Himawari Restaurant - Exterior

Yasuhide Nishijima and Chiaki Nakano

The two were appointed as Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team members in October 2021. Since April 2022, they have been helping out at the restaurants Himawari and Ajidokoro Hachihachi. They specialize in Western cuisine, preparing pasta and French course meals.

Yasuhide Nishijima

Originally from Muroran City, he is 49 years old. After graduating from culinary school, he worked at Snow Brand Parlour Co., Ltd. for 10 years. He then trained in Italian and French cuisine in Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and opened a coffee shop. Eight years later, he fell ill and closed the shop. After recovering at his parents' home, he worked at the National Daisetsu Youth Exchange Center (Shirogane Onsen, Biei Town) as a Snow Brand Parlour employee, and was later transferred to the Snow Brand Parlour at New Chitose Airport.

"I love cooking, and an acquaintance recommended it to me, which led me to Hokuryu Town," says the kind and gentle Nishijima.

Chiaki Nakano

Born in Furano City, he is 48 years old. After graduating from high school, he worked at Kakuhata Shoten Co., Ltd. for five years, Dohoku RALSE Furano Branch for three years, and a supermarket for eight years, before working at Snow Brand Parlour Co., Ltd. for 20 years. He was in charge of the buffet in the kitchen of the National Daisetsu Youth Exchange House for 18 years, and catered to students with allergies. For the last two years, he worked at the Snow Brand Parlour at New Chitose Airport.

Hokuryu Town is currently working on developing menus using local specialties. "I want more people to know about Hokuryu Town, and I would like to build friendly connections with the residents of Hokuryu Town," says Nakano with a bright smile.

French course created by Yasuhide Nishijima and Chiaki Nakano

We immediately visited the Himawari restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the French course meal.

Table set

The reserved seating was set up with tables, chairs and lovely placemats.

Today's Menu

• Appetizers:Risotto with tomato farci gratine, dragon fruit wrapped in prosciutto, bruschetta au fromage, head-on shrimp with almond fritters
• soup:Hokkaido potato potage
• pasta:Penne Rigate Gorgonzola
• Fish dishes:Cod pie baked with wine blanc sauce
• Meat dishes:Sauteed beef rump with Saint-Hubert sauce
• Dessert:Fruit Parfait

Aperitif: Fukagawa Cider (Fukagawa apples)

Nishijima serving the appetizers

Nakano-san provides attentive hospitality

Appetizer: Edamame with sauce

Risotto with Tomato Farci Gratine

• Tomatoes stuffed with risotto and baked
• Farsi is a dish made by hollowing out a container and filling it with other ingredients.
• Gratine is a technique of browning food by heating it in the oven.

Dragon fruit wrapped in prosciutto

• Dragon fruit is a fruit of the cactus family, a nutritious super fruit that grows in tropical regions such as Okinawa.
• The gentle sweetness of dragon fruit and the saltiness of prosciutto are a great combination!

Bruschetta au Fromage

• Garlic toast with cream cheese
• Bruschetta is sliced bread toasted with garlic
• Fromage is the French word for cheese

Shrimp with almonds and head

• Battered and deep-fried sliced almonds
• This dish offers an exquisite balance of the soft, moist shrimp and the fragrant, crispy texture of sliced almonds.

Soup: Hokkaido potato potage

• A delicious potage filled with the sweetness and rich flavor of potatoes!

Pasta: Penne Rigate with Gorgonzola

• Penne rigate is a pen-shaped pasta with grooves on the surface that allow the sauce to cling to the pasta.
• Gorgonzola is a blue cheese (one of the world's three major blue cheeses) with a unique salty flavor.

Fish dish: Baked cod pie with wine blanc sauce

• Vin blanc sauce is a sauce made by simmering aromatic vegetables and fish stock in white wine.
• The cod is tossed in a cream sauce and baked in a pie pie, which is thoroughly absorbed into the white wine sauce, resulting in a delicious dish that is crispy, moist, and delicious!

Meat dish: Sautéed beef rump with Saint-Hubert sauce

• Saint-Hubert sauce is a richly flavorful sauce made by grilling bones and organs, cooking them in red wine to extract the stock, and adding shallots and brandy.
• Potatoes, radishes, asparagus, and raspberry sauce are stylishly arranged.

Dessert: Fruit parfait

• Fruit granola (soaked in milk), fresh strawberries and blueberries, grape sorbet, cookies (with whipped cream), rice ice cream, butterfly-patterned chocolate, buckwheat chips
• An original, artistic parfait with a refined and beautiful form

　
Each and every dish is carefully prepared, with a variety of elegant and flavorful dishes, generously sprinkled with delicious spices, and made with sincerity and boundless love, gratitude, and prayers...

Other photos

Himawari Restaurant (Hokuryu Town) - 21 photos of the French course by Hokuryu Town Regional Revitalization Cooperation Volunteers Nishijima Yasuhide and Nakano Chiaki are available here >>

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◇ Photography and editing: Noboru Terauchi Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi