Farm Restaurant Cuore: Best fresh lamb, mutton

The Hokkaido town of Shiranuka is a 20-minute drive from Kushiro Airport. The culture of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Hokkaido, is deeply rooted in the region. Along with programs for the preservation of traditional Ainu culture, Shiranuka is home to Ureshipa Chise, a facility that promotes the accurate understanding of Ainu culture through its role as a forum for cultural and international exchange and information-sharing. The town also hosts Ainu festivals from summer to late autumn.

In 1987, Hiroshi Muto, a Kyoto native who graduated from Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine in Hokkaido, relocated to Shiranuka and started the Charo Sheep Farm. Today, about 800 sheep are pastured on its 15-hectare site. In winter, they are fed local grass and home-mixed feed. The farm processes and sells their meat, which is offered as premium lamb and mutton at restaurants in Tokyo and other major cities. But its Farm Restaurant Cuore, located next door, offers a deeper experience of the world of lamb and mutton cuisine.

Born and raised in Shiranuka, Yuya Urushizaki trained at a popular Italian restaurant in Sapporo before returning in 2014 to become the chef at Farm Restaurant Cuore, which opened the following year. He was involved in preparations starting from the renovation of the century-old farmhouse that is now the restaurant building, and worked on the farm throughout the year leading up to the opening. In addition to looking after the sheep, his various jobs included assisting with the birth of lambs and dividing up the half-carcasses of sheep sent from the slaughterhouse. Even when the restaurant is closed in January and February, he processes the meat that is shipped to locations throughout Japan. Additionally, all the sausage preparation work is carried out under his leadership. “Thanks to this experience, I can judge the quality of meat just by touching it,” he said.

Urushizaki works on his own in the restaurant’s kitchen as well. The menu, which is the same for lunch and dinner, offers a diverse array of a la carte appetizers, pastas, risottos, main courses and desserts. That said, those planning a visit to Farm Restaurant Cuore should by all means try the “all lamb course” at ¥16,500 ($110), tax included. This menu features the meat of sheep in different periods of growth, from lambs to yearlings to mutton, as well as internal organs that can only be eaten when absolutely fresh, such as brains, sweetbreads, hearts and kidneys — all of which are brought to the table in the form of refined cuisine. Every May and June, 3- to 4-month-old milk-fed lamb is served as well.

Nearly all ingredients, including cheeses, are produced in Shiranuka. Sometimes Urushizaki himself harvests organic vegetables grown in neighboring fields, gathers early spring mountain vegetables and wild autumn mushrooms, and even catches fish.

The chef spoke of his determination: “I love Shiranuka and think about how I can enhance its added value and energize the community through cooking. This is one reason I want to create the best in lamb and mutton cuisine here.”

■Sustainable Japan Magazine (Sustainable Japan by The Japan Times)
https://sustainable.japantimes.com/magazine/vol52/52-06