Risonare Shimonoseki's Autumn Dinner Course Pairs Fugu with Venison and Amadai Tilefish

Risonare Shimonoseki, a hotel built around the concept of a "designer hotel on the strait," is introducing a limited-time autumn dinner course at its main dining restaurant, OTTO SETTE SHIMONOSEKI, from September 16 to December 8, 2026. Fugu (pufferfish) takes center stage alongside in-season venison and amadai tilefish, of which Yamaguchi Prefecture lands the largest catch in Japan. The course includes a pasta dish that combines the umami of fugu and amadai, and a main dish pairing fugu with venison. For dessert, a chestnut-and-grape dish captures the flavors of autumn, and a pairing menu of Yamaguchi sake and wine rounds out the regional dining experience.

About OTTO SETTE SHIMONOSEKI

OTTO SETTE SHIMONOSEKI is the hotel's main dining restaurant, serving an Italian course that uses Shimonoseki's signature fugu in six of its nine dishes. The restaurant's concept, "Il Fascino Di Fugu," means "the charm of fugu" in Italian, reflecting a wish for guests to discover the fish's fresh appeal. The kitchen uses fugu's skin and bones as well as its flesh, drawing out the range of flavors that shift with thickness and cut. Diners can enjoy the experience while taking in views of the Kanmon Strait.

The Autumn Dinner Course

Fugu and Amadai Spaghettini

This spaghettini pairs fugu with amadai tilefish, which grows sweeter as it comes into season in autumn. The dish uses not only the fish's flesh but also its skin, pan-roasted until fragrant, so diners can enjoy both the fillet's gentle sweetness and the crisp texture of the scales. The mellow saltiness and deep umami of fugu nuka-zuke — fugu meat cured in salt, rice malt, and fish sauce — add a savory accent, while shaved yuzu peel finishes the dish with a refreshing, lingering aroma.

Fugu and Venison Cotoletta

Venison, which builds up nutrients and grows richer in flavor come autumn, is prepared here as a cotoletta, the Italian dish of breaded, pan-fried meat. The venison is coated in a purée of fuku-negi — a green onion developed and refined in Shimonoseki's Yasuoka district in the early Meiji era as a condiment for fugu sashimi — along with breadcrumbs, and the onion's sweetness and bright flavor bring out the venison's bold umami. The sauce combines fugu shiokara with sage and capers, its mellow saltiness and deep richness complementing the venison. Served alongside smoky charcoal-grilled lotus root, the dish lets the natural depth of each ingredient shine.

Chestnut and Grape Crêpe

This chestnut-and-grape crêpe is a twist on necci, a traditional Tuscan confection made from crêpes of chestnut flour. The sweetness of the chestnut cream pairs well with the toasty aroma and gentle bitterness of the hojicha cream. Layered with a crisp chestnut tuile, a light ricotta cheese espuma, and a chilled milk chocolate granita — an icy dessert with coarse, crunchy crystals — the dish changes texture and aroma with every bite for a luxurious taste of autumn.

A Pairing Menu Built Around the Dishes

OTTO SETTE SHIMONOSEKI also offers a pairing menu matching the course with wine and with sake, a specialty of Yamaguchi Prefecture. Pairing the dishes with wine and sake brings out new layers of flavor and depth.

OTTO SETTE SHIMONOSEKI Autumn Dinner Course

Named One of TIME's World's Greatest Places of 2026

Risonare Shimonoseki was named to TIME magazine's "The World's Greatest Places of 2026" list, announced on March 12, 2026, marking the first time a standalone Hoshino Resorts property has been included in the list's "Places to Stay" category. The recognition cited the hotel's space design built around fugu — a fish rarely eaten overseas — its wide range of activities centered on the Kanmon Strait, and its appeal to both children and adults.

About Risonare Shimonoseki

Facing the Kanmon Strait, this resort hotel offers strait views from every room. Guests can take in the character of the region through design and cuisine that reflect its nature and culture, and through activities that make the most of the waterfront location, for a stay dedicated to enjoying the strait to the fullest.