Luke's Alpine Club Opening Its Doors in December

Excitement for the winter season is high as we look forward to the opening of Luke’s Alpine Club, the latest addition to Setsu Niseko’s multi-cultural culinary repertoire. With a firm and loyal following of the Singapore based ‘Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House’, the opening of Luke’s Alpine Club is the group’s first foray outside of the country and much anticipated by his fans across the region.  As Bostonian owner and chef, Travis Masiero puts it, 'It's a place that people will want to revisit several times during their stay.'  Luke’s peerless reputation is thanks to its ardent focus on marrying the finest quality seafood dishes with classic American chop house cuisine. Today we delve into Travis's inspiration behind Luke's Alpine Club, an exciting new destination that we’ll sure will win many hearts throughout Hokkaido.   

Can you please introduce yourselves? 

My name is Travis Masiero, originally from Boston, USA. I've had the privilege of cooking all around the world. It all started in Italy and Germany, and then I returned to the US. For the past 18 years, I've been based in Singapore, where I own and run a restaurant known as Luke's Oyster Bar and Chop House.

We have heard many good things about Luke’s Oyster Bar and Chop House. Can you share with us more about what led you to open Luke's and the concept? 

Luke’s was conceived to showcase the incredible seafood from America’s east coast. Having grown up alongside the Atlantic ocean, I knew that the seafood, oysters and fish, were of the highest quality and I wanted to share that.  So I paired this idea of a New England Oyster Bar, with a classic take on the American Chop House, hence it comes to this name, Luke’s Oyster Bar and Chop House.

What attracted you to opening Luke's at Setsu Niseko? 

I have been to Japan and Niseko many times and have always felt a connection to the people and place. I just really felt there was synergy with our ethos and what we could offer to those who visit Niseko. That's why I decided to open Luke's Alpine Club at Setsu Niseko.

Awesome, I love the name, Luke’s Alpine Club. What experience do you plan to offer guests to your restaurant? 

We really want Luke’s Alpine Club to be a place of comfort and conviviality. A place that people will want to come back to a few times during their stay. While my cooking will always be influenced by my American sensibilities, certainly, we also want to showcase the quality of produce available in Hokkaido in the most natural way possible.

What do you think differentiate Luke’s from other restaurants in Niseko? 

Warm, professional service, quality food and drink and world-class wine list all brought together in a beautiful wood paneled dining room. 

A wood paneled dining room, this is something we do not really see in Niseko, can you share with us more about the design? 

It is styled after the great mountain and alpine clubs of America and Europe, that is one of the reasons we decided to call this restaurant, Alpine Club, where you can pop in after a long day on the mountain and relax with a glass of wine, great food and ambience. 

Can you share with us more about your menu concept? How do you get inspiration for food and new dishes? 

American style seafood and chop house focused on the product with very minimal preparation. For me, the product always starts the process. So when I find something that is special I start to think how we can showcase it around the sensibilities of our restaurant. 

Being located in Hokkaido gives us access to amazing ingredients. I will search them out and present them simply. 

Will the menu be the same as what you have in Singapore? Any must-try dishes? 

Similar, but not entirely the same. Certainly we would recommend you try our Oyster selection, Tuna Tartare, Shrimp Cocktail and Steak Au poivre. For dessert you can't miss our Chocolate Chip Cookies with Stout Milkshake. 

Will you be based at Setsu Niseko this winter? 

I will be around for much of the winter with my team from Singapore in support. Our chefs from Singapore will take turns coming here for training to ensure that we maintain the same high food standards.

We cannot really wait to try Luke’s. The experience will definitely be something new for the area. How about you? What are you looking forward to the most this coming winter?

Working with my team and meeting many new guests.

Learn More about Luke’s Alpine Club