福岡を訪れたら立ち寄っておきたい３つの店を紹介する。いずれも日本の居酒屋スタイルだが、ふらっと立ち寄れるカジュアルなお店、予約が必要だがリーズナブルなお店、そして、着物を着たスタッフが対応してくれるちょっと高めのお店の3種類だ。いずれも福岡の名物が食べられるので、ぜひ参考にしてほしい。
Toriten (とり天): The Chicken Tempura bar
Let’s commence with a cozy and affordable establishment. “Toriten” which is a “chicken tempura”specialized bar. “Tori” being chicken in Japanese language, and “tempura”, a deep-fried light battered croquette. In general, tempura are used as toppings on Udon, a type of thick wheat-flour noodle, but here, customers can consume them just as they are with some spicy sauce. However, before that, they’ll give you a very interesting appetizer called “torikawa, which is nothing more than crisp roast chicken skin. It may sound gross but it is rather tasty.
For the tempura themselves, they were delicious. Not as heavy as the deep fried karaage, yet stomach filling. I paid 480 yen for 6 pieces, and 450 yen for a beer. With the table fee included, it costed me about 1200 yen. Considering the small size of that bar, it’ll be hard to fit in a group of people. However, the seats at the counter are very comfy, that’s why,
Spot Information
- Name: Toriten (とり天)
- Address : 1-15-3 Tenjin, Chuo-ku Fukuoka
- Access: From Tenjin station - about 5 min walk toward Nakasu-Kawabata district.
Toriden (とり田): The Chicken Hot Pot
Be careful, this one is called Toriden with a “d”. The food, the place, and the staff are all fine, so this shop is popular among the locals.
Here, you can have typical dish of Fukuoka named “Mizutaki”. In Japanese, Mizutaki, 水炊き, literally means « cooked in water », which corresponds well with it, because it is basically a Chicken boiled in a water. But don’t be fooled by the plain name, this chicken broth is a pure delight.
More Amuse to Tastes and Adding Rice
Plunged in its bouillon, with green onions, cabbage, white mushrooms and other ingredients such as ginger, this dish will transport you to a realm of new tastes. Though the ingredients’ preparation is made back in the kitchen, the food is being cooked and served in front of you by the waitress. Once you have your plate full of soup, you can either it eat “raw” or add some other things. These are the side accompaniment:
- A blend of seven spices, ”Shichimitougarashi”(cayenne, white and black sesame, Japanese pepper, citrus peel, hemp seed and nori seaweed)
- Yuzu paste (citrus fruit)
- Salt
- Ponzu (Japanese sauce made primarily of soy sauce and citrus juice)
If you’re done eating but still have some room, you may want to add rice or noodle in the remaining broth. This enjoyment comes with a price : 600 yen. Without the rice/noodle supplement, it is 2800 yen.
Spot Information
- Name: Toriden (とり田)
- Address : 2-3-30 Yakuin Chuo-ku Fukuoka Fukuoka
- Access: From Tenjin-minami station - Take the Nanakuma line to Yakuin-odori station.
Suganoya (菅乃屋): The high class restaurant with Kimono waitresses
Lastly, another pleasant place if you’d like to taste Kyushu’s food, is Sunagoya. This izakaya offers a very peculiar Kumamoto speciality, which is horse-meat sashimi, or “basashi” 馬刺し. As its cousin, this dish comes with soy sauce and wasabi. Served with a beautiful, but non edible decorative assortment, one can say that, visually, it was a great success. Very mouth-watering.
Surprisingly, the meat almost looked similar to fish. Taste wise, it was soft and subtle. Overall, in terms of quality, the job was greatly fulfilled but if you’re low on budget do not except to fill your belly.
As an indicator, the recommended menu which includes a selection of maki rolls, sushis and horse-meat slices, plus a salad, a bowl of rice, miso soup and a desert costs 5,000 yen. It is not an every day meal but it would be memorable to your trip to Fukuoka.
Besides, the traditional design of their interior associated to the waitresses’ kimono is also special.
Spot Information
- Name:Suganoya (菅乃屋)
- Address : 1-1 Hakataekichuogai Hakata-ku Fukuoka Fukuoka
- Access: From Tenjin - Take the kuko line to Hakata Station. In Hakata JR city building go up to the 10th floor
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