Fukuoka - Yakitori-Hachibei Tenjin

One of the things Fukuoka is famous for is Yakitori.  Typically chicken and chicken parts only are on offer but in Fukuoka, many places seem to offer other meats, seafood and vegetables.  But one thing's constant, they are on skewers and grilled over an open fire borne of charcoal.

We couldn't possibly leave without a Yakitori meal so even if it meant waiting till 9.30pm for dinner, we still wanted a meal at Hachibei, especially after @e_ting had also blogged about it.

Sea urchin, salmon roe and crab meat on rice

So we loaded up on some pre-dinner yumminess from the Mitsukoshi food hall (bless the Japanese for getting food halls in every department store!).  But even a reservation at the reasonably late hour meant a 20 minute wait in the cold...

The counter

But that just made the inside - a boisterous buzz of conversations, interactive shouts within the open kitchen and the smoky and warm interiors - that much more welcoming.  Except for the cigarette smoke.  There is no separation of areas so if you are seated next to a smoker, tough luck.

Center of the action

The camaraderie between the young men operating the various stations within the kitchen are quite a sight to watch, and the almost nonchalant way the chef showers his meats on the grill with secret seasonings made from a base of sea salt is cool personified.

Pork belly

Fresh cabbage is free flow, like tea, but I was happy with my black sugar Umeshu, while most have beer to keep them happy.  There is an English menu but not for specials so I had to peer into the chiller that runs 2 sides of the counter and point to our server.

Tsukune (minced chicken)

Given the slightly late hour, a few things we had our eye on were sold out but they did have the Tsukune, which was a nice rendition of minced chicken and cartilage.  Smeared with a little mustard on the side, just excellent.

Belly pork with vegetables

And you can't go wrong with belly pork wrapped around vegetables (choose from chives, pea shoots or broccoli).  All good.

Gingko Nuts

Arabiki sausage

Other items like the gingko nuts and arabiki sausage were also good.

Grilled rice balls

But a surprising show stealer was the grilled rice ball.  Wrapped in a Perilla leaf and carefully (slowly) grilled so as not to burn, this was a perfect slight crisp on the outside but moist and firm rice within.  And so fragrant.

Sesame pudding

A perfectly light and sweet finish of their own house made sesame pudding with black sugar made it a glorious last night in Fukuoka.  Until next time..

〒810-0021 
2-5-28 Imaizumi Chuo-ku Fukuoka
Tel: +81-92-732-5379

Fukuoka - Ganso Nagahama and Moment / Manu Coffee

Cold and wet day in Fukuoka city

On a bad weather day, it is a huge consolation that a city like Fukuoka allows the visitor as much fun indoors as out.

Ganso Nagahama

And so we ventured by taxi to discover the hype around this little local ramen joint in the fish market area of Nagahama.

Waiting to be let into the zone

When we got out of our cab, the queue had stretched the length of exterior of the shop, all locals shivering and trying to stay warm while waiting to be let in.

Vending machine

Having done a little research, we knew to buy a meal ticket before joining the queue and shortly after I snapped this photo, a server came out to stick yet another sold out sign over the “Kaetama” option.  No extra serving of noodles available?  Oh well, back to low carb diet then..

Bustling room of ramen ravishers

There's not a lot of conversation in the room once you get in.  All you hear are the sounds of the servers communicating with the open kitchen and the sucking and slurping sounds of ramen ravishers consumed by the task at hand.

Enjoy it fast & furious

It's not the type of meal to tarry over.  If you're slow, your noodles become less firm and the soup less piping hot.  So once served, just start slurping till there's no more.

Before

This is actually what it looks like before you dig in.  Sesame and ginger are table side so help yourself.  This version of ramen is pretty basic.  The soup stock is not as rich as other places and an equal part of the taste comes from the pork slices which are salted.  We saw the locals pouring shoyu into it, but if you like it a little less salty, I found the stock adequate though I can see how some may find it comparatively bland.  Verdict: it's definitely a taste of old world, basic and nothing fancy, probably reminiscent of something in an old Nagahama household.  But as a visitor to Fukuoka, I enjoyed my bowl at Ichiran a little more.

Taking the haul apart

The nice part of eating in this part of town is getting to see some of the seafood shops in action.  The main market was shut by the time we finished with lunch but this shop was still full of action at 3 in the afternoon.

Peddling the wares

There was still a fair bit of a variety on offer even at that time of day.

Counter at Moment Coffee

More important was our search for java which would complete my second ramen and coffee sojourn.  Given the neighborhood we were in, we weren't optimistic that we would get a satisfying cuppa since I hadn't heard that fishermen and coffee went together.  But as luck would have it, we chanced upon Moment Coffee and didn't hesitate to escape from the wet and cold outside.

House blend

Moment serves a well balanced house blend that hand dripped, was well balanced with a nice finish without being overly acidic.

Latte

 Espresso drinks were also yummy and were well put together, creating a finished product that neither coffee nor milk overpowered each other.

Manu Coffee

We would have made the short journey back to Manu Coffee (which we enjoyed on our first morning) if we didn't chance upon Moment Coffee.

Enter if you can figure out how

With lots of coffee paraphernalia around the store, it had a really nice vibe to the place, so great to chill, especially if you like the Beatles...  for some reason, all the coffee places I went to on this trip played the Beatles, with the exception on Moment which is a lot more contemporary and jazzy.

Espresso drinks done table side

Coffee here is just as good as Moment and it seems to be the more established store with 3 locations across the city.  And the novelty is espresso drinks finished table side.  Nice touch.

Ganso Nagahama
Nagahama 2-5-19 Chuo-ku
Tel: +81-92-781-0723

Moment Coffee
中央区舞鶴 2-3-10-102, Fukuoka-shi
Fukuoka
+81 92-713-4370


Manu Coffee
Border Tower Bld 1F,3-11-2 Watanabe Street, Chuou-ku
Fukuoka 810-0004
+81-92-736-6011

Fukuoka - Ichiran and then some

As I’ve always said and tweeted many times over: Ramen and coffee are best friends. In my book anyways. There’s something very satisfying about the combination and in that order of course. While everyone knows there’s good ramen to be had in Fukuoka, I wasn’t so sure about the coffee scene and whether coffee bars were as commonplace as in the bigger cities I’ve visited.


Join the queue

But first things first: a visit to Ichiran. One of the meccas of ramen in Fukuoka with many branches over Kyushu.


Vending machine for noodles

It’s not a full service restaurant so you literally have to get a meal ticket from the vending machine out front, then join the queue. Once it’s your turn the greeter shows you to your seat and then all you deal with is a pair of hands behind a curtain that unveils into the kitchen. You hardly see the server because there is no real need to. This is serious business where even if you come as a party, you eat individually, in your own little cubicle no less.


A little homework before you get your grub

Fill out your preferences including strength of noodles to the garnishes and whether you need a Kaetama (an extra serving of noodles for your leftover soup).
 

The reason we came here

That wondrous bowl arrives a few minutes later and then any chatter dies down, only to be replaced by slurps, oohs and aahs. Yes, it is a delicious concoction of rich but ungreasy stock made from pork bones, then consumed with very al dente noodles (iron and steel tensile strength), tender and thinly sliced pork shoulder and given a little kick with a lot of spring onions and their special chili sauce.



Do her thing with the hand drip

Although diehards tend to want to savor the goodness for longer, I like finishing my experience with a very good coffee. In this case, we were lucky to chance upon a little hole in the wall a couple of doors down the little alley from Ichiran, run by a very friendly lady and her husband. The hand drips on the counter attracted me to it and saved me from the huge Starbucks and Seattle’s Best on the street just perpendicular to the alley. Phew!

Le Petit Prince menu

Unfortunately our Japanese language skills were non-existent so we couldn’t even enjoy the menu she put inside The Little Prince reprint. But sign language and more pointing got us far enough to get us a well roasted hand dripped pour of aromatic but light coffee. And of course the out-of-the-world strawberry cream cake which another nice little lady at the counter with us nodded in approval.

The wowzer of a strawberry cream cake

Even despite the language barrier, they were excitedly talking about us and the fact that they had visitors all the way from Singapore.  (We assume all good since we heard Singapore like 7 times in 30 minutes).  And so helpful were they that they even tried to find us our dinner venue on their iPad. Guess we do need these great gadgets to bridge communication gaps afterall!


Ichiran
一蘭 天神店
天神1-10-15, 福岡市中央区
福岡県 810-0001

Oasis Coffee
オアシス珈琲（きれいなコーヒー）天神店
天神2-3-39, 福岡市中央区
福岡県 810-0001

*Disclaimer: I don't read Japanese and have relied on the world wide web and foursquare to figure out addresses so if you get lost, just enjoy the city!  I do know that at least I got the area right!



Fukuoka - Naginoki なぎの木

Canal City Mall

I can't remember the last time I spent Christmas away from home.  A little odd especially since Fukuoka isn't actually known for its Christmas spirit, although there no short of Christmas lights at Canal city, which sits on the bank of the river that runs through the city.  Landing in sunshine did little to take away the bite of the cold except being able to wear cool shades almost anywhere, well until about 5.30 when it starts to get dark.

Fukuoka is exciting for the local cuisine that it is famous for, most notably Hakata ramen (more on that later when I actually get out to try some).


Motsunabe

Most places will tell you that Fukuoka is home of the "nabe" or hotpot, and nothing short of beef or pork offal will do.  Sounds a little off putting?  My motsunabe of beef giblets was better than expected.  It was hard to tell actually which part of the cow they used in bite sized pieces of fat and chew combined but in a classic stock of soy with cabbage, chives and tofu, it made for a heartwarming Christmas dish.  Better than turkey!


Mentaiko tempura

Black sugar plum wine

A side of tempura, with its salty spiciness, made for a great starter with a black sugar plum wine on the rocks.  Another great way to warm up too.

It's going to be a cold Christmas but the food here in Fukuoka should do wonders to warm things up, especially at a Yatai (street vendor)?

Merry Christmas!

西中洲本店
中央区西中洲10-1, 福岡市
福岡県 810-0002
Tel: +91-92-7372020