Dimitri and Yukitsugu Masuda, the Assistant Chief Concierge at the Ritz Carlton Fukuoka, spent many hours developing the list of restaurants that we would experience for dinner during our eight nights in Fukuoka. Dimitri explained to Yuki that we wanted local, non-touristic, restaurants with purely Japanese food. Given our ages, we needed tables and chairs (no tatami for us!), and the chairs needed backs. Our budget was around ¥9000 or US $60 per person. We had a wonderful dining experience in Fukuoka, thanks to all the advance work by Yuki. At many of the restaurants, there was no English menu and no one spoke English. Having Yuki arrange a pre-fixe, set menu (called a course menu in Japan) was invaluable. In other instances, Yuki ordered items off of a menu in advance for us. It turned out very well indeed.
We think that the course meals we had were called kaiseki because they are described in the following way: "in kaiseki restaurants, dishes are served in a set of sequences, and the menu is predetermined and meticulously crafted to reflect the changing seasons of Japan." That sounds like the meals we had, but we never verified that.
Dimitri and Audre discussed ratings. Instead of our usual recommendations, we have given our Fukuoka restaurants numbered ratings from 0 to 10. The following is our list of the restaurants we went to, with the highest-rated one first.
1. Chisoya Nao Akasaka, 2-10-2 Daimyo, Chuo, Fukuoka Fukuoka Prefecture, +81 92-741-8883, https://hitosara.com/0006082433/photo/. Rating: 9. Our last meal was our best! It was both delicious and fun. We sat at the counter at Chisouya Nao and the chef-owner, Shefu Naoyuki-san, spoke to us and the other guests throughout the meal. If he didn't know the English word, he used a translator device. He did this while preparing food for a packed restaurant. The uni from Hokkaido, fish liver, scallop-cake-ball, wagyu beef--well everything actually, was delicious.
It started with a small dish of broth with egg and a tiny, special spring vegetable called tsukusi. Next were 7 small tastes: baby squid, fish liver (excellent), egg (only glancingly boiled in broth), ohitashi, mizuna salad, mackerel, and karasumi (mullet eggs in their poach which were salted and dried—just like Dimitri remembered eating in Egypt when he was growing up). Wonderful! The sashimi was excellent: with tuna on sushi rice, flounder, amberjack, squid, swordfish, and delicious uni from Hokkaido.
Shefu Naoyuki told us that he goes to the fish auction early in the morning (how does he exist on so little sleep?) He served a broth with a light-as-a-feather scallop ball that was wonderful. His tempura (of almost still alive) shrimp from Kyushu was sweet and crunchy. He served wagyu beef fillet that was like butter (and yet firm) and very tasty. The rice with eel pounded into a purée in a thick-sweetish sauce was next. Then came the miso soup with nori yuba tofu skin. Yum. Shefu then served a fruit with almond jelly and wolfberry dessert. What a truly great meal. We spent ¥19040, US $128.99, and were very happy.
2. Gohan-ya Hansuke, 1-11-1 Kashiiekimae Higashi-Ku Fresta Kashii, Fukuoka 813-0013 Fukuoka Prefecture, +81 92-682-2941, https://www.gohanyahansuke.com. Rating: 8. This restaurant had a modern, Scandinavian look. It was large by Japanese standards with a sushi bar and also tables. It would have been a close contender for our best meal in Fukuoka, but there was a loud and obnoxious family sitting next to us. Also, the music was rock and we didn’t like it (when we could hear it over the noise from the next table). Yuki, our Ritz Carlton concierge, had arranged a luxury course meal (¥11000 each, US$74.52) and indeed it included very special items.
It started with a selection: the famous Kyushu raw shrimp, tiny baby squid that were delicious and tender, a dry large bean, and a cold cockle. For the sashimi course, there were 11 items, including some unusual ones: whale tongue and expensive abalone. There was isaki, tai, sawara, Kujira, ika, hirame, clam and squid. The next course was a fish collar that was grilled and called amadai. It was excellent. Our next course was pufferfish—yes, the poisonous one. Our Shefu was a certified fugu (or pufferfish) chef. It was much better than we thought it would be. It was breaded and grilled—tender and tasty. The next course was blue crab (watarigani or isikawa) kani. It was too stringy for us. Then came soup with Japanese turbot (hirame), Tsuyahime (Shima) rice (each grain was separate and glistening). Shefu came to our table several times to explain (even though the restaurant was full and he was busy) and spoke to us (using Google Translate). The meal cost ¥23600, US $159.98 and we were happy (after the loud family left). When the restaurant emptied Shefu came to talk to us. That was very special and enjoyable.
3. Tarougen (太郎源), 3-27-24 B1F Tanaka Bldg., Hakataekimae, Hakata, Fukuoka Fukuoka Prefecture, +81 92-481-8522, https://tarougen.com/. Rating: 7.5. Yuki, our concierge pre-ordered for us because there was no menu in English. We were told that no one spoke English but one of the servers actually did speak a little English and helped us. We had fun and talked a little bit to the men sitting at the sushi bar next to us. We were brought a welcome of squid, then the sashimi that Yuki had ordered. There were 2 kinds of tuna plus 4 fish and ikura (salmon roe). The Spanish mackerel, horse mackerel, amberjack, and sea bream were very good. We were brought soup with wakame and tofu that was tasty. Our grilled fish was tuna with black pepper. We liked it. Then came the vegetable tempura. We enjoyed our meal and spent ¥12800, US $85.33.
4. Genjyu Japanese Restaurant The Ritz Carlton Fukuoka, Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City, 2 Chome-6-50 Daimyo, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0041, https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/fukrz-the-ritz-carlton-fukuoka/dining. Rating: 7. This lunch was very special. First of all, we were hosted by the General Manager of the Ritz Carlton, and his wife. To be honest, the warmth of the conversation overshadowed the food for us. We were much more interested in Radu and Young than the food. Having said that, the food and the service were very good. Hirotaka Nakashima, Genjyu Kaiseki Chef, came to our table to make sure all was well. We really like that. There were 7 courses in the kaiseki meal: an appetizer, a sashimi, a soup, a grilled fish with vegetables and pickles, a Kyushu black wagyu beef dish, rice, miso soup, and pickles, followed by dessert. They were all beautifully presented, perfectly served, and delicious. The meal was followed by dessert. It was totally enjoyable.
5. Neko to Sakana (Sakana to Sakana Itookashi), 3 Chome-25-27 Haruyoshi (1-9-3 Watanabedori) Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0003, 81 92-724-6999 (092-715-1004) https://www.instagram.com/itookashi0407/. Rating 7. We sat upstairs at a table with one chair and one hard bench (and a pillow). It was okay. Across from us were private spaces with tatami mats. Dimitri liked the restaurant better than Audre did. Yuki, the concierge at the Ritz Carlton, had ordered dishes for us instead of a course menu. We were brought an appetizer of tofu, snap peas, and turnips - it was good. Then we were brought a salad with leak and saba fish, also good. The next dishes were marinated raw shrimp and grilled conger eel - delicious. Then came deep-fried, pounded fish cake which we liked. The sashimi selection was excellent: striped jack, sea bream, skip jack, whale, white fish, squid, green fish, and tuna. The rest of the meal was very good and we enjoyed it. We spent ¥10,940, US$72.93 and we were happy.
6. Mekiki no Takashi. 2-30 Tenyamachi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0025, +81 92-409-3178. Rating 7. We had a very enjoyable meal sitting at a table near the counter. There was no menu in English and almost no English spoken. Yuki, the concierge at the Ritz Carlton, who curated our meals, had wanted us to sit at the sushi counter so we could interact with the chef (shefu). At this restaurant, the counter was high and laden with dishes. We could not see the chef, let alone talk to him (even if he had spoken English). Our server, brought us a list (in Japanese) of the dishes we would have on our pre-fix set menu (¥8000 each) called a course menu in Japan. Google Translate did not translate the list or the restaurant menu intelligibly. The first dish was a small bowl of silken tofu in a thick sauce. It was good. The next was sashimi with 5 fish, including swordfish, amberjack, tuna, and two more. The next course was silver cod with taro and fish liver—delicious. There was a hairy crab jelly, with what is called miso in Japan–the tomalley, that was excellent. Google Translate reported that the next dish was grunt stew in miso soup. Whatever it was, it was tasty. Then we had kue or ara, a fish that was famous in the Kyushu area. The grouper was, unfortunately, in a gushy tempura. Then good bamboo tempura, followed by wonderful uni (from Hokkaido, not Kyushu)! Finally, as always there was miso soup and rice. By this time in the meal, we were speaking with the women sitting near us (from Hong Kong) as well as the couple behind us (also from Hong Kong). They found this restaurant on Tabelog in Japan. We all had fun talking together and comparing notes. We spent ¥17600 (with tea), US$119.46 and we were happy.
7. Shoku Shin Shungetsu, 4-19 Suzakicho, Hakata, Fukuoka Fukuoka Prefecture, +81 92-262-2428. Rating 5. This authentic restaurant was not a hit with us. The space was small and we had a table and chairs but it was not a standard height, just a bit lower and less comfortable. We were asked (in sign language—no English) to take off our shoes before stepping up to the platform where our table was. It was cold and without shoes our feet were uncomfortable. Also on the platform was a flimsy partition and a 4-top table on the other side of it. Four men sat at that table. A couple of the private rooms were also occupied. Even so, the single server did a good job and used Google Translate to help us identify the dishes on our set, course menu (¥8000 each). The meal started well with a pudding with potato and asparagus. Next was a tiny cup with, cooked oyster, fish, shrimp a vegetable and a cracker. It was okay. There was a clam and bamboo shoot broth followed by sashimi served with vinegar and soy sauce: amberjack (good but it is always good!), flounder that was chewy and tasteless, chewy squid, and delicious uni. Next was a tempura course with mushroom, garlic shoots, scallop in nori, camus fish, and ginger. (Ginger was very good as tempura). We were then served Spanish mackerel in a broth with turnip and, oddly potato chips that quickly were soggy. This dish was good, not great. The next course was chicken with peanut and snap peas. It was okay. We were served rice and miso soup that contained crab and pickles. By this time, the four men next to us had become loud and tipsy; it was annoying because they were very close. There was (unusually) a dessert of ice cream, with persimmon in a tart with strawberry and a candy on top. The meal was good enough but the loud men, the low table, in a cold setting with just good food, resulted in us giving this restaurant a mediocre rating. We spent ¥16000, US $106 and do not recommend this restaurant.
8. Hakata Tanakada Hakata, 3-16-19 Kiyokawa 1F Urban Top, Chuo, Fukuoka 810-0005 Fukuoka Prefecture, +81 92-522-1211, https://www.instagram.com/tanakada.hakata/. Rating: 0. This restaurant was awful. While they had some English words on a menu with pictures, it was not the whole menu and it had a very limited selection. Nothing looked interesting to us. Their policy, written in English, was not to provide prices on the menu. The explanation, in English, was that prices change daily and depend on the quantity. Don’t you wonder how other restaurants can handle those challenges? In addition, they bring a small appetizer (which we didn’t like) and charge ¥500 per person for it. They charge for water if you don't order a drink. We ordered 2 oysters (¥800 each) that were not as large or as sweet as the ones we had in Sapporo (or in any other restaurant for that matter) for less money. How did we know the price? There was a young man working in the kitchen who spoke some English. We also ordered a small plate of eggplant that was marinated and good. We had a dried sardine cracker that was weird. Lastly, we had a tempura ball filled with fish and onion that was mushy. We were so turned off and frustrated we left after having just these small plates. We spent ¥9000, US $61.33 for nothing.
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