Japan

博多天ぷらたかお Hakata Tempura Takao @Hakata, Japan

Posted on 16 September 2017 by lendeliz

With the warning of upcoming typhoon, we ended up at the Canal City Hakata again. We were walking around for lunch inspiration and we were attracted by the huge anago!

We opted for 対馬産大穴子天丼 Tsushima Large Anago Tendon (¥1700) and 季节の天ぷら定食 Seasonal Tempura Set Meal (¥1400).

Deep frying everything a la order and by hand
Unlimited Tsukemono Pickled Cabbage and Takao’s specialty, Konbu Mentai, or Kelp and Cod Roe
対馬産大穴子天丼 Tsushima Large Anago Tendon
季节の天ぷら定食 Seasonal Tempura Set Meal

The huge anago was awesomely delicious! We also liked that they were not overly generous with the sauce 🙂 For the tempura set meal, each tempura was freshly deep fried in front of us, and served piece by piece as we ate, ensuring that each piece was fresh and hot. The batter was also quite light without being overly oily.

We were really glad that we came here for lunch 🙂

Contact:

  • Location: 〒812-0018 福岡県福岡市博多区住吉1丁目2−1 キャナルシティ博多4階, 1 Chome−2−1, Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken, Japan (Google Maps)
  • Directions: Level 4 of Canal City Hakata
  • Website: tempura-takao.jp
  • Hrs: 11am – 11pm
Categories: Fukuoka, Japan, Lunch, Travel | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

屋台小金ちゃん Yatai Kokinchan @Hakata, Japan

Posted on 15 September 2017 by lendeliz

We can’t come to Hakata without visiting 屋台 Yatai! We still recalled the very enjoyable yatai experience from many years ago, but we were unable to find the same stall during this visit. Nonetheless, we had read about a couple of very popular stalls, and decided to check out 屋台小金ちゃん Yatai Kokinchan. We arrived around 6pm, and there was already a queue!

めんたい玉子焼き Fried Spicy Cod Roe with Egg
おでん Oden
焼きラーメン Fried Ramen Noodles
餃子 Fried Dumplings

We managed to try quite a few items, including:

  • めんたい玉子焼き Fried Spicy Cod Roe with Egg (¥680): This was slightly spicy, salty and sweet, and we rather enjoyed the mixed flavours.
  • 焼きラーメン Fried Ramen Noodles (¥700): This was the speciality of Kokinchan when we read the reviews. Hmm, we didn’t expect the sauce to be so sweet…
  • 餃子 Fried Dumplings (¥380): Difficult to go wrong, and pretty standard.
  • おでん Oden (¥130 each): We tried the コンニャク Konnyaku (I’m not sure if this is it), しいたけ shiitake mushroom, and はんべん, which was a puffy cake made of fish paste, and we realised it was that piece of oden which my friends would usually fight over for whenever we buy this standard oden pack for steamboat. Of course, it tasted as good as ever 😀

The food felt rather homely, and we really enjoy the experience of just hanging around the yatai 🙂

Contact:

  • Location: 〒810-0041 福岡県福岡市中央区天神2丁目14−13 天神三井ビル角, 2 Chome−14−13 Tenjin, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken, Japan (Google Maps)
  • Directions: In front of Hotel Monterey La Soeur Fukuoka, at the corner of Tenjin Mitsui Building
  • Website: yatai.fukuoka.jp/oyafuko/kokinchan
  • Hrs: 6:30pm – 1:30am (Mon-Wed), 6:30pm – 2am (Fri-Sat)
Categories: Dinner, Fukuoka, Japan | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

うどん平 Udon Taira @Hakata, Japan

Posted on 15 September 2017 by lendeliz

img_4235IMG20170915113132Hubby said that we absolutely gotta go queue for this famous udon!

Since we were staying quite near the place, we figured we would be rather early… NOT 😛

We arrived just before 11.30am, to find a long queue outside, and we did not manage to get in the first seating. However, being a fuss-free place, customers did not linger and after 20 minutes, we were in!

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Categories: Fukuoka, Japan, Lunch | Tags: , | Leave a comment

平四郎 廻転寿司 キャナルシティ店 Heishirou @Hakata, Japan

Posted on 14 September 2017 by lendeliz

After watching the impressive laser light fountain show at Canal City Hakata, we decided to look for food within the huge shopping mall itself.

There were a few options, and 平四郎 キャナルシティ店 廻転寿司 Heishirou conveyor belt sushi restaurant looked rather popular. Price ranged from ¥100 to ¥500 per plate (excluding tax), and we spent ¥3024 in total for 8 plates of sushi.

We gotta say that the fish were fresh, but a pity about the sushi rice…

Contact (廻転寿司平四郎 キャナルシティ店):

  • Location: 〒812-0018 福岡県福岡市博多区住吉1-2-1 キャナルシティ博多4F, 1 Chome-2-1 Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 812-0018, Japan (Google Maps)
  • Directions: 1 minute walk from 博多駅 Hakata Station
  • Website: heishirou.com
  • Hrs: 11am – 11pm
Categories: Dinner, Fukuoka, Japan, Travel | Tags: , | 1 Comment

餃子屋 弐ノ弐 Gyoza Ya Ninoni @Hakata, Japan

Posted on 14 September 2017 by lendeliz

We were strolling along the shopping street when a half price 焼餃子 Pan-fried Gyoza and Beer advertisement caught our attention 😛

Queue-ing for discounts
Kanpai!
焼餃子 Pan-fried Gyoza
水餃子 Steamed Gyoza

We had the 焼餃子 Pan-fried Gyoza (half price at ¥125 for 7 pieces), as well as the 水餃子 Steamed Gyoza (¥300 for 6). Boy, we were glad that we made this pit stop! The gyozas were very juicy and the skin was rather thin. We really enjoyed this snack food 😀

Contact (Outlet-川端店):

  • Location: 〒812-0026 福岡県福岡市博多区上川端町5−108, 5-108 Kamikawabatamachi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 812-0026, Japan (Google Maps)
  • Directions: 1 minute walk from 博多駅 Hakata Station
  • Website: www.ninoni.jp
  • Hrs: 5pm – 12am
Categories: Coffee/Tea Break, Fukuoka, Japan, Travel | Tags: , | Leave a comment

もつ鍋おおやま 博多デイトス店 Motsu Nabe Ooyama @Hakata, Japan

Posted on 14 September 2017 by lendeliz

After a long train ride from Kumamoto to Hakata, and dropping our luggage at our hotel, we went in search for lunch.

We still recalled the very nice もつ鍋 Motsu Nabe which we had tried at a yatai stall in Fukuoka years ago. So when we saw this restaurant specialising in Motsu Nabe, we went in without hesitation.

We ordered the Motsu Nabe Set Meal for 2 pax (¥2560), where we could opt for either rice or Champon noodles. The set also included sides such as Hakata Spicy Cod Roe (raw), Okyuto (seaweed jelly), and pickles (citron radish).

We enjoyed the side dishes, but the Motsu Nabe was quite a disappointment with very little offals… There was probably much more tofu than anything else 😦 The soup and noodles were not bad though.

Note: Menu was available in English, Korean, and Chinese, so it was fairly easy to order.

Contact:

  • Location: 〒812-0012 福岡県福岡市博多区博多駅中央街1−1 博多デイトス1F（博多ほろよい通り, 1−1 Hakataekichūōgai, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, K+Fukuoka-ken, Japan (Google Maps)
  • Directions: 1 minute walk from 博多駅 Hakata Station
  • Website: www.motu-ooyama.com/shop/hakatadeitos/ (Facebook) (Instagram)
  • Hrs: 11am – 12am
Categories: Fukuoka, Japan, Lunch | Tags: | Leave a comment

菅乃屋 Suganoya @Kumamoto, Japan

Posted on 13 September 2017 by lendeliz

While we did try horse meat at the Izakaya the day before, this was a planned lunch at this popular and famous chain that specializes in horse cuisines, which we requested the hotel to help us make reservations for.

Ordering was easy, because the menu came in various languages, and we opted for a 石焼ランチ Stone Grilled Lunch Set (¥2600), and an 馬握りランチ Assorted Horse Meat Sushi Lunch Set (¥3000).

The sets also came with 馬刺し Basashi Sashimi, so through this meal (and the ones the day before), we had satisfied our curiosity of Japanese horse meat cuisine 😛

While horse meat did taste a bit like beef, we still preferred beef 🙂 However, given the food quality of this restaurant, we still think it is worthwhile to come here for a good sampling of horse meat cuisine :).

Click here to view the locations of all outlets.

菅乃屋 上通店 Suganoya Kamidori Branch:

  • Location: 〒860-0846 熊本県熊本市中央区城東町２−１２ アンピールパーキング上通り２Ｆ, 2−12 Jōtōmachi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto-ken, Japan (Google Maps)
  • Directions: 1 minute walk from Kumamoto City Tram 通町筋駅 Torichosuji Station
  • Website: service.suganoya.com/kamidori (Facebook)
  • Hrs: 11:30am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Categories: Japan, Kumamoto, Travel | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Day trip in 熊本市 Kumamoto City, Japan

Posted on 12 September 2017 by lendeliz

IMG20170912102836Today was meant to be a relaxing day in our itinerary, and we wanted to spend the day exploring 熊本市 Kumamoto City.

As 熊本城 Kumamoto Castle suffered serious damages during the earthquake in April 2016, it was closed to public, and we could only view it from outside.

However, there were signboards to guide you to various locations for viewing and also to provide more information regarding the castle.

We ended our walking tour at 城彩苑 Josaien Castle Town, located at 桜の馬場 Sakura no Baba, near the foot of Kumamoto Castle.

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Categories: Japan, Kumamoto, Travel | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

黑亭 Kokutei @Kumamoto, Japan

Posted on 11 September 2017 by lendeliz

After a day of train-riding, and after dropping our luggage at our hotel, we went in search for dinner. Google suggested a popular Kumamoto ramen restaurant near 熊本駅 Kumamoto Station, so off we went looking for 黑亭 Kokutei in the light drizzle.

Though it was dinner time, there wasn’t much of a queue, and we got into the restaurant after about 10 minutes of waiting. While waiting, there was an English menu available for us to browse.

玉子入りラーメン (Tamago Iri Ramen) Ramen with Egg
豚そぼろ丼 (Buta Soboro Don) Rice Bowl with Pork and Vegetables
特製ギョーザ Special Gyoza

We shared a Ramen Set (¥1290) consisting of 玉子入りラーメン (Tamago Iri Ramen) Ramen with Egg, 豚そぼろ丼 (Buta Soboro Don) Rice Bowl with Pork and Vegetables, and 特製ギョーザ Special Gyoza. We thought the food was pretty decent 🙂

Note that there are 2 outlets, and you can check its website for the locations.

熊本ラーメン黒亭本店 Kokutei Main Store:

  • Location: 〒860-0051 熊本県熊本市西区二本木2丁目1-23, 2 Chome−1−23, Nihongi, Nishi-ku, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto-ken, Japan (Google Maps)
  • Directions: 5 minutes walk from JR 熊本駅 Kumamoto Station
  • Website: www.kokutei.co.jp (Facebook)
  • Hrs: 10:30am – 8:30pm
Categories: Dinner, Japan, Kumamoto, Travel | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Day trip to 人吉 Hitoyoshi @Kumamoto, Japan

Posted on 11 September 2017 by lendeliz

img_4031This was a trip with quite a few train rides, and the one from 熊本 Kumamoto to 人吉 Hitoyoshi was with a very special coal-powered SL 人吉 SL (Steam Locomotive) Hitoyoshi.

We hopped onto the 8:02am Shinkansen MIZUHO 602 from 鹿児島中央 Kagoshima-Chuo for a 45-min train ride to 熊本 Kumamoto.

Upon reaching 熊本 Kumamoto Station, we dropped our luggage at the locker (¥600) and went hunting for some snacks to eat within the station. We got ourselves some yummy れんこんボール Lotus Root Balls (¥380), before we went searching for the train.

While SL 人吉 Hitoyoshi was scheduled to depart at 9:45am, it was already at the tracks waiting, at least 20 minutes earlier. This gave everyone plenty of time to get some pictures, even if you did not manage to get tickets for the ride.

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Categories: Japan, Kumamoto, Travel | Tags: , | 1 Comment

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