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Oishi Koriya
Local ice-maker Kyushu Seihyo runs a kakigori (shaved ice) shop which uses ice frozen slowly over 72 hours into extremely hard, pure blocks. Twenty-centimeter-high portions of super fluffy shavings from the latest high-tech machine are dressed with gourmet toppings. Choose from eight flavors! The popular Yame Matcha uses green tea from Hoshino in Yame (¥750); the slight bitterness of the tea is offset by the sweetness of the condensed milk. The coffee kakigori (¥750) is topped with mascarpone and specially blended coffee sauce. The ice dissolves on contact with your mouth!
Oishi Koriya
Address: 1-4-13 Tojinmachi, Chuo-ku
Open: 11:00~18:00 (L.O.: 17:50)
Closed: Mon., Every 2nd and 4th Tue.
Tel: 092-731-7250
http://oishiikoori.com/
Menu: Kakigori: Yame Matcha (green tea) ¥750, strawberry & milk ¥750, kinako (soybean flour) ¥750, coffee ¥750, mango ¥750, milk syrup ¥550; Tokado blend coffee ¥300, iced coffee ¥350
Écru
At the edge of Tenjin, you’ll find Écru, a unique specialty coffee and natural wine stand. Measuring in at just under 10m2, the shop is tiny but exudes Tatsuya Harada’s (owner) worldview, from the aromas to the music to the interior design. As the roaster churns out fruity, aromatic beans reminiscent of chocolate, patrons pick up cups of coffee to take back to the office, or stop in for a drink before heading out. Day in and day out, connoisseurs of fine coffee and fine wine choose Écru for Harada’s meticulously curated high-quality offerings.
Écru
Address: 3-4-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku
Open: 12:00~24:00
Closed: Sun.
Tel: 092-791-6833
https://ecru-tenjin.com/
Menu: Espresso ¥300 (single), ¥350 (double), Americano ¥480, latte ¥500, glass wine du jour ¥600, glass wine ¥800~1,500, bottled wine ¥4,200~, anchovy butter toast ¥450, cake du jour (e.g., rum raisin cake) ¥400
Wakatake
Ten years ago, kuro tonkotsu (black pork bone) ramen burst onto the scene in Fukuoka. The color comes from ma-yu (black roasted garlic oil), a seasoning that originated in Kumamoto. This March, a new black ramen specialist joined in the fray—Wakatake. The owner, Masahito Yamada, spent years perfecting his own ma-yu. “I blend oil and six parts of garlic, each gently fried to a different degree of crispness. It takes about three days to make,” explains Yamada. In 2012, Yamada opened the now-famous Hakata Isso with his brother, but having been a black ramen fan since his days as an understudy, he always wanted to open a black ramen shop. His primary focus is freshness. He cooks the pork bone soup in a pressure cooker, only making what he needs for the day. The soup is rich, but doesn’t retain the trademark pork bone odor, and a hint of flour remains on the noodles. Both go great with Yamada’s original ma-yu, making for a deliciously unique bowl of ramen.
Wakatake
Address: 3-2 Gionmachi, Hakata-ku
Open: 11:00~24:00 (L.O.)
Closed: Irregular
Tel: 092-282-3957
Menu: Ramen ¥600, ramen with seasoned soft-boiled egg ¥700, chashumen (broiled pork ramen) ¥750, chashumen with seasoned soft-boiled egg ¥850, wontonmen (wonton ramen) ¥800, special ramen ¥1,000, Lunch A (ramen + rice) ¥650 *Free rice refills, rice ¥150, rice ball ¥150, noodle refill ¥100, gyoza (x5) ¥250, (x10) ¥400 *gyoza only available after 15:00, draft beer ¥500, bottled beer ¥500, shochu ¥350
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn212, Aug. 2016)
