Fugetsu opened in 1949 as a cafe located in the former shopping arcade where Tenjin Core now stands. It has since grown into a chain, including a shop inside the Fukuoka Airport food court and elsewhere, but at the Tenjin Core shop, you can still get a taste of the old Fugetsu atmosphere that made it popular. The focus here, as it has been for 50 years, is the trademark beef butter-yaki. A Fugetsu original, the dish consists of grilled beef flank placed on a bed of spaghetti and covered with homemade BBQ sauce. And yes, the secret is in the sauce. Instead of a typically sweet BBQ sauce, Fugetsu’s soy-based sauce has a hint of refreshingly sour lemon and equal parts garlic and ginger. The noodles, grilled only one side until perfectly crispy, add to the aroma. If you’re hungry, you can also order additional noodles free of charge. The other grilled dishes are also worth trying.
Menu: Beef butter-yaki (w/ bread or rice & soup) S¥880, M¥1,080, L¥1,280, half butter-yaki (w/ corn soup, salad & bread or rice) ¥1,100, liver steak (w/ bread or rice) ¥900, butter-yaki salad (w/ bread or rice) ¥1,150, Fugetsu hamburger steak (w/ corn soup & bread or rice) ¥1,350, mixed grill (w/ bread or rice) ¥1,480, draft beer (mug) ¥520, wine/glass (red or white) ¥500, take-home BBQ sauce ¥463
*Foreign language menu: None / Credit cards accepted / Reservations not required / No smoking
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn232, Apr. 2018)