At Kaiboku, owner-chef Kenji Okabayashi offers exquisitely crafted Japanese meals with seasonal ingredients. Small appetizers are followed by a second course of assorted fresh sashimi and vegetables. Main dishes include nimono (broiled foods) and vegetable and fish tempura. After some soup and a rice dish, the meal ends with dessert. The whole meal is both appetizing and visually appealing – presentation is immaculate – and you can enjoy a sake paired to match the seasonal ingredients. Even gourmands smack their lips at the handmade dashi inari – sushi rice stuffed in lightly fried tofu pouches; it mustn’t be overlooked! Using a traditional fried tofu from the owner’s hometown in Kumamoto and a bonito broth, the dashi inari take eight hours to prepare! The perfect blend of dashi broth and vinegary rice fills your mouth with a burst of flavor. The dish has proven so popular that, this summer, Kaiboku opened a dashi inari specialty shop next to the restaurant (open: 11:30~21:00).
Menu:
Washoku course: ¥5,000, ¥7,000, ¥10,000, sake ¥1,000~/180ml, wine/glass (red/white) ¥800~, dashi inari (x5) ¥1,350, (x2) ¥648
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn214, Oct. 2016)
