We discovered three great places recently: a killer spot for a full breakfast, a specialty coffee shop and cafe, and a new craft beer bar in Tenjin. Check them out!
In Fukuoka, finding a delicious western-style breakfast can be a bit of a challenge. It’s even harder to find an all-day breakfast place. Eggs ‘n Things fills that gap perfectly. Choose from eggs (served just how you like them: scrambled, sunny side up, over easy, over medium, over well done, over hard) with an assortment of accompaniments, such as tuna, Canadian bacon, spam, and so on. We loved their steak & eggs, which you can enjoy with rice, potatoes or toast (we opted for the toast, which was fried to a light golden brown). The locals keep coming back to this restaurant because of their famous pancakes: fluffy golden cushions which are either topped with cream, nuts and your choice of fruits and sauces, or made with chocolate chips, fruit or nuts inside. The most popular pancake choice is the strawberry heaped with a serving of cream larger than a baby’s head and a sprinkling of chopped macadamia nuts; this treat is sweet without being sickly. Feeling in the party mood? Try one of their colourful cocktails (served with little umbrellas, as befits the Hawaiian theme)! Sit inside in the laid-back, Hawaiian-themed interior, or relax on the terrace (blankets are provided to keep you snuggly in winter).
Eggs ‘n Things
Address: The Shops 1F, 1-12-56 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Open: 9:00~22:30
Closed: Irregular
Tel.: 092-737-7652
www.eggsnthingsjapan.com
Fukuoka is earning a reputation as a city for coffee-lovers, but if you want a coffee shop that cares, Adachi Coffee is for you. They have two policies: the first is that they use only coffee that gives back to the community they buy it from. The owner, Adachi-san, is part of a group that works with small farms in 14 different countries (such as Guatemala and Costa Rica). They visit the farms in person to offer assistance in all areas of the process, from technical matters to general advice. The group members make a point of paying a fair price giving the growers more stability. In return, the farms agree to loyally supply the group with high-quality coffee beans. Every coffee at Adachi is labelled with details of its origin, and there are also photos and information on the different farms Adachi-san himself has visited. Adachi wholesales to independent and discerning cafes around Fukuoka, so you may have already tasted his coffee – but we think it tastes better when you’ve visited the store and know the story behind the bean. The second policy is that everyone should be able to appreciate good coffee; this means creating a welcome environment where people of all ages and levels of coffee-expertise are comfortable. The extremely knowledgeable staff are on hand to offer advice and recommendations, and there is always a line up of ten different coffees (which change regularly) and tasting cups, so that visitors can sample the beans for themselves and make an informed decision. You can buy your beans whole or they’ll grind them for you to order. They also have a whole range of coffee-making equipment, from antique-style grinders to the latest designs in french presses. This Kego-based shop is the newest branch of Adachi Coffee – there are two others, each with its own reason to visit. The Okayama branch is the original shop, and used to be a green tea shop owned by Adachi’s family; now you can buy both green tea and coffee there. The shop in Kurume is their largest, and it is where all the beans are roasted – you can’t get coffee fresher than that! So visit Adachi Coffee for delicious coffee, reasonable prices, a welcoming atmosphere, and the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that each sip is doing some good in the world.
Adachi Coffee
Address: 1-1-10 Kego, Chuo-ku
Open: 10:00~20:00
Closed: Irregular
Tel.: 092-791-1245
http://www.adachicoffee.com/
Beer freaks will feel perfectly at home in this high-end craft beer joint. Ten draft beers are kept on tap, and when one keg runs out, it is replaced with a new variety. They pride themselves on serving less commonly found beers, such as Lagunitas’s Cappuccino Stout. But newbies to the world of craft beer are equally welcome. Two “entry level beers” are kept on tap for the uninitiated, one of which will always be Edel Pilsner, a Sapporo beer. Unlike other craft beer bars which might specialize in beer from a certain region, CBC tries to keep a balance between European, American and Japanese beers, meaning there will always be a few of each on tap. They also keep around 20 hard-to-find bottled beers in stock, including a selection of less common Belgian labels. The menus are penned by the owner himself, and are filled with detailed information about the brews on offer, including origin, color, and strength (as well as more technical information we can’t pretend to understand). Unfortunately the menus are only in Japanese, but English speaking staff are on hand to help you find your perfect brew. Craftbeer Creek also offers a selection of beer-friendly food, including sausages (bratwurst, frankfurters, weisswurst, or a tasting plate of all three) and Latin-American or Tex-Mex style dishes, such as octopus and orange ceviche. For a place that takes its name from the phrase “up the creek”, this is a pretty sweet spot: high ceilings, paired down interior, and beer coasters used as decoration. So grab a paddle and set off to explore the world of craft beer at Craftbeer Creek!
Craftbeer Creek
Address: 1-13-31-3F Imaizumi, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Open: 17:00~26:00 (Tue. ~ Sat., L.O. 25:00), 14:00~24:00 (Sun. ~ Hol., L.O. 23:00)
Closed: Mon. & 3rd Tue. (next day if Hol.)
Tel.:092-791-4370
http://www.craftbeercreek.com
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn204, Dec. 2015)
