Tonkotsu ramen purveyor Mankai opened its Oyafuko-dori shop on Jul. 11. Owner Yoshihiro Okunaga, whose parents ran a ramen shop, honed his skills for 19 years at Ippudo before opening Mankai inside Fukuoka Airport. The Oyafuko shop is his second in Fukuoka, and the first on street level. Okunaga is serious about his ramen. He makes his soup in-house from scratch using only pork bones, and his noodles—thin, straight and low in water content—stay true to the Hakata style. The braised pork, made from belly and thigh meat, is sliced only after you order it to ensure juiciness. The menu features three kinds of ramen: Junton, made with Fukuoka’s own Jokyu soy sauce, Shioton, with an umami-packed seafood base and Tomaton, which features a unique blend of black olives, cheese, and tomato sauce. These original twists on Hakata’s tonkotsu ramen are sure to garner the attention of foodies throughout Fukuoka.
Menu: Junton ¥760, Shioton ¥780, Tomaton ¥860, clear pork soba (only 30 per day) ¥760 (Toppings: marinated soft boiled egg ¥100, seaweed and green onions ¥100, wood ear mushrooms ¥100, bean sprouts ¥100, braised pork slice ¥200), Hakata bite-size gyoza ¥400, spicy bean sprout stir fry ¥400, braised pork plate ¥520, mentai & rice ¥250, raw egg & rice ¥320, draft beer ¥580, chuhai ¥500, shochu ¥380, highball ¥500, cola ¥210
*Prices to change from Oct. 1, 2019 following tax increase
*Foreign language menu: English / Cash only / Reservations not required / No smoking
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn249, Sep. 2019)
