Surrounded by plentiful seas, Fukuoka is renowned for its excellent seafood. Local izakaya chain Isogai is among the great places serving top-notch seafood brought in directly from the local market. In January this year they opened their 6th restaurant, Shirasu Kujira. More casual than their other establishments, it’s cheaper too, with most of the food in the ¥300 ~ 500 price range thanks to a conscious decision to serve smaller portions to allow people to try a wider variety of dishes. There certainly are a lot of choices on offer, from ultra-fresh raw sea urchin roe, 3-piece sashimi platters and tuna rib to home-cooked Hakata favorites like meat and potato hot-pot and chicken and vegetable stew. The owner used to be a fisherman on Genkaijima and his motto is “good things cheaply”. Fortunately, this generosity extends to his drink pricing too: draught Yebisu beer is ¥340/glass, while shochu starts at only ¥290/glass. Shirasu Kujira is located in the basement of the Fuku Building, along a passageway to Tenjin subway station, which ensures a daily stream of salarymen popping in for a few drinks after work. It stays open until 24:00, so it’s a good spot for some late night drinks too.
Shirasukujira
B1F Fukuoka Bldg., 1-11-17 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka
Tel: 092-738-8002
Open: 17:00 ~ 24:00 (Last call 23:00)
Closed: Never
Menu: 3-piece sashimi platter ¥980, amberjack sashimi ¥480, flounder sashimi ¥480, spotted mackerel ¥480, raw sea urchin roe ¥500, tuna rib ¥380, marinated deep-fried horse mackerel ¥380, meat and potato hot-pot ¥380, rolled omelet ¥480, deep-fried wild shrimp ¥480, oden set ¥290 etc.
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn159, Mar. 2012)