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SIN-FUK-SIN by 772 and Review of Grand Hyatt Fukuoka

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  • #31
    Chikae

    My friend brought us to this restaurant on our second night.

    Famous for squid, we went there because I mentioned missing out on fugu shirako in Tokyo last december

    and was hoping to make up for the lost oppurtunity this trip.

    The centre of the restaurant is occupied by multiple fish tanks filled to the brim with the freshest catch of the day.





    Surrounding the tanks on 3 sides, guests eat at counters..



    On the 4th side is the kitchen..



    Once seated in one of the tatami rooms along the walls, we went around the fish tanks ordering our dinner.

    Ika is what they're famous for..



    The drinks came first. That is frozen sake which I'm told was very good.

    There is zero tolerance in Japan for drink driving so my friend' s wife could not drink.

    Last edited by 9V-SIA; 3 June 2010, 06:28 AM.

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    • #32
      Our dinner then...

      Their specialty is Ika sashimi.

      The body is taken away to reappear as tempura later in the dinner..



      Finally get to try fugu shirako. Worth the wait



      Sardine sashimi. So fresh the flesh is still twitching..



      Uni rice with mushroom..



      .. and pickles



      Grilled Mackerel stuffed with mentaiko. Another specialty..



      Ika tempura..



      Mentaiko porridge with ocha



      When I got back to SIN, found out that Chikae is ranked No. 1 restaurant in FUK on TripAdvisor.

      Judging by the number of locals eating there, I think it deserves a visit.

      After dinner, bought mentaiko from the shop next door to restaurant. Wide selection available.
      Last edited by 9V-SIA; 3 June 2010, 06:29 AM.

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      • #33
        Many thanks, 9V-SIA for the food pics!

        I'm tempted to return to FUK for a longer visit. I go to Japan next weekend and haven't decided yet where to go.

        I passed through FUK a few years ago (a tier point run - HKG-TPE-FUK-KMI-ITM-HND vv on CX/JL) and stayed at the ANA Crowne Plaza (5 minutes' walk from Hakata station) and had ramen at a branch of Ichiran.

        It also involved the most through questioning I've had so far from Japanese customs including a pat down body search, searching and X-raying my luggage and being asked multiple times whether I had any prohibited items (with pictures of guns provided to help me remember!).

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        • #34
          Originally posted by jhm View Post
          Many thanks, 9V-SIA for the food pics!
          Welcome. More to come. Slow upload today..

          It also involved the most through questioning I've had so far from Japanese customs including a pat down body search, searching and X-raying my luggage and being asked multiple times whether I had any prohibited items (with pictures of guns provided to help me remember!).
          Asked my friend about it. Says the strict customs is because of proximity to Korea / China / Taiwan resulting in FUK being a gateway to Japan.

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          • #35
            If you ever decide to offer guided tours, remind me to sign up, 9V-SIA. I suspect I'll be happy and well-fed.
            ‘Lean into the sharp points’

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            • #36
              Miyazaki Beef

              Miyazaki beef is better than Kobe beef. There. I said it. Dons flame proof suit.

              For a start, Kobe beef is from Kyushu, mainly from Saga district. They're born there anyway before going to finishing school in Kobe.

              Kobe is too fat. Too marbled. Like biting into butter. Overcooked, it tastes like liver.

              I can't eat a Kobe steak. Maybe a cube or two.

              Miyazaki beef, on the other hand, has a better balance between marbling and sinew.

              I'd like to do a tasting session with both types of beef present but from what I ate at beef restaurant in FUK, Miyazaki beef rules.

              We drove there but the restaurant is right next to this subway exit..



              Miyachiku

              The restaurant is run by the Miyazaki cattle farmers association.

              Cheaper than other restaurants as a result. Does not mean inferior.

              Apart from being opened by a co-op, what's interesting about the dining experience was that

              every single dish was prepared in front of us: starters, main and dessert.



              We were shown to a teppanyaki table and the chef came out to welcome us.

              This is the FUK branch of the restaurant.

              My friends have been to the original restaurant in Miyazaki.

              This one is less crowded and the decor is nicer.

              Starters

              1.Shin beef stew



              2. Red potato, squid & ham



              After our starters, we were introduced to the steaks we were to have..



              Introducing cow number 0833093606 and 0241989775..



              Scallops in rosemary oil, broccoli & cauliflower salad on a base of pureed beetroot



              Cream of cabbage, ham & potato soup

              Last edited by 9V-SIA; 23 March 2010, 04:07 PM.

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              • #37
                Originally posted by 9V-SIA View Post
                Miyazaki beef is better than Kobe beef.
                I was reading something the other day which shares your opinion. Out of the three most famous Japanese beef varieties (Kobe, Yonezawa and Matsusaka), Kobe was rated last.

                Originally posted by 9V-SIA View Post
                We drove there but the restaurant is right next to this subway exit..

                Nakasu ... the famous entertainment district of western Japan!

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                • #38
                  The bread absorbs the oil from the beef

                  On right, top to bottom, grated daikon, salt & fried garlic



                  Miyazaki beef at it's best. Medium rare.



                  Ever the showman, the chef asked me to get the camera ready before he flambéed the steak and fried rice



                  Fried rice in progress ( includes beef, egg, konbu, pickles )



                  Completed: Green fried rice! Green comes from puréed chives



                  If you needed proof that the chef did everything, here he is preparing the dessert



                  In Cup: Carrot ( from Miyazaki )mousse
                  In Bowl: Golden kiwi sorbet
                  On plate: Fried bread with potato mousse & custard



                  The fried bread was recycled from the start of the meal.

                  It was used as oil absorber of the beef

                  But there was no beef taste left on it in the dessert



                  The farmers sponsor a sumo wrestling competition. The winner wins a bull.



                  Here is the winner of the competition receiving his prize. Where's the beef?



                  Next: day trip into the countryside
                  Last edited by 9V-SIA; 30 March 2010, 08:55 AM.

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                  • #39
                    I am daring to ask you, how much weight have you put on after the trip?

                    Don't tell me you didn't put on any.....

                    Great photos, I love the food.

                    What camera are you using? Pretty sharp resolution.

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by 9V-SIA View Post
                      Miyazaki Beef

                      Miyazaki beef is better than Kobe beef. There. I said it.
                      MANY beef in Japan is. Koyama comes to mind. As does Sendai (PHT is doing a special on it next month ).

                      Keep in mind, when Japanese come to the USA, they order Prime! "Kobe-style" = "We're going to charge you more for something worse than Prime."
                      HUGE AL

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by jjpb3 View Post
                        If you ever decide to offer guided tours, remind me to sign up, 9V-SIA. I suspect I'll be happy and well-fed.
                        So I've now signed up 9V-JKL and jjpb3!

                        Maybe I should start my own travel agency

                        Future SQTalk Do in Japan then... Kyo you in?

                        Your TRs to Nottingham & Amsterdam looked pretty yummy too

                        Nottingham Pub Grub

                        Chez Nickbot

                        Amsterdam



                        Originally posted by feb01mel View Post
                        I am daring to ask you, how much weight have you put on after the trip?

                        Don't tell me you didn't put on any.....
                        Not much actually.
                        1. Starve a bit before the holiday
                        2. Walk a lot on holiday
                        3. Go easy on the carbs
                        4. Japanese food is not all that fattening



                        Great photos, I love the food.

                        What camera are you using? Pretty sharp resolution.
                        You will find that the Panasonic LX3 I use comes well reviewed by the experts.

                        Originally posted by jhm View Post
                        I was reading something the other day which shares your opinion. Out of the three most famous Japanese beef varieties (Kobe, Yonezawa and Matsusaka), Kobe was rated last.
                        Originally posted by HUGE AL View Post
                        MANY beef in Japan is. Koyama comes to mind. As does Sendai
                        The list just keeps getting longer for "Things I have to try"
                        Last edited by 9V-SIA; 1 June 2010, 08:06 PM.

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                        • #42
                          Drive in the Countryside

                          Introduction

                          Our original plan was 2 days touring Kyushu ( a recce for future self-drive holiday ) and 2 days in Fukuoka.

                          We had booked our ryokan in Kagoshima and I was really looking forward to soaking in the onsen, gazing out at the volcano across the sea from the ryokan.

                          The 3 day JR Pass we bought outside Japan is cheaper than buying the return ticket from Hakata to Kagoshima inside Japan.

                          Then... the volcano erupted. So Plan B was 4 days in Fukuoka.

                          To compensate, my friend would take us for a drive in the countryside on thursday, a public holiday in Japan.

                          Poor compensation for an aborted onsen holiday? Not really.

                          This was my ride...






                          AMG E63

                          engine
                          6208cc V8 hand made by one Marco Rinas
                          power 386kW (525bhp)
                          torque 630Nm

                          performance
                          max speed 250km/h
                          0-100km/h 4.5 secs

                          tyres
                          front 255/35/19
                          rear 285/30/19

                          But the coolest feature of this car is that only the Yakuza in Japan drive one.

                          All the Yakuza .... and my Singaporean friend.

                          So other road users give you a healthy respect.

                          Traffic parts for his car like the Red Sea for Moses

                          More to come. I shall attempt Jeremy Clarkson style of road testing cars
                          Last edited by 9V-SIA; 31 March 2010, 11:35 PM.

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                          • #43
                            Introduction Doing my J Clarkson impersonation..

                            After the Germans lost WW2, they were not allowed to build Panzers anymore.

                            This, of course, did not go down well with the engineers involved in giving us such earth-shaking designs as Panther, Tiger 1 & Tiger 2.

                            What to do? No speed limits on Autobahns... steel left over from their tank factories... hmmm..

                            They turned their attention to building Autobahn storming Panzers.

                            The AMG E63 is the evolutionary result..

                            Shima Peninsula

                            We left GH Fukuoka late thursday morning.

                            Here comes my ride..



                            Nice dashboard.

                            On GPS mode. Can watch TV too, but only when the car is stationary.

                            Otherwise, screen is blank but you can still hear the programming.

                            I prefer the audio entertainment of the V8 growl..



                            Lots of leg & head room even for my 6 foot frame.

                            Boys, you don't have to give up your sports car when you marry and have a large family to transport.

                            Enough space even for my friend's son, a linebacker for his school football team.

                            He eats a Morton steak by himself... upsized portion.



                            We head west for Shima Peninsula.



                            It was a grey and wet day but what to do?

                            It was a holiday, which meant that my friend had time off from his Japanese classes.

                            He is the oldest in the gaijin class.

                            The others in his class are students from Europe wanting to learn Japanese.... in order to read manga!

                            He's attending Genki Japanese & Culture School. Genki JACS for short.

                            Japanese Classes


                            That Beach Place

                            This was where we stopped for a seafood Bar-B-Q buffet lunch.



                            As you walk through the building onto the beach, a wood fired pizza oven confronts you..



                            .. to the right is the beach



                            .. to the left is the tables of seafood..





                            .. and beyond that, seating on the beach under a make shift roof. Look at the floor.. or lack thereof ..



                            "I'm sorry, Sir, but you have to move. A tsunami might wash your table away."



                            Doesn't get more "real Japan" than this..


                            .
                            Last edited by 9V-SIA; 3 June 2010, 06:39 AM.

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                            • #44
                              Elements of a beach Bar-B-Q

                              Utensils..



                              Table..



                              Food...





                              Begin...



                              Gloves provided. Those shells get hot!!



                              A picture sure to upset the pizzarias of Naples. Oyster Pizza! Very, very good..



                              Inspired by 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Nautilus being attacked by giant squid



                              A dining experience for people from all walks of life..





                              Next, the scenery...
                              Last edited by 9V-SIA; 3 June 2010, 06:42 AM.

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                              • #45
                                Very nice report of my former hometown! It is always interesting to read others opinions of Fukuoka!

                                Did you make it to Tenjin or Daimiyo for shopping? For a lively street (shotengai) one must venture to Nishijin on the subway line, a far better choice than kawabatta dori! The Lexus and Infinity cars are not assembled in Fukuoka City, they are produced in Miyawaka-Wakamiya, and Kanda which are both closer to Kitakyushu City. Actually not many factories in Fukuoka city ! Most manfacturing is done in Kitakyushu, Kurume, Tosu etc. Restaurant Chikae is an old school (venerable) power lunch and dinner establishment known equally for it's fish and meat dishes. This is a favorite place for local politico's to hold court in private dining rooms. The area around the restaurant has seen massive change(Daimiyo) ! The Amao strawberry is not grown on one farm but on many in Fukuoka Prefecture. Years ago they used to specialize in the Toyonoka brand but the other prefectures and foreign farmers copied the species. The agricultural institute in Fukuoka developed the Amao to combat this! Japanese strawberries are the best I have ever tasted (and I now find hard to eat the hard,sour varieties from OZ, NZ, USA, Chile) ! Glad you got on a road trip....look ofrward to seeing your report...

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