I made a short trip to Fukuoka. For lunch, the only place I knew was Yoshizuka Unagiya, so I decided to try somewhere new.
Yamanaka, a sushi restaurant with a modern interior
I was told it’s the work of an architect named Arata Isozaki. I don’t know much about architecture, but he seems to be very famous. The interior is modern, but the atmosphere inside is less calm and more lively, like a street food stall. The staff were really fired up, too.
The head chef
I haven’t often seen the head chef himself working the counter at sushi places like this, but he was there even at lunch that day, giving instructions on every single thing.
The table
Since it was lunch, I ordered the 3,150-yen premium sushi set. The budget for dinner is over 10,000 yen.
Sea bream, I think..
Hmm.. the rice was a bit.. it felt a little lacking, maybe because it’s lunch. It seems they focus too much on presentation.
Chawanmushi
Not something I want to fill up on..
Kuruma prawn
The prawn was nice and fresh.. but the rice was a bit hard.
The head, done as tempura
Nice touch.
Spear squid
Score it and sear it lightly, and it turns into a work of art like this. I can’t help thinking this place focuses too much on presentation.
Yellowtail
It’s in season, so it’s delicious.
Abalone
I’ve never understood why people find abalone so tasty.
Mini kaisendon (seafood rice bowl)
The presentation is a work of art, but the tuna wasn’t fully thawed.
Anago (conger eel)
The anago was pretty good.
Makimono (rolls)
Out came yam and tuna rolls, plus tamagoyaki sushi.
Saba oshizushi (pressed mackerel sushi)
This one was just so-so, too..
Dessert
For 3,150 yen, getting sushi like this at a place with this level of hospitality isn’t expensive, but for someone like me who cares more about taste than atmosphere or presentation, it was a bit of a letdown. They say that at dinner you get sushi with even more lavish presentation.. but I don’t know.. I don’t really feel like going back…