目白ネーゼ
The other day, I went to a restaurant called "Ahoudori" located a 2-3 minute walk from Tenjin and Nakasu Kawabata Station. It can be difficult for tourists to find a delicious restaurant, but I was lucky to be taken to a recommended restaurant by a friend living in Hakata. The restaurant specializes in local chicken dishes, and I was in the mood for yakitori that day, so I was thrilled. When I entered the restaurant, it was not a high-end yakitori place, but rather a friendly and slightly stylish place with counter seats and table seats. Each table had alcohol disinfectant, and they had thorough measures in place for COVID-19 prevention. The popular local chicken is sourced directly from a contracted chicken farm, ensuring freshness. They also serve chicken sashimi, which I was excited to try. I started with a beer to quench my thirst. First, I tried the delicious fried pig trotters, which are a common dish in Hakata. You can choose between grilled and fried, and I chose the fried version. The juicy and collagen-rich pig trotters were not too heavy and paired perfectly with beer. The versatile condiment yuzu pepper added a nice touch. I added a lemon sour to cut through the fat a bit. Next up was the assorted yakitori platter, beautifully grilled over charcoal. The chicken, which can also be enjoyed raw, was grilled to perfection, and the variety of rare cuts made it hard to choose. With some guidance from the staff, I chose the chicken tenderloin with wasabi, which had a delicious umami flavor that spread as you chewed, and the Miyazaki chicken liver, which was like foie gras in its richness and melt-in-your-mouth texture. It naturally led me to enjoy more alcohol. They also had a variety of shochu, typical of Kyushu. Lastly, the Fukuoka specialty motsunabe arrived. Made with Miyazaki beef tripe, you can choose between soy sauce and miso soup base. I chose the standard soy sauce base, and the tripe had a nice chewy texture without any unpleasant smell, and the plentiful vegetables like leeks and cabbage, using local pesticide-free vegetables, made it an endless feast. The flavorsome soup made the ramen at the end easy to eat even with a full stomach. The staff were friendly and helpful, and you could see why the restaurant was popular among locals and tourists alike for enjoying Hakata's gourmet food. It was a wonderful night enjoying delicious yakitori and motsunabe in Nakasu.