In search of a delicious lunch, we headed to Gohan-ya Ital in Itoshima City. It was our first visit, and we arrived on a Sunday at 1:20 PM. We were guided to the parking lot by what seemed to be an elderly staff member, and we noticed cars with license plates from Saga, Kitakyushu, Oita, and even Hamamatsu. As we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a wood-burning stove. For our meal, we chose the Hagi-kettle rice ball set meal for 1,500 yen and the Uwabu River wild pork 100% hamburger set meal for 2,200 yen. We also opted for the shrimp tempura rice ball for an additional 150 yen. The salad arrived promptly, featuring a colorful array of vegetables including white broccoli, paprika, and lettuce, served on a stylish plate. We seasoned the salad with three types of salt (smoked salt, herb salt, roasted salt) and olive oil, enjoying the different flavors. Next, our main dishes arrived, including two rice balls (one tempura), soup, sashimi, a small side dish, and pickles. The rice balls were warm and satisfying, and the sashimi was fresh and delicious. The hamburger, served on a hot plate with onions and white broccoli, was juicy and flavorful. The restaurant had hand sanitizers available for COVID-19 prevention, and the building itself was a stylish old house with high ceilings. We left the restaurant feeling full and satisfied. Thank you for the wonderful meal. We will definitely visit again.

The atmosphere of the restaurant, designed in a traditional Japanese house style, was very cozy. There were seating options of tables in tatami rooms and counter seats, and on this day, I sat at the counter. The open space with a high ceiling created a sense of openness. I ordered the rice ball set meal, where you can choose from 5 different fillings for the rice ball. The rice ball was delicious, and the eggplant side dish that came with it was also tasty. I would love to visit again when I travel to Fukuoka.

I had a hamburger set meal with salt, and it was delicious. The salad and onigiri were also very tasty. The individual dishes of roast beef and dashi-yaki tamago were also delicious. The atmosphere was nice, and there was a play area in the garden, but unfortunately pets were not allowed.

The appearance and interior were stylish. The salad was seasoned with salt and oil, and the onigiri came in a set of two, one was salted and the other could be chosen from four different options. I chose the grilled salted mackerel, which was delicious with a side of daikon radish. The dashimaki tamago (rolled omelette) from the a la carte menu is also highly recommended.

Fukuoka Trip♪ Renting a car and driving to Itoshima. Tried to go to a cafe recommended by a friend for lunch, but it had moved and was not open yet, so had to give up. Found a promising place on the way and decided to go there instead! @mataichinoshio Old-fashioned salt making at Shinzaburo Shoten's old house cafe. Opened the heavy sliding door and entered the store. Took off shoes and went to the spacious tatami room. The tatami room was crowded with customers sitting at large low tables evenly spaced. Each ordered a set meal and added roast beef to share. Saga Shirakawa beef roast beef Enjoyed with Mataichi salt and wasabi oil. The flavor of the meat was brought out and it was super delicious! Various dishes using natural Mataichi salt are available! Swipe x 7 ⏪ PIC2 Crispy fresh salad Fresh vegetables were beautifully arranged on a rectangular wooden plate. Very fresh and crispy! Moist and juicy! PIC3 Hagi rice ball set meal The rice ball set meal includes one salt rice ball and one choice from five different rice balls with fillings. I chose the salted salmon rice ball. The freshly cooked Hagi rice was fluffy and soft, with a hint of sweetness and a perfect aroma of roasted seaweed. The rice is pesticide-free rice from Hiroki Yuuki Farm. The small side dishes were warm and comforting. The miso soup was gentle and low in salt. PIC4 Pork 100% hamburger eaten with salt PIC5 Various ingredients for rice balls to choose from PIC6 Lovely old house PIC7 Sakurai Futamigaura Couple Rocks Itoshima is close to Hakata and has beautiful mountains, sea, and cityscape. Lots of great spots for a drive and highly recommended! This restaurant was also very nice. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal (╹◡╹)♡ Visit Score 3.45 Gohanya Itaru Itoshima City, Fukuoka 1454 ☎️092-330-8732 Irregular holidays ⏰12:00-17:00 2361m from Kaburi Station #GohanyaItaru #ItoshimaGourmet

"Alicia's Food Log: My daughter wanted to come here. Before ordering, I was worried if I could eat such a big onigiri, but they said I could take home what I couldn't finish. Fresh vegetable salad, soup, two types of onigiri, pickles. You can choose the filling for the onigiri, either salt or one other. We chose the meat miso filling, but ended up taking home the salt onigiri. The rice was delicious! The texture and the way the onigiri was made were great. I wish I could eat this every day, it would make me so happy."

It is a well-known popular restaurant where it is common to wait for about an hour on weekends, so I recommend making a reservation. In addition to serving delicious Italian food, there is also a salt, pudding, food, and miscellaneous goods shop called Shinzaburo Shoten, as well as a Sumicafe with an old folk house style on the same premises. It is located not along the coast in Itoshima, but a bit towards the mountains, and it is always crowded whenever you visit. This time, I revisited the Gohanya Itaru, which I had to give up on last time because it was too crowded. However, since I didn't make a reservation, I had to wait for almost 2 hours. This time, I had the following dishes: - Freshly cooked hagama rice ball set meal for 1,500 yen - Genmai shio koji chicken nuggets (10 pieces) for 1,190 yen These were just so delicious! Throughout the meal, I kept saying how delicious it was! The carefully prepared meal, although not flashy or extravagant, combined with the experience of eating in an old folk house, created a relaxing and comforting atmosphere. Thank you for the delicious meal! Next time, I will definitely make a reservation before going! Thank you for reading this far. If you could please like and follow me, I would be so happy!

I finally got to go to this place I've been wanting to visit. It was a weekday, but I had to wait for about 40 minutes. There are chairs outside so you can sit and wait. The hamburgers looked delicious, but I decided to try the rice ball set meal that I've been wanting to eat. You can choose one rice ball, and I chose the grilled salted cod roe. It was simple yet very delicious. As I get older, I find that simple meals are the best.笑

The hamburger without sauce, just with salt, is surprisingly delicious. It's amazing how tasty it is without relying on sauce. Even just with salt, it's delicious. I feel grateful to have been born in Japan.

Fukuoka travel edition! Starting from Itoshima (o^^o) I had researched in advance on Instagram and found this place because I love onigiri so much! The beautifully landscaped garden with lots of butterflies flying around was very soothing. I waited for about an hour. The inside of the restaurant is also lovely. You can enjoy your meal leisurely at the spacious tables. For onigiri, you can choose the filling for one of them. The onigiri was softly packed and the rice was delicious! The salad had lots of vegetables that I don't usually eat and it was delicious! Eating it with salt was good. It was helpful to have staff guiding us to the parking lot. I would like to go again!

On the final day of my gourmet trip to Kyushu, I had lunch at "Gohan Yaitaru" in the popular gourmet area of Itoshima in Fukuoka, which is run by Shinzaburo Shouten Co., Ltd., known for producing the natural salt "Mataichi no Shio". I made a reservation for 11:00 on a weekday and arrived about 15 minutes early. By 11:00, there were already many people who had made reservations on the premises. It seems that even on weekdays, it's tough to get a seat without a reservation. The interior of the restaurant had a calm atmosphere, as it was renovated from an old folk house. On the tables, there were smoked salt, herb salt, roasted salt, olive oil, and rapeseed oil. I ordered the freshly cooked rice ball set meal and the 100% pork hamburger set meal. You can choose the filling for one of the rice balls. First, the salad arrived, which was enough for four people. The combination of smoked salt and rapeseed oil was unique and had a delicious flavor. The main dishes arrived, consisting of two rice balls, two side dishes, and miso soup. The hamburger set meal came with a hamburger. The rice balls had a perfect amount of salt, which might be considered a bit light by some, but it was delicious. If you feel like it needs more salt, you can add some from the table. The hamburger, served in a skillet, was fluffy and seasoned with salt. Since it was also lightly seasoned, you can enjoy changing the flavor by adding a bit of smoked salt or herb salt. The combination of the atmosphere of the old folk house and the natural salt was exquisite, making it a great restaurant. Thank you for the meal. For more details, please check out my blog: [link to blog post]. Check out my food blog for more reviews: [link to food blog].

On a regular day, I made a reservation and went to the restaurant! I ordered the Salt Onigiri Set for 1320 yen (including tax) which included salt onigiri, onigiri with fillings, salad, two side dishes, and soup. I took a bite of the salt onigiri first and it was delicious! The salt was tasty and amazing! The onigiri with fillings had salted cod roe which was also very good. The soup was tasty too, although it would be even better if it was a bit cheaper. But overall, it was really delicious and I will definitely go back! My companion ordered the Hamburger Set for 1980 yen and my child had the Kids Onigiri Set for 330 yen. Everyone was satisfied and we had a great time!

I had the Itoshima natural sea bream salt kettle grilled set meal. The salad was made with luxurious Itoshima vegetables, and you can choose from 2 types of oil and 3 types of salt to eat according to your preference. Next, the main sea bream had a thick layer of salt on top, and when you remove the salt, you find a hot sea bream underneath. When I tried it, the salt level was just right and brought out the deliciousness of the sea bream. The accompanying rice ball comes in 2 types: salt rice ball and a rice ball where you can choose the flavor. It seems like they are particular about the rice and salt they use, and the rice ball was also very delicious. The price is a bit high for lunch, but I felt that it is a restaurant that uses good ingredients and offers a carefully crafted taste. I would definitely like to visit again when I go to Itoshima. Thank you for the meal. ♡

I came to Itoshima and thought it's unbelievable to have pork from other prefectures here. I ordered the salt-grilled natural sea bream from Itoshima, and you can choose the filling for the rice ball. The salt-grilled sea bream is crispy when broken with chopsticks, and I ordered a medium size, so it was a generous portion. The flesh was firm and had a well-rounded saltiness, not too salty, almost sweet. It was exquisite. I couldn't stop myself from devouring the rice balls with salt. The salad was served with smoked salt, herb salt, and grilled salt, along with rapeseed oil and olive oil. The herb salt was the best choice. The rapeseed oil used was of high quality and had no strong taste. The chicken white soup in the set interfered with all the delicate flavors, so it was unnecessary. The miso sauce of Hirasu, spinach mousse-like dish, and pork were also unnecessary.

Fukuoka Prefecture's Itoshima City is a treasure trove of delicious ingredients known for its "Itoshima Brand". Among them is "Mataichi no Shio", a natural salt that seems to condense the blessings of nature. "Gohan Yaitaru" opened in 2006 with the concept of using Mataichi no Shio to further bring out the umami of seasonal ingredients in Itoshima. They offer heart and body-friendly meals and desserts, such as Itoshima's salt-grilled sea bream (Itoshima has the highest catch of natural sea bream in Japan) and carefully cooked rice ball in a feather pot. The entrance to the premises where Gohan Yaitaru, Sumicafe, and Shinzaburo Shoten are located. Sumicafe offers desserts and light meals made with Mataichi no Shio. It is located in a building that was once a horse stable of a farmhouse over 100 years old. Gohan Yaitaru, also over 100 years old, is a traditional Japanese house. The entrance to Yaitaru. The menu includes: 1) freshly cooked rice ball set meal, 2) 100% wild pork hamburger set meal, 3) wild pork loin cutlet with brown rice salt koji dressing set meal, and 4) salt-grilled Itoshima sea bream set meal. All set meals come with a choice of rice ball, salt rice ball, fresh salad, two small side dishes, soup, and pickles. The rice ball fillings on this day included five varieties. On the table were three types of Mataichi no Shio (smoked salt, cooked salt, herb salt), olive oil, and rapeseed oil. A salad made with local Itoshima vegetables. It was enjoyed with herb salt and olive oil. The freshly cooked rice ball set meal. It came with two rice balls, miso soup, simmered radish, homemade carrot tofu, and pickles. I chose the meat miso wrapped in large leaves as the filling for the rice ball. The rice balls with fillings were delicious, as well as the plain rice balls flavored with Mataichi no Shio. My wife also had the freshly cooked rice ball set meal with sea bream sauce. The rice balls were plump and had a gentle and flavorful saltiness. We also ordered a rolled omelet. After the meal, we visited Shinzaburo Shoten, which sells Mataichi no Shio and other products. They had smoked salt in red packaging and cooked salt in blue packaging. In addition, they had a blend of two different salt particles called "rice ball salt" and "gold sesame" made from soft salt flakes and golden sesame. The herb salt "Kaori" on the Yaitaru table had a wonderful aroma. In addition to Mataichi no Shio, they also displayed and sold natural products that blend into daily life. There were wooden lacquer bowls and small bowls that looked like pottery but were surprisingly light. These were made by the Okinawan workshop "Mokushikkoutokeshi". Next to Shinzaburo Shoten is the Genkai Nada Pudding Center, which specializes in salt-based puddings. They offer five varieties, including flower salt pudding, flower salt sesame pudding, burnt salt caramel, salt sweet bean pudding, and raw chocolate nut salt pudding. Although we planned to have dessert after the meal, we were too full from the rice ball set meal. We decided to visit "Salt Workshop Tottan" later, as they also sell the puddings there. My friend recommended Gohan Yaitaru as a place to enjoy incredibly delicious rice balls made with only salt. As expected, it was truly delicious. The salt used is produced at the salt workshop "Tottan", located at the western tip of the Itoshima Peninsula. It is possible to visit the salt-making process there, so we decided to extend our visit there. I will introduce that in more detail later.

Hamburg steak set with salt-seasoned pork 100% hamburg steak, River Wild Pork salt rice ball with filling, deep-fried kibinago, freshly cooked rice ball set with salt rice ball with filling, meat miso and shiso leaf wrapped and seared salted cod roe. Additional salad is one serving for two people.

You can also buy Ichino Shio's pudding here. I often come here when I just want to eat pudding because the shop at the Takadan's workshop has been crowded recently. It is located on the premises of Itaru. There is a souvenir shop and a pudding store across from Itaru, and you can also eat pudding outside.

I heard about this restaurant on the radio and saw it frequently on Instagram, so I was curious to visit! I went on a Saturday and arrived at 0:00, waited for an hour! While waiting, I enjoyed looking at the neighboring salt shop and the nearby square with a flowing river, so it wasn't a problem. The fresh and rare Itoshima vegetables (I tried sweet potatoes for the first time) and the simple but carefully prepared rice made me happy. I heard that you can make a reservation if you go on a weekday, so I would like to go on a weekday next time.

You can relax in a cozy old folk house and enjoy various dishes made with local salt. On this day, there were bees playing (working?) around the rapeseed flowers, which was very cute. It really felt like spring! We tried the Itojima sea bream salt-grilled set meal for ¥1900, with an additional ¥100 for 2 salt rice balls. We also had the 100% pork hamburger steak with salt for ¥1700. The salad that came first was fresh and flavorful, thanks to the Itojima vegetables. The pork hamburger steak was juicy and full of meaty goodness. Served on a hot iron plate, it was a perfect match with the salt. The sea bream salt-grilled dish was a bit lacking in fat due to being off-season, but the flesh was tender. It was a bit salty, so white rice might have been better than salt rice balls. The miso soup, tempura, and chawanmushi were all delicious. The restaurant has tatami seating, making it suitable for families with children.

I visited Gohan Yaitaru, where you can enjoy rice balls made with salt from Matabe in Itoshima, along with seasonal ingredients from Itoshima cooked in a feather pot. Despite being told that reservations were already full when I called the day before, I decided to go around 12 o'clock and was seated without having to wait. The restaurant is housed in a large renovated traditional Japanese house with a beautiful view of the garden from the spacious room, creating a peaceful atmosphere. I ordered the freshly cooked feather pot rice ball set for 1,200 yen. First, I enjoyed a plate of assorted vegetables (pictured is for 3 people) sprinkled with olive oil, salt, smoked, and fragrant salts. The rice balls included one salted rice ball and another with a choice of filling, so I chose the grilled salted cod roe. The perfectly seasoned rice balls were incredibly delicious.

Today, before work, I made a reservation and went to a popular restaurant called Itaru in Itoshima. It opened at 11am and quickly became full, so you have to make a reservation or wait in line. Looking at the menu, there were so many dishes I wanted to try. This time, we ordered the Onigiri Set Meal where you can choose the flavor of the onigiri (1200 yen), as well as the Pork 100% Hamburger (850 yen), Itoshima Sea Bream Salt-Baked (1100 yen), and Chicken Karaage with Brown Rice Salt Koji (850 yen) as individual dishes. They had three types of salt, as well as olive oil and rapeseed oil on the table, allowing you to season the dishes to your liking. It was a unique and delicious dining experience. Since the portion sizes were quite generous, it's recommended to share when ordering individual dishes with a group of people. After the meal, we relaxed and enjoyed dessert at the Sumi Cafe on the premises. I recommend making a reservation online! Now, I'm off to work hard!