Hira Izakaya

I’m going to try to explain. With all the attention lavished recently on Tokyo cuisine, most people are missing the point. Japanese cuisine is great, and Japanese interpretations (Japan-poi) of foreign cuisines can be fantastic. But, Tokyo is far from the best place in Japan to eat. It’s expensive and often disappointing when you venture into non-budget busting restaurants. Kobe is better, and cheaper than Tokyo, fo example.

However, fo my money, the best place in Japan for food is Fukuoka. Because it’s in Kyushu, it starts with a big advantage. Kyushu is very warm, and already know throughout Japan for it great local foods and seafood – at reasonable prices. Fukuoka, meanwhile, is big enough to have added all the international cuisine you could want. These together make Fukuoka a fine dining Mecca.

So, I’ll have a look at various restaurants in the area. And, we’ll start with something fairly traditional. (Click on the image for an enlarged view).

This restaurant is called “Hira.” It’s a sort of upscale izakaya, or pub. These are really the best places to eat. Adventurous menus, good prices, great atmosphere.

The top dish is a sashimi/sushi plate. I would describe the whole picture, but the ingredients will change daily, depending on what’s fresh. There is maguro, salmon, eel and maybe buri on this plate. Very filling, and the price is 2000 yen – about $20 US.

The next dish down is abalone steak. Real abalone, not the pale imitations (or worse, pounded squid) that you often get in the US. Butter, lemon and garlic round this off, for a price of 2800 yen ($30 US).

Number 3 is black pork stewed in fish sauce – the sauce used after cooking toro. Black pork is something that is ust catching on overseas, and for good reason. It’s outstanding.

The price for this dish is a whopping 800 yen ($8 US).

The shop is located in Otemon, between Akasaka and Ohori Koen on the subway line. If you’re game at speaking Japanese, the number is 092-716-8660.

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