Seafood Lunch @ Hakata Chikae, Daimyo, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka.

Hakata Chikae or Chikae in short, is a cultural establishment in Fukuoka that is not just a restaurant. This place has been a bastion of washoku kaiseki (aka Japanese style haute cuisine) for decades since it opened in 1961. It is also called the aquarium restaurant, and the reason is obvious once you entered into the premises. 

Very obvious as to how it got its nickname. 

The interior is literally loaded with glass containers filled with live fish swimming around, being the main decor of the place. However, it also harmonises it with the classic wood, bamboo, and bonsai decorations that gives this restaurant its charm. You get a feeling that you have been teleported in time to an upper class medieval restaurant. This is also on top of the fact that the waiting staff are all in kimono. As such it is no surprise that the food was on the upper crust end of the scale. But the food was worth every penny that went to it. If it is your first time, the best way in trying out the place is their lunch special menu which consists of their greatest hits. And those hits were hard as it covers every spectrum of classic washoku cuisine. 

Colourful!

The lunch special has a lot of the usual staples from Japanese food, from braised veggies, to sashimi and mochi, this thing has it all. The first thing that caught my eye was the presentation. There were a lot of colours and intricate dishes but yet all meld together harmoniously. The first point of contact was the sashimi, which consists of tuna, amberjack and escalor. 

It shimmers!

The fish was fresh and slightly sweet, which is the cornerstone of a good sashimi slice. The kicker was actually the wasabi, which was fresh and vibrant but not too spicy. A great condiment along with some soy sauce. 

Crispy

Another dish that came along, but was served as a separate entre was the tempura. A basket of tempura consisted of a king prawn, a slice of sardine, a piece of sweet potato, a piece of fried eggplant and half a bell pepper. Deep fried until slightly golden brown, this crunchy treat was actually quite clean and not too oily. The ingredients were so vibrant and fresh, I could just eat it as it is without any sauce. And yet it does not feel like I have gone through a cheeky oil slick like Family Mart fried chicken. I still love fried chicken though. The steamed egg was a delicate treat which was worth mentioning too. In fact, everything for this lunch set is worth mentioning. The egg was so silky smooth that I can actually see my reflection from it. The egg was well seasoned and chunks of tiny seafood pieces were buried at the bottom. What a delectable treasure. 

This was decadent!

One talking point which hardly gets any love usually was the miso soup. Well, it was worth talking about since half a crab was sitting inside it. The sweet shellfish flavours were very strong, which is contrast to the subtle notes of the dishes thus far. I could eat this all day. 

Great ending to the meal. 

And for dessert, it was sliced mochi which came in kinako (roasted soy) and green tea flavours. They were not too sweet and had an interesting textural note. I guess it is one of those things when you have it fresh compared to store bought. Its buoyancy was great, but not too springy to the point you think you are chewing into jelly. The kinako had a crushed peanut-like flavour and texture. Great finish to the meal. 

A great peek inside

This is a place I cannot recommend enough. The food is great, the ambience is amazing and the price is surprisingly affordable. The set lunch was 2000 yen. It can look like it is on the steep side, but seeing the quality and quantity of the items that was in store, this was an extravaganza. It is no surprise that this place is a hit with tourists and locals alike. Fancy in trying this out for yourself, then the address is as follows:

2 Chome-2-17 Daimyo, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0041

Shot of the sign. You cannot miss it.