Taiyaki @ Naruto Taiyaki Honpo, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka.

 

A classic confection, these fish shaped cakes are always a welcome treat at any time of the day. And it has been a while since I had taiyaki. In fact, I have never written about this before. So it is time to make amends. 

A classic look

Naruto Taiyaki Honpo is a corner stall located in Shitenochi Shopping Street. The shopping street is like what you expect from a local shopping street in any part of Japan. Similar to high streets in the UK, they are lines with various merchants, from independent restaurants to chain fast food outlets. I always enjoy walking around and explore, as sometimes you will discover something that is pretty cool. And this taiyaki stall is one of them. 

Mine, all mine!

The fishies are cooked via the old fashion method of where batter is placed into a fish shaped mold and cooked over an open flame. And before the cooking begins, a filling is then placed inside. The most traditional would be the red bean paste, so I had one naturally. However, I was thinking of having a different take on it, so I also got myself a custard cake as well. It is pretty cool to see the cakes being actually cooked in front of you. And seeing that there is always a line there, the cakes are dished out fairly quick, leaving to you having warm little fishies to hold on to. 

Fresh from the fire.

The classic one was as expected, a great sweet treat. The filling was chunky and loaded with red beans. Yet, there was some smoothness to it. It was fairly sweet but did not feel like a sugar sludge. It was not too pasty as well, as the paste was able to keep its shape without being too much like wet cement. 

Generously filled

The cake casing was a textural masterclass, as each crevice of the fish felt like a wafer. However, the inner bits of the cake were still chewy and gave a textural contrast. As it was cooked under fire, there was a toasty after taste after each bite. It also has an eggy flavour, akin to a rich butter cake. This was absolutely glorious. 

What a rich colour from the custard!

The custard was not outmatched though. Creamy and milky, this was an interesting take to this traditional cake. The custard was definitely much smoother than the red bean paste, and it felt more like a sauce than a filling. The milky flavour complimented its biscuit-like casing very well. It was absolutely incredible. It was a bit sweeter than the red bean though, but not very much. 

Men at work. Mind the safety pane. 

With such amazing hand held delights, it is no wonder that lines are commonplace when getting your taiyaki here. Everything is made fresh and the cakes are spot on. They are not too expensive as well, where the red bean one was for 220 yen and the custard was for 260 yen. So if you have your sweet tooth itching about, then this is one place worthy of your time. The address for this great establishment is as follows:

2 Chome-9-101 Tenjin, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0001

Another angle of the shop. There is a sitting area as well, if you do not fancy standing while eating.