Seafood bowl @ Hanabi Kaisendon, Ropponmatsu, Fukuoka

 

Sometimes the best things in life are found by sheer coincidences. And this is one of those places. I was a bit bored with the options around the office during one Friday afternoon and decided to go for a stroll looking for a new eating spot. Alas, I found refurbished dormitory that has been repurposed into some bespoke food court. Each unit now houses a restaurant. One of which is the focus of today. 

Oh what do we have here? 

Hanabi Kaisendon, or just Hanabi in short, is located in the suburban part of Ropponmatsu. It is a bit of a hidden gem, but the slight effort in getting here is very worth it. The place of course sells only one thing, kaisendon. So it is natural for me to pick that for my lunch that day. You are also given the choice of a sauce, either a soy sauce based one or the Fukuoka favourite, sesame. I opted for the sasame. It should be noted that a bowl stood at a hefty 1400 yen, which is a bit more expensive than my usual lunch sojourn. But since I am already here, I think I might just bite the bullet. 

Oh wow, ok this caught me by surprise. 

However, once the bowl landed on the table, the price seems completely justified. Every bit of seafood was absolutely fresh and shiny. And the variety was quite broad too. With fresh scallops, chopped tuna,  white fish, salmon, and an entire shrimp, just to name a few, it was like an entire ocean just decided to settle down into a bowl. The visual element was actually pretty incredible. 

What colours. 

And everything was just as good as it taste. Seafood is definitely something you can judge a book by its cover. With such a fresh and gleaming exterior, you will be guaranteed with a tasty experience. the highlight for my lunch was that shrimp. It was very sweet and supple at the same time. it was not slimy at all, which is a textureal complaint sometimes for places like this. But no sir, this was easy to eat and the buoyancy was something to shout about. The sesame sauce that coated the entire bowl also gave a nutty and sweet aftertaste to the overall package. What a combination. 

So fresh!

The scallops were also pretty amazing and to me was the star of this bowl. They were also very sweet and had a great bite to them. The other seafood bits like the salmon and chopped tuna were also quite delicious and I enjoyed them thoroughly. The seafood overall are so fresh, that I could easily mistaken this place to a high end sushi spot which has the entire fish market in its arsenal. But rather, this is such a humble and minimalist shop, you might mistaken it for a cafe and diner. 

If you can find this building block, Hanabi is at the very end of the first floor. 

Within minutes, I demolished the entire bowl and leaving very pleased with myself. Granted, it is a bit far and slight more pricey than what you can find in places like this. But if you have the time to spare and a bit of loose change, I think this Hanabi is worth the trouble to get to. At least, I know have one more recommended spot for my seafood fix. So if you fancy a go, then the address is as follows. 

4 Chome-6-25 Ropponmatsu, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0044