Hakata Mizutaki Toriden, Fukuoka

I've talked previously about meals where you just have to write about them the minute you leave the restaurant, and I was so excited to have one of those encounters at Toriden in Fukuoka. It was a spur of the moment just-book-and-fly trip, and without doing much trip or food planning, I was fortunate enough to stumble across this website and the description for Toriden caught my fancy. The stars further aligned when I gave up a sushi reservation for our final night due to a combination of disrupted schedules and weak stomachs. So off we went in search of Toriden, which we found easily thanks to google maps. 

We knew we were in the right place when we saw the bird

We couldn't speak a word of Japanese and they couldn't speak a word of English. Fortunately it was obvious there was a set course meal, and we ordered one 3800Y course and one 4800Y course.

I had a cold sake from somewhere near Kyoto which cost about 750Y.  

All the tools being set up. The yellow stuff for dipping was fresh yuzu kosho - it was simply incredible.

First up among the appetisers - this boiled egg which came on what appeared to be a bed of savoury and slightly spicy miso. 

A beautifully cooked egg with a perfectly semi runny yolk, infused with a tinge of soy. 

The next appetiser was a katsuo sashimi with sweet onions topped with a vinegary agar like substance, with finely sliced spring onions. The flavours together were fantastic.

Super fresh fish and even more amazing with the seared outside

We also got to see the chef at work behind the counter.

This was about the most exciting moment of the meal - having an entire pot of thick, rich, collagen filled chicken stock and pieces being placed in front of us, with the chicken aroma filling the room. 

The waitress started us each with a small bowl of chicken broth and it was incredible how sensations of happiness, warmth and incredible contentment could fit all in one small bowl. I can't even describe how amazing the experience was. 

The waitress took out the chicken pieces inside the pot, and then put in thinly sliced spring onions and negi to be cooked. 

She looked pretty happy doing her job

The chicken was, well, boiled chicken. But it was tender, tasty and I was already in a very forgiving and exhilerated state of nothing-can-be-wrong-with-my-dinner, so I possibly wasn't very objective when I thought it had to be the best boiled chicken ever.

Our lovely server came out with a bowl of minced chicken and proceeded to shape meatballs for cooking

All the veggies being cooked in the pot - the aromas were starting to get quite incredible

The next round of appetisers came up, namely fish sashimi for the 4800Y course and chicken sashimi for the 3800Y course - at least that was what I understood, although I couldn't quite understand why the more exciting chicken sashimi was served with the cheaper course.

The chicken sashimi looked like it had been boiled lightly on the outside. I was slightly nervous but figured it had to be reliable. It had a scallop-like texture and flavour, although not quite as sweet. 

Some chicken tempura, which was all right. 

The meatballs were finally done by then, and so were the vegetables. We had cabbage, carrots, tofu, enoki mushrooms and what appeared to be sweet potato noodles. By then, the broth tasted even more amazing. 

The vegetables, we were told, were free flow. I was getting pretty stuffed after finishing my third bowl of meatballs and veggies, and sadly, couldn't manage any more. 

Right at the end we were asked if we wanted rice or noodles, and decided to go for the porridge. 

After the rice went in, the chef beat an egg and poured it in

This was perhaps the best chicken porridge on the planet

The meal ended off with green tea panna cotta

Fortunately this was a small serve...we were completely stuffed by then. It was absolutely delicious. 

As we were walking out, I noticed a Fukuoka/Saga Michelin guide with a bookmark in it, and then only I discovered that Toriden had been awarded 1 star. It was just about the most amazing meal of my trip, and I found it so, so reasonable. Given the quality, it was fantastic value for money and I would so definitely go back if I was in Fukuoka again. 

Website: http://www.toriden.com/