For this husband and wife, teamwork makes the dreamwork: homestyle cooking at Tenjin Yatai Zonochan

Setting up shop in April is husband-and-wife run Tenjin Yatai Zonochan, who are opening in front of the BiVi Fukuoka building. 

So, what inspired the couple to open a yatai?

“I have always worked at a yatai, while my wife worked in an office. Due to our conflicting schedules, we found it difficult to spend time together, and my wife quit her job in order to help me run the yatai. While we have only just newly opened, I feel that I want to honor the support my wife is giving me and do my best to make the yatai a success” said owner Imazono-san. 

At Zonochan the fare ranges from classics like tonkotsu ramen and yakitori to more original offerings like Hakata tonkotsu motsuyaki ramen (noodles stir-fried with offal) and mentai garlic fried rice. 

In the motsuyaki ramen, parboiled ramen noodles are combined with some tonkotsu soup before being stir fried. Not only motsu, but barbecued chashu pork also features on top this luxurious plate of noodles. The aromatic fried noodles and pieces of motsu create an irresistibly savory aroma. 

Using garlic from Aomori prefecture, the mentai garlic fried rice features garlic that is cut to order in order to preserve as much flavor as possible. The scent of the frying garlic acts as a great stimulant for the appetite, and the morning-picked shiso leaf complements the flavor profile so well that you’ll have gobbled up the dish before you know it. 

It was so good that some customers ended up ordering a refill (two, actually). It’s a flavor that’s begging to be tried. 

The owner gives us his own assessment of his yatai’s best offerings: “Outside of these items, I’d recommend the wagyu beef dish that changes by day, and the consistent 250-yen oden. The wagyu of the day is not set, but rather changes based on what I think the best cut available is, so you can expect to find something new every time you visit. We make our dashi (Japanese seafood-based stock) of bonito fish and konbu seaweed in-house, giving each piece of oden that we stew in it a rich flavor.

As for something that is proving quite popular and a regular sell-out item, that would be our gyoza, which come in three varieties: fried, deep-fried, and prepared in a soup. With all of the gyoza making use of Aomori-grown garlic, I’m confident that even the one-bite sized gyoza will prove satisfying. The soup that the soup gyoza are cooked in makes use of a tonkotsu broth which pairs excellently with yuzu kosho pepper paste, so I would recommend letting some simmer in the soup as you eat it. As a soupy item, the preparation method is quite different from the fried gyoza, and worth trying for this difference alone”.

We then asked Imazono-san about he and his wife’s goals for the yatai. 

“My wife and I worked hard to make this yatai a reality. I want our yatai to be a place brimming with life and human energy. At the yatai I used to work at we often had customers coming from abroad, with some being regulars, so I want my yatai to be a place where people from all over can come to eat and chat. Yatai are unique places for people to connect, so I want to treasure each meeting made possible by my business and become a place loved by the community”. 

With its at-home and cheerful vibe, Zonochan and its husband-and-wife team are sure to leave a big impression. Peel back the noren curtains and feed both body and spirit. 

・Tenjin Yatai Zonochan

Instagram：＠zonochan0401
Address: 4-1-36 Watanabe-dori, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka (In front of BiVi Fukuoka building)
Hours: 18:30 ~ 24:00
Holidays: In event of inclement weather

A new classic?! The eel-based, pork-free ramen broth of Hakata Yatai Karasu Tengu

Another new entry located next to BiVi Fukuoka is Hakata Yatai Karasu Tengu. Immediately catching the eye as, one goes in is the rather large paper lantern, on which are scrawled the words “Eel-broth shio ramen”. 

The proprietor, Okamura-san, is no stranger to the world of Fukuoka yatai, with about 20 years of experience to his name. Having worked at several yatai over the years, this time we came to ask him about the newly opened yatai that he could call his own. 

Asked about the inspiration behind this venture, Okamura-san explains, “In my hometown of Buzen, there is a folk story about a ‘karasu tengu’, a kind of beaked goblin. It is said that this creature has the power to make the impossible possible, so I decided to borrow this power in my making the impossible possible in the form of my own yatai. As a further homage to my roots, my menu features several items you might find on menus in Buzen, and I consciously attempt to use ingredients grown there.” 

The eel-based dashi shio ramen is one of the dishes that makes use of Buzen-sourced ingredients. Buzen is well-known for its hamo, or daggertooth pike conger, and Okamura-san wanted to find a way to incorporate it into his menu. The eel is slowly stewed together with a kind of chicken stock to create the dashi, and it has a light and refined flavor that can be made in either a shoyu or shio style when served with ramen.  

Another local specialty that features on his menu is called Buzen demon noodles. Local culinary custom dictates that chili peppers grown in Buzen are to be used, and the only meat allowed in the dish is chicken. The noodles are then served dry (without soup) and feature a red color, giving the dish its name.

The dish has a nice kick to it as the flavors meld in your mouth. It’s easy to see how this dish could become a menu staple. According to Okamura-san, many overseas customers expressly ask for it to be made “unbearably spicy” when they order it. 

Outside of these noodles, the yatai also specializes in yuzu shio oden. As with the eel-based broth, this dish has an elegant and refreshing flavor.

When asked about what kind of yatai he wants to create, Okamura-san says, “Past the noren curtains, the laughter doesn’t stop. I want to create a yatai that both locals and international travelers can both frequent and enjoy as often as they’d like.” True to his word, the yatai was filled with cheer and chatter on the day we visited, making for a highly memorable visit. 

・Hakata Yatai Karasu Tengu

Instagram：＠yataikarasutengu
Address: 4-6 Watanabe-dori, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka (in front of 303 Parking)
Hours: 19:00 ~ 24:00
Holidays: Tuesday・Wednesday・in case of inclement weather

A challenger from Matsuyama, Ehime arrives!
Innovative Italian dining at Bal Kono

In front of the Bank of Japan building you will find newcomer Bal Kono, easily located by its stainless-steel frame. For many years, chef and owner Kono-san ran an Italian restaurant in Matsuyama, Ehime prefecture, which he closed just so he could begin the challenge of managing his own yatai in Fukuoka. 

Asking Kono-san why he decided to leave his life in Matsuyama behind, he said: “When I turned 40 it felt like it was time for a new challenge, and when considering schools for my children, Fukuoka seemed like it would provide the ideal environment for both of these things. When I heard that Fukuoka was receiving applications for new yatai, my wife was incredibly supportive, telling me to give it a shot.” 

As for his restaurant in Matsuyama, reservations were very hard to come by on account of its popularity. With Kono-san’s reputation preceding him, expectations are understandably quite high. 

Now for the food. Small bites that pair well with alcohol, pizza, pasta, and a variety of high quality and authentic Italian dishes all await you at Bal Kono. With his twirls of the frying pan, the theatricality of his cooking process for pasta also deserves mention. 

Asked for a recommendation, Kono-san says “Back in Matsuyama one of the most popular dishes was the pepperoncino pasta with pickles. Now in Fukuoka I feel like I want to make use of ingredients from the area as much as possible, so my version here features some takana pickled mustard greens. While it’s a shame that we can’t serve chilled noodles at yatai, once I get the hang of things I plan on putting many items on the menu”. 

Continuing, Kono-san says “In Japan, Italian cuisine seems to be particularly popular with women, but there are many guys that enjoy it as well, and by opening a yatai I hope to make it easy for individual diners to stop by for a casual bite. Actually, I’m hoping that I attract that kind of customer.”

Bal Kono is perfect both for regular diners and those maybe 2 or 3 places into their evening seeking a post-meal libation. Of course, the food is a major pull, but Kono-san himself is quite the character and definitely somebody to meet in person!

Bal Kono

Instagram：＠yatai_bal_kono
Address: 4-2-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka
Hours: 18:30 ~ 24:00
Holidays: Irregular

Side dish specialist with a focus on ingredients from Kyushu. Taste the four seasons at designer yatai LEF

Another newcomer to street by the Bank of Japan building and lining up next to Bal Kono is LEF, a yatai that specializes in obanzai, or Japanese side dishes. Like Kono-san, chef/owner Aya-san came from outside of Fukuoka, Kanazawa to be exact, to test his mettle as a yatai proprietor. Otherwise, he has no prior connection to Fukuoka outside of this. 

As for what made him interested in starting his own yatai, Aya-san said “When I was studying architecture, I had taken up Fukuoka's yatai in my thesis. That was when I learned about the existence of the new yatai recruitment, and I decided to take the plunge.

I have experience working at cafes and at the architectural firm, so I considered things I learned at these places when creating the yatai. I wanted to go for a more relaxed and sedate atmosphere, and opted for a Japanese aesthetic in the overall design.” 

The yatai radiates a Japanese sensibility, and perhaps for this reason LEF feels very unlike your typical food stall. 

Continuing, Aya-san said “If I was going to open my own yatai I figured that I wanted to offer a menu consisting of items you couldn’t easily find at other yatai. I elected on obanzai, or Japanese style side-dishes, because at the time I had been working at a café serving Japanese fare, and it ended up having a large influence on the menu I was devising. As the dishes began to take shape in my head, I began thinking how I could take each one farther in making by making them by hand. For example, I smoke the mentaiko used in the smoked mentaiko and cheese spring roll myself at home. As everything is homemade, it takes quite a bit of time for me to prepare all the food (haha).”

True to his word, the menu features none of the tried-and-true yatai classics. Just by looking at the menu, you’ll start wondering what kind of dishes will be served. The menu is packed with dishes that are sure to stimulate the imagination! 

For example, the homemade smoked mentaiko and cheese spring roll comes straight out of the hot oil nice and crispy, the smoked aroma from the mentaiko wafting about your nostrils as the slight piquancy of the mentaiko whets your appetite. As a drink accompaniment it doesn’t get much better than this.

 

In the stew, chunks of pork are stewed until fall-apart consistency. Wheat gluten from Sendai is used in place of meat in the other recipe making it markedly healthier than the traditional dish. In these, as with all the other dishes, quality is high, and the flavors showcase a high level of sophistication. As the menu showcases seasonal ingredients, expect the menu to change as time goes on. 

The atmosphere at LEF is quite easy-going and calm thanks to the yatai’s design and Aya-san’s demeanor, making it suitable to solo diners as well. Definitely swing by and take a load off if you’re in the area.

・LEF

Instagram：＠lef.fukuoka
Address: 4-2-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka
Hours: 19:15 ~ 24:00
Holidays: irregular

From May, two more openings are planned!

●Tenjin Area (BiVi Fukuoka)

Hakata Yatai Ninotsugi

With a retro atmosphere and pop-style fare, this yatai transcends generations and is sure to put a smile on anybody’s face. Forget your worries and enjoy the vibes! 

Sample menu: yatai classics such as yakiramen, gyoza, motsu stew, shumai, etc.

●Nagahama Area

Nagahama Tsukune Specialist Yatai Gabugabu

Tsukune, or chicken meatballs, are the main specialty at this yatai. Gabugabu sets itself apart with its Kyushu-sourced chicken and eggs from Itoshima, resulting in over 20 varieties of juicy tsukune for you to savor. Enjoy them together with rice cooked in a pot right before your eyes!

Sample menu: many varieties of tsukune, pot-cooked rice, etc.

Passing through fiercer competition than ever (ten times more than previous high), the fifth-generation group has joined the ranks of Fukuoka’s yatai.

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With these six new yatai, the total number of yatai operating in the city has risen to 104. 

In addition to the standard yatai menus, this year's event saw the opening of a number of stalls that are full of individuality, such as Italian, obanzai, and hamo (pike conger) dashi ramen. The appeal of Fukuoka Hakata yatai continues to grow. Don't miss out if you’re in the area!