Day 14: Fukuoka + Nagasaki

Ganso Hakata Mentaiju

Had brunch at the fanciest mentaiko (spiced cod roe) spot in town (i.e. the only sit down place that specializes specifically in mentaiko). Had to wait about 30 minutes for a table, even at 10am.

I got the set with both the mentaiover rice and the tsukemen dipping ramen. Both were very flavorful. A unique twist with the tsukemen was that they give you a pitcher of broth to add to the sauce after you finish the noodles, so that you can eat the rest like soup.

Ramen Arcade

I had been hearing a bunch about the “ramen arcade” on the top floor of the local mall. Turns out it’s just like, a food court, but only ramen. I was too full of mentaiko to actually order anything. On the bright side, at the mall I found some cheap sunglasses to replace the pair being held together with duct tape.

Nagasaki

There’s a direct bus from Fukuoka to Nagasaki that leaves twice a day and takes two hours. You can take the train as well, but the bus is cheaper and slightly faster because the Shinkansen bullet train currently only covers half the route.

Once I got in, spent some time hanging out in the seaside park to work on my plans for the rest of the week.

Dinner

Wandered around the Shianbashi district to find some food. It‘s several blocks of narrow alleys with tons of bars and restaurants.

El Dorado

I was originally just panning to stop in here for a drink, but ended up ordering some tacos, which was a poor decision. Pretty much the exact opposite of the taco I had in Fukuoka — these had good homemade corn tortillas, but everything else was terrible.

鉄鍋餃子哲平

To recover from the bad tacos, got some good gyoza from an izakaya across the street from El Dorado. They came loudly sizzling in a cast iron skillet, and were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Also came with a “free” appetizer to justify their cover charge, which turned out to be potato salad wrapped in prosciutto. It was pretty good with some chili oil.

Bar Victor

An old school cocktail bar that feels like the 1930’s. Here, the “free” appetizer was a bowl of consommé with croutons — which you wouldn’t thing would go with a White Russian, but was actually pretty good. Also ordered a gimlet.