I made a reservation for 7:30 pm on a weekday and visited the restaurant for the first time. It is located on the basement floor of a building in a shopping street, and you wouldn't find it if you didn't know about it. There were two regular customers enjoying themselves at the counter. I ordered a kabosu sour and carefully studied the menu. I decided to try the rare and perfect salted whale and whale sashimi platter as a side dish for my drinks. I quickly finished the refreshing kabosu sour and moved on to sake. The three appetizers and the whale sashimi platter went well with the sake, and I felt relieved. I had a hard time choosing my main dish, but I ended up trying the simmered tai fish head. I enjoyed the hearty simmered dish while chatting with the chef and the hostess (apparently not a couple). It was a great time... I was quite full after the simmered dish, so I paid the bill (a little over 10,000 yen).

I made a reservation for a night on my day off. The place is located in the basement of a building at the intersection of Kawabata-dori shopping street and Reisen Koen-dori. The nearest station is Nakasu Kawabata Station on the Fukuoka City Subway. It's a pretty old building, so it's a bit difficult to enter. The basement floor has several restaurants. It's like a maze, but if you keep going, you'll see a sign. It's closer to enter from the Kawabata-dori shopping street side. Open the door and enter. Wow, a bright and spacious space spreads out. Looks like there are quite a few customers today. The landlady asks if it's okay at the counter or elsewhere. It's up to you. Assuming it's busy, I'll sit near the entrance. The seats are divided into groups of two, with plenty of space between them, which is nice. Let's start with a glass of Premium Malt for 700 yen. It's a relatively small glass. They bring out an appetizer. Three dishes are prepared: flat string, crab vinegar, and seaweed and vinegar. It's quite elaborate. Seaweed and vinegar are young eels, maybe you're trying it for the first time? Next, I'll have some sake. "Kei" from Fukuoka Prefecture, 1500 yen at Wakatakeya. Sake in a cup with a masu. How about a little less than one go? The side dishes are striped jack and mackerel sashimi. Apparently, mackerel is often eaten raw in Kyushu. The fat between the skin and the flesh is delicious. The soy sauce is sweet, but it feels natural to have it when you come to this area. "Warashikokoro" from Shiga Prefecture, 1200 yen. I'll add sea cucumber vinegar. Warm sake is good. What do you have? Would you like some Kitaya? Sounds good. It's a sake from Yame with a strong umami flavor. And please add simmered rockfish. It's like a simmered fish with a slightly light flavor, but it's plump and delicious. I'll finish with Miyotsuru on the rocks. By the way, you can order the shochu on the table. That's exactly 10,000 yen for the whole meal. It was a bit more expensive than I expected based on the price of sake. There is no price listed for daily specials or drinks other than sake and standard beverages. If you're worried, you should check and order. Both the chef and the landlady provide excellent service. They are easy to talk to. By the way, they are not a married couple. Thank you for the meal.

Super Value Lunch at Hana no Ren (Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City) Located in the basement of a building in Nakasu Kawabata shopping street, this place is well known among ramen lovers as it is right in front of the popular Tsukikageken. Be warned, they tend to sell out by around 12:30pm! At the entrance of the arcade, you'll find actual lunch items and menus displayed, enticing you to head downstairs. The restaurant offers both table and counter seating, and it quickly fills up as lunchtime approaches. Upon seating, you'll be asked if you prefer white rice or black bean mixed rice; I chose the latter. The daily lunch set at 700 yen (tax included) arrived, exuding a homemade feel. Rice refills are free, whether you prefer white or black bean rice. The black bean rice was delicious. The cold somen noodles came with tempura flakes and seaweed in a gentle Japanese-style broth, offering a smooth texture. It was quite filling. The chicken meatball hamburger was light and healthy, packed with plenty of vegetables. It had a good thickness and was quite substantial. I couldn't resist getting a refill of white rice. Finally, I enjoyed a homemade mandarin orange jelly to finish off the meal. At only 700 yen (tax included), it was a very satisfying lunch. Closed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Address: 11-1 Kamikawabatacho, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Basement floor.

In 2019, I visited a restaurant after a long time and the atmosphere was still the same, with the charming landlady maintaining a good tempo as always. The restaurant used to mainly offer à la carte dishes, but now it's all about set courses! The prices range from 3,000 to 5,000 yen with all-you-can-drink options, and the landlady decides on the course contents based on the amount you pay, in a very casual manner. It was a full house that day, and the landlady was surprisingly working diligently, even serving hot sake halfway through the meal. The food had a home-cooked feel, not particularly outstanding but it provided a comforting sense of security. It felt like I had forgotten about this kind of dining experience! Now, should I continue my night with a stroll through Nakasu while tipsy? 😄

In the Nakasu-Kawabata shopping district, Canal City Hakata area, there is a recommended restaurant for locals and business travelers, especially older gentlemen. However, as a woman, I often visit this place alone. It is within walking distance from Tenjin. This restaurant offers a higher level of home-cooked meals prepared by a friendly mama with a Hakata spirit. It is located in the Kami-Kawabata shopping district, underground, so it may be a bit hard to find. It originally opened around 2013, closed for a while, and then reopened as the original "Hana Noren" in 2018. The atmosphere is maintained by the friendly Mama who loves sake and the young and cute service staff. There are counter seats and table seats available. They offer a popular 90-minute all-you-can-drink and all-you-can-eat course for 3,000 yen. The drink menu includes draft beer, sake, highball, various shochu, plum wine, lemon highball, and oolong tea. The Mama, with a background from the famous seafood restaurant "Gyoshoku Ryori no Mise Seimonbarai" in Hakata, serves excellent fish dishes. I personally recommend the popular Kobe beef menchi-katsu. It is a cozy izakaya managed by women, with a welcoming atmosphere suitable for women as well. We enjoyed a three-item appetizer platter consisting of grated radish with plum, okara, and salad. The stir-fried turnips, shiitake mushrooms, and Chinese cabbage in a parsley Genovese sauce were delicious. The pork sauté with onion paste was tender and flavorful. We, being big drinkers, enjoyed the tofu marinated in miso that was served to a friend who started drinking sake. The deep-fried surimi with Japanese chili pepper was also tasty and went well with alcohol. For the finale, Mama prepared a simmered noodle dish similar to motsunabe. It was a delightful meal. This is a special place I want to visit with close friends or by myself in the future. It is a Hakata izakaya that I would recommend to those who appreciate the warmth of Hakata hospitality, even if they are not particular about Hakata's specialty foods.

I visited for the first time, and it was a very cozy restaurant! I enjoyed a lot of fresh sashimi that was caught on that day. It was a hidden gem where I could relax and enjoy a meal and conversation slowly. Thank you very much!

The seafood appetizers were delicious, especially the rare oyster tempura and the egg omelette in oden. The female owner and female staff were very polite and provided excellent service. I will definitely visit again!

The daily lunch specials offer great value for money. I love the variety of side dishes. The atmosphere of the restaurant is also fantastic, and I definitely want to become a regular customer.

Lunch special on May 27th, 2020 for 700 yen.

The seared conger eel sashimi was delicious.

This is a place where you can enjoy dining and drinking alone, in a relaxed atmosphere with good food, drinks, and conversation.

The salt-grilled saury was said to be a large size for 3000 yen, but it was disappointing as it was just a regular size that I was expecting.

I didn't know that there was no a la carte option and dishes come out as chef's choice. I gave up on going to another place for more food. But it was delicious and cheap. I do not recommend it for those who want to go to multiple places for food.

2016 Early Autumn Spice Enhancement Week!? Extra Edition lol It's been about 2-3 months since my last visit, and I thought I wouldn't have to write another review, but I discovered a new menu at Miki-nee's place, so I had to go back and try it out lol. I entered the restaurant, noticed a slight change in the interior, and sat down. Of course, you start feeling fizzy right away, right? The "Fujisan Harumi" was on the menu, and it was quite strong, making me feel a bit tipsy lol. I didn't even look at the prices, and if I'm not careful, they'll just decide the dishes for me, so I quickly placed my order! The "Hirasu Harami" was a thick cut of fatty harami meat, which was delicious. The fish they source here is always amazing! The "Hormone Tofu" caught my eye on the short menu, so I ordered it. It wasn't deep-fried, but the lightly fried tofu topped with sautéed hormones was a hearty dish. The sweet, fatty flavor of the large hormones combined perfectly with the lightly flavored tofu. The "Delicious Gyoza" was a bit burnt, but that just added to the charm lol. They served me the "Grilled Buri" even though I didn't order it, but since they had already grilled it, I had to eat it, and it was delicious. Even though I was already full, I spotted something unfamiliar on the menu, but I decided to order it next time. The "Exquisite Keema Curry" arrived unexpectedly during the Spice Enhancement Week lol. I tried it with the fried naan, and it was a Japanese-style keema curry that felt comforting in a way. Despite the various trials and errors in recent days, with Miki-nee's smile and the support of regular customers, everything will be fine, right? As always, the cozy atmosphere here is nice, but this is Nakasu after all, so I have to come back, right? I called Chouchou on the phone while disappearing into the neon lights. 2014 Late Autumn I've been to this place many times before, and I ended up coming here alone for a final visit... I entered the restaurant, took a seat at the counter, and took a lot of pictures lol. Today, once again, a dish and something fizzy, right? One day, I had the "Salt-Grilled Sawara," which is my favorite among the blue fish. The salt seasoning was elegant, but for someone like me, more intense saltiness would be nice! One day, I had the "Dashimaki Tamago," which I've already ordered many times... The dashimaki here has a refined taste, but for someone like me, more mayonnaise is better lol. One day, I had the "Jitokko Tataki," because I'm a chicken man! The slightly sweet sauce on the chicken tataki goes well with shichimi pepper, making it a perfect drinking snack with a fizzy shochu highball! One day, I had the "Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts," because I love bean sprouts more than anything! The crunchy bean sprouts with a light seasoning were devoured as if I were eating them alone. I've been here quite a bit, haven't I? I tend to visit on rainy days a lot, probably because the oden shops in Hakata are closed when it rains... In those times, I end up coming to Kajidori-ya lol. As I stumbled out, I realized there were photos of pork belly that I didn't remember taking when I woke up in the morning (-_-;) As the year draws to a close, I wonder if my body can handle it, but I disappeared into the road back home. 2013 August After seeing a review from my favorite reviewer, I decided to take some out-of-town guests to this place! With 4 people, we went to ===========

This is a cozy izakaya located in the Kamikawabata Shotengai, just a stone's throw away from Canal City Hakata and the entertainment district of Nakasu. While they don't specialize in Hakata-style cuisine, everything from fish to home-cooked dishes is delicious. The atmosphere is welcoming and perfect for solo diners or tourists. The entrance is a bit hidden in the underground of the Kamikawabata Shotengai, with a small signboard that says "Hana no Ren". The owner, Miki, and the service staff warmly welcome guests, making it a pleasant experience. The handwritten menu by Miki offers dishes like Kobe beef menchi katsu and dashimaki tamago. The atmosphere is still as inviting as ever.