On the second day of a two-day trip to Kyushu, I took a leisurely stroll from Hakata Station to the Tenjin area. I decided to explore the local food options and found a special section at the underground floor of Daimaru selling squid products from Yobuko. Yobuko is famous for its squid and operates an underwater restaurant called "Kaichu Uosho Manbo." While their signature dish, squid shumai, is also sold in Tokyo department stores, what caught my eye was the array of squid tempura displayed in the showcase. I purchased a pack and enjoyed it later that evening back in Tokyo. The squid tempura was a perfect snack with drinks, as the fresh squid was delicious without any strong flavors. It would also be great served on top of soba noodles. As I was writing about my experience, I came across the news of JR Kyushu's acquisition and subsidiary of "Manbo." Currently, aside from stores in Saga Prefecture, only Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin and Daimaru Umeda carry the squid tempura. With JR Kyushu's financial backing, I hope to see the squid tempura available in Tokyo as well.

When you hear about Yobuko, you think of squid, but it seems that even squid from the waters near Fukuoka end up in Yobuko. I happened to stop by Daimaru underground and saw Manbo's squid tempura, and when I think of squid tempura, I remember the song "Ikasubandoten"♪. I bought it as a snack for home, and heated it in the oven to remove excess oil. I paired it with Himalayan pink salt! Maybe I cooked it a bit too much because the surface was crispy and lost some of the tempura texture, but the squid itself was delicious and goes well with drinks as a snack! There was more squid meat than tentacles, and the portion was generous. Next time, I might buy the squid dumplings to go with it.

"呼子萬坊's "Squid Tempura Bowl for 540 yen". It is a tempura bowl with squid legs tempura, squid dumplings, and perilla leaf tempura. There is no way it's not delicious!"

It's not just about the squid tempura, the squid legs tempura are delicious. This time, I had a tempura bowl.

Around 10 years ago, due to a decline in spear squid fishing, the switch was made from fried squid legs to dried squid. The bento featured in this post was average.

On February 11, 2018, my wife and I tried the "Ika Shumai" that she bought during our trip to Fukuoka at the end of last year. It cost 1,100 yen plus tax for 8 pieces. The original store is actually located in Saga Prefecture, as mentioned in the pamphlet that came with the product. There are also other variations like shrimp, crab, and fugu (blowfish skin), but the squid version seemed to be the classic choice. After heating it up quickly, we tried a bite. The taste was good, but there was something lacking about the squid filling. The special sauce was a nice touch, but the overall impression was a bit disappointing. The box mentioned that it is a "frozen type," so maybe it would have been better if it was a "refrigerated type." Perhaps the shrimp or crab version would be better if it's frozen.

Work is a bit busy and it's raining, so I headed to Daimaru underground. I thought "Yobuko Manbo" only had side dishes, but they also have rice dishes. Ika Tempura Don. 540 yen. Back at the office, I dug in. It was cold, but not bad. As expected from Manbo-san. The rice portion is small, which is perfect for those on a diet. They also have Ikashuumai, but it was curry flavored, which was surprising. I prefer the regular one. For 540 yen, it's quite satisfying. A quick meal and back to work.

This is a shop located on the B2 floor of Tenjin Daimaru. When I visited after 2 months, I found that the store had moved. This shop is popular for its Hakata-style "ika shumai", but you can also buy freshly fried "geso tempura" here. I like squid as well as squid tentacles, so I sometimes buy them. However, they have a strong smell, so it may bother others on the train. The "geso tempura" (540 yen including tax) comes in a generous portion, enough for 2-3 people as a snack. It includes not only tentacles but also some meat. It used to come with salt, but it seems they no longer provide it. I found that it surprisingly tastes good with "Mexican salt" that I had at home. This salt contains garlic and chili pepper, making it a versatile seasoning that goes well with meat dishes too. I haven't bought the ika shumai since my visit to Hakata, so I might try it again next time.

I tried Manbo's Ikashumai for the first time as a souvenir from Kyushu. This Ikashumai is a product where a refined paste is wrapped in slightly thick dumpling skin, using only the upper part of the squid. The soft paste filling is fluffy and gentle, and the small pieces of squid and the chewy texture of the dumpling skin add a nice touch. The mild taste pairs well with the tangy sauce and the slightly spicy mustard that comes with it! The ingredients of Ikashumai are as follows: dumpling skin (wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt), squid, fish meat (cod), vegetable oil, onion, egg, soy sauce, salt, sugar, processed starch, seasoning (amino acids), alcohol. It seems like you can also buy it at Daimaru Tokyo store, so you can enjoy it even when you return to Tokyo! Yay! Highly recommended as a souvenir from Kyushu!

Depachika is a must-visit place to buy tonight's side dishes. Yobuko Manbo is a well-known shop in Yobuko, Saga, where you can enjoy fresh squid sashimi. You can also buy their famous squid shumai here. This popular dish at the main store is made without adding any preservatives, showing their commitment to quality ingredients. The moment you put it in your mouth, the fragrant squid aroma and the chewy texture are irresistible. You can store it in the freezer and enjoy it whenever you want. It also makes a great gift.

I asked my child what a good souvenir from Fukuoka would be, and they answered "ika shumai." Despite going to Fukuoka, we ended up buying ika shumai, a specialty from Saga Prefecture, as we didn't have time to visit Saga. We went to Fukuoka Daimaru in Tenjin and found a booth for "Yobuko Mambou." They were selling fried "ika ten" which my child loves. I personally thought it was a good choice too. In addition to ika shumai, they also had variations like "kani shumai," "ebi shumai," "ume-filled," and "ika shumai senbei." Since they were frozen, we decided to have them shipped from there. I really want to visit places like Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto someday. These products can also be found in Osaka Umeda, Tokyo's "Daimaru," and other famous department stores.

Hanakuso Manbo, famous for its squid shumai! This time, instead of shumai, I lined up squid tempura on the dining table ＼(^o^)／ I was searching through the department store basement for today's dinner and came across Manbo at Daimaru (laughs) It's fun to explore the department store basement (*^-^) When I was a child, I used to go there a lot with my mother, but it has changed a lot♪ I brought it home, microwaved (or oven-baked) it, and served it on the table! I added salt instead of tempura dipping sauce (*´ω｀*) It's delicious! (///∇///) It goes well with rice (*^^*) I'm glad I bought it ＼(^_^)／ If I can buy this kind of food to take home, I want to increase takeout options even more, that's what I was feeling (^-^)/ Thank you for the meal (^o^)v

I went to Daimaru to buy year-end ingredients and on the way back, I picked up some geso-ten here. I arranged it on the Christmas dinner table with other ingredients and enjoyed it deliciously. It's convenient to be able to enjoy the delicious taste of Manpou without going all the way to Yobuko.

This is the Daikokumanbo store, the birthplace of Ikashuumai, at Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin store. Here, in addition to Ikashuumai, they also sell freshly fried squid tempura, a popular dish from Yobuko. On this day, I came to Daimaru in the evening for shopping, so I bought squid tempura and Ikashuumai for a beer snack at night. The squid tempura costs 525 yen. Yobuko is famous for squid, and this tempura is made with delicious and popular surumeika (dried squid) tentacles, already seasoned and ready to eat. The Ikashuumai (Daimaru) costs 1100 yen. This dish uses only the soft flesh of squid's upper body, creating a fluffy texture that is the pride of this store. When dipped in the special sauce, the fluffy texture and chewy texture of the Ikashuumai are irresistible. The store is located on the 2nd basement floor of Daimaru Higashikan. Daikokumanbo Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin store Address: 1-4-1 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin store Higashikan Elgala B2F TEL/Reservation: 092-716-8364 Business hours: 10:00-20:00