mogula
Originally a soy sauce shop, Kyuhara Honke operates a store sales and mail order division. In addition, one of the group's organic restaurants called "Chinoya" also sells some products in-store, and these products can also be purchased at the Iwataya branch alongside "Shoboan." While "Shoboan" seems to specialize in mentaiko, it is not clear what the distinct differences are in the products they handle. When asking acquaintances in Fukuoka for recommended mentaiko, this shop's name often comes up, and the reviews were generally positive. However, most Fukuoka mentaiko is from Hokkaido or Miyagi Prefecture, and I felt a bit frustrated about coming all the way from Miyagi to buy Miyagi products (even though Hokkaido products are more common). So, despite the recommendations, I ended up not buying it and instead purchased mentaiko mayonnaise (230g, 1,050 yen). Since it's a processed product, it should be fine, right? Laughingly, it is nearly twice as expensive as the major souvenir shop's mentaiko mayonnaise, but it turned out to be surprisingly delicious. The mayonnaise itself is very rich, creamy, and has a gentle texture, with a perfect flavor of mentaiko. It goes well with Caesar salad, potato salad, spread on French bread and baked in the oven, or mixed with pasta... it pairs well with anything. I also bought "Ari Tsuki" mentaiko mayonnaise from the same shop at a similar price, but it paled in comparison. By the way, I also bought fresh shichimi and green yuzu pepper from the neighboring Chinoya. The former had a flavor of sansho and ginger, while the latter had a strong green scent that was too much for me, so I didn't like it. Nevertheless, this mentaiko mayonnaise was the best I have ever tried. I slightly regret not buying the highly recommended mentaiko in the first place. This review is not about the main mentaiko, just for reference.