A shop in Fukuoka serving horse meat. The sashimi was fresh and melted in the mouth, especially the liver which was excellent without any unpleasant smell. I also tried the tongue for the first time, and it was very tender. The rare cutlet of Chateaubriand was moist and had a great texture, with a unique flavor compared to beef. I heard that most horse meat in Kumamoto is from Canada, and there is limited domestic raw meat available.

Indulging in delicious horse meat dishes at "Hakata Nikuiro" in Nakasu! I visited Nakasu with my work colleagues after a long time. Located on Tamon Street, "Hakata Nikuiro" is a restaurant that specializes in Fukuoka-produced horse meat. I didn't know about this place before, it must have opened during the pandemic. As soon as we sat down, we were served Senpoko as a greeting, which had a crispy texture and paired well with beer. Without wasting any time, we tried the horse liver sashimi. I was already impressed by how delicious it was. Then, a magnificent platter of horse sashimi arrived, including horse tongue. The steak was also amazing, but the highlight was the rare cutlet of horse Chateaubriand! Just look at that cross-section, it must be incredibly delicious. It comes with plum paste, snow salt, and cheese, rolled in shiso leaves. I lost count of how many glasses of shochu I had... I had an incredible experience with horse meat at this restaurant. This place is truly amazing.

The freshness that is not frozen was satisfying. The alcohol menu was modest, which balanced well with the food. The restaurant is also easy to stop by casually. The price was around 30,000 yen for two people. I would love to try the rare cutlet of Chateaubriand again. The cherry blossom natto, yukhoe, and whole roasted onion were also great.

I ate an unbelievable horse meat dish... I usually go out to eat in Tokyo, but this was the first time I had such delicious horse meat and I was completely shocked. The mane doesn't seem appetizing, but when it's covered in garlic and eaten, it's amazing... And then there was shirako (fish milt) as a seasonal item. Oh, but more importantly, there was raw liver. I love raw liver, but this surpassed beef by far... Just try it before judging! It's really too delicious!

In Fukuoka, even though I was already full from a year-end party, I decided to go eat horse sashimi for the second round. I had saved some stomach space from the motsunabe we had earlier. We headed to a building in the bustling district of Nakasu, where a restaurant called "Hakata Nikuiro" with a big logo of a horse's face caught our attention. The place had a vibe that suggested they would serve delicious food. Since many of us had to catch the last train, we were served a quick horse sashimi platter. It included slices of lean meat, red meat, marbled meat, and belly meat (baraniku). The lean and red meat were light and refreshing with little fat, while the marbled and belly meat had a nice amount of fat without being too heavy. The belly meat had a crunchy texture that made it surprisingly easy to eat. The sweet soy sauce dip was also different from the usual, which made the food even more enjoyable. Another type of sashimi we had was liver sashimi. While eating liver sashimi is prohibited for pork and beef, it is still allowed for horse meat. The liver had a firm texture and a unique crispness, with no unpleasant smell. Even those who may not like liver from other animals might find this horse liver sashimi delicious. Lastly, the restaurant's specialty, horse tenderloin cutlet, made its appearance. The rare cross-section of the cutlet had a beautiful red color. The recommended way to eat it was to place the tenderloin cutlet, shiso leaf, plum paste, and smoked cheese together. The shiso leaf and plum paste added a refreshing touch, while the cutlet's coating and smoked cheese provided a rich umami flavor. Personally, I felt that a simpler sauce might help appreciate the taste of the horse meat more, but this combination was also a tasty dish in its own right. There are still many delicious things to discover in Fukuoka. I only had a short stay of two nights this time, so I hope to visit again for a longer period next time. I'll need to secure some work opportunities first. Hakata Nikuiro 1st floor, Dai Ni Tamon Building, 3-3-10 Nakasu, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture Phone: 092-291-0269 Business hours: 18:00 - LAST (Reservations recommended) Closed on Sundays

There is a shop on Tamon Street in Nakasu that I've been curious about for a while, but I couldn't make it there. So, I went with someone who was also interested. The appetizer of crispy horse meat was delicious, and it made me want to drink multiple glasses of alcohol just with that. The horse tenderloin cutlet was also very tender and amazing. We couldn't try the cherry blossom hot pot (horse meat hot pot) because it required a reservation by the day before, so we had the regular motsu (offal) hot pot instead. I definitely want to try the cherry blossom hot pot next time!

Yu-kun and ===========