Kyodoryori Tsugumi – Fukuoka, Japan

I recently spent a few weeks away from Tokyo in Kyushu and Chugoku and we had a last minute free evening away from the kid. We asked around our circle of chef friends and a recurring recommendation was Tsugumi in Fukuoka, Japan. We made a reservation a few days out and jumped on a 35-minute Shinkansen from Yamaguchi to Hakata for the evening.

Tsugumi is run by a young, experienced chef named Takeshi Inoue. He trained at Honka Tankuma Honten in Kyoto (where the late Nishi-san of Kyoaji fame trained), did a stint at Shun in Shizuoka, and helped his older brother (who trained at Kyoaji) open Mitaka in Tokyo before returning to Fukuoka to open Tsugumi in June 2020.

The course in summer is focused on wild unagi, and his experience at Shun really elevated the quality of preparation. The unagi dishes were outstanding!

Here’s an overview of the course.

1. Soumen with Junsai
2. Otsukuri of Shima Aji (Karatsu) and Hamo (Yamaguchi) with pickled kabocha
3. Fried White Eggplant with Awabi Karaage
4. Wild Unagi Shirayaki with Bone Senbei and Gelee of Unagi Kimo
5. Suppon Chawanmushi
6. Unagi Pressed Sushi
7. Lightly Boiled Hamo with Red Seaweed and Mozuku
8. Unagi Takikomi Gohan (also served as an Ochazuke)
9. Mizuyokan (served with a fantastic sencha from Hoshinomura)
10. Honey Ice Cream with Ripened Fig