Thursday, July 17, 2025

Breakfast at Sukiya: Delicious Beef Bowls for Under $4


      Last year, my husband and I spent several days in Hakata, staying at the ANA Crowne Plaza Fukuoka—a detail some of you might recall from an earlier post. Rather than sticking with the hotel’s breakfast buffet, we decided to head to Sukiya instead. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you already know I have a deep love for Japanese beef bowls—gyudon (牛丼), as they’re called in Japan. Whenever I’m in Japan, I make it a point to visit popular gyudon chains like Yoshinoya (吉野家), Sukiya (すき家), and Matsuya (松屋). Even back in the U.S., I’ll grab frozen Yoshinoya gyudon from Japanese supermarkets when it's on sale—something I’ve mentioned in earlier posts. So for this trip, we went with Sukiya for breakfast. It was just a short, two-minute walk from our hotel, making it a super convenient choice.


      One thing I appreciated was the ordering tablet placed right at the table—it made the process much easier, especially for travelers who don’t speak Japanese. You could select your preferred language from Japanese, English, Chinese, or Korean, which was incredibly helpful and inclusive.



Sukiya Breakfast

        Sukiya’s breakfast menu is available from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., making it a great option whether you’re up with the sunrise or easing into the day.

納豆まぜのっけ朝食 + 牛小鉢

      My husband ordered the natto breakfast combo (納豆まぜのっけ朝食), priced at just 390 yen, and added a mini simmered beef side dish (牛小鉢) for an additional 180 yen. Altogether, the meal came to 570 yen—roughly $3.90—which is impressively budget-friendly. The combo itself was surprisingly well-balanced: it included natto, green onions, okra, an onsen tamago (soft-boiled egg), bonito flakes, miso soup, and white rice. It was a nourishing mix of protein, fiber, and fermented goodness, perfect for starting the day with a taste of traditional Japanese flavors.



牛たまかけ朝食

       I chose the beef and egg breakfast combo (牛たまかけ朝食), priced at just 420 yen—about $2.89. It came with a flavorful lineup: simmered beef, a raw egg, kiriboshi daikon (dried and rehydrated daikon strips), nori, miso soup, and white rice. For my version, I placed the simmered beef over the rice, then poured the beaten raw egg on top and finished it with a generous sprinkle of shredded red pickled ginger. Simple, savory, and exactly the kind of breakfast I love. 





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Thursday, July 10, 2025

Koga Sengyo Seafood Restaurant Around Hakata – Fresh from Market to Bowl

 

Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)

     As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband and I visited Hakata in Fukuoka last year. One of the things I was most excited about was enjoying the local cuisine. In Top 3 Seafood Restaurants to Visit Around Hakata, I shared how Hakata is famous for its fresh seafood—thanks to its close proximity to the Genkai Sea’s rich fishing grounds and vibrant markets like Nagahama Fish Market (長浜鮮魚市場) and Yanagibashi Rengo Fish Market (柳橋連合市場), which guarantee a steady supply of fresh catch each day.

     The area is filled with exceptional seafood restaurants. This time, we made our way to Yanagibashi Rengo Fish Market (柳橋連合市場), just a 20-minutes walk from JR Hakata Station. 

Yanagibashi Rengo Fish Market (柳橋連合市場)


Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚) at Yanagibashi Rengo Fish Market (柳橋連合市場)

       In Yanagibashi Fish Market, there are many seafood restaurants to choose from, and we decided to try Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚), which is both a fishmonger and a restaurant—meaning the seafood they serve is incredibly fresh, often sourced straight from their own stall. 



1-6-4 Haruyoshi
Fukuoka Chuoku
Fukuoka

Open Monday through Saturday
Hours 10 am through 3 pm (Last Order 2:30 pm)

Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)

      Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚) is one of the most popular spots in Yanagibashi Rengo Fish Market (柳橋連合市場), but when we visited on a Thursday at 2 p.m., it wasn’t crowded at all. The quiet midafternoon setting made it feel like a hidden treasure tucked within the bustle of the market.


Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)
       The walls of Koga Sengyo were lined with a wide array of handwritten menus, giving the restaurant a lively, local charm. According to the staff, their most popular dishes include Kaisen Don (海鮮丼), Tuna Don (マグロ丼), Assorted Deep-Fried Seafood (海鮮ミックスフライ), Deep-Fried Horse Mackerel (アジフライ), and Assorted Sashimi (刺身盛り合わせ).

Koga Sengyo’s Top 5 Dishes:

  1. Kaisen Don (海鮮丼)

  2. Tuna Don (マグロ丼)

  3. Assorted Deep-Fried Seafood (海鮮ミックスフライ)

  4. Deep-Fried Horse Mackerel (アジフライ)

  5. Assorted Sashimi (刺身盛り合わせ)



Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)

Menu

Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)
Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)
Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)
Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)
Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)
Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)
Koga Sengyo (古賀鮮魚)



Kaisen don (海鮮丼)
Kaisen don (海鮮丼)

        My husband ordered the Kaisen Don (海鮮丼), which cost just 1,100 yen and came with wakame seaweed soup and a few side dishes. It’s no wonder Kaisen Don is their most popular dish—it truly delivers on quality, flavor, and value. It had the vibrant slices of tuna, salmon, squid, and shrimp are beautifully arranged on rice, creating a feast for both the eyes and the palate. The sashimi was incredibly fresh and of impressive quality—we couldn’t believe it was only about $7.50! For this kind of seafood bowl in the U.S., we’d easily expect to pay over $50. If you visit Koga Sengyo, the Kaisen Don is an absolute must-try. 

Kaisen don (海鮮丼)



Makanai don (まかない丼)
Makanai don (まかない丼)

       I ordered the Makanai Don (まかない丼) for just 900 yen, which also came with wakame seaweed soup and a few side dishes. The bowl was topped with a generous variety of fresh fish, including tuna, salmon, sea bream, and ikura (いくら), or salmon roe. I had seen this dish recommended by several Japanese YouTubers, and now I understand why—it felt like a hidden gem. At only 900 yen (about $6.20), it was an absolute steal for the quality and variety it offered.

Makanai don (まかない丼)


Deep-Fried Horse Mackerel (アジフライ) Half Size
       We also ordered a half-size portion of deep-fried horse mackerel (ちょっとアジフライ) for just 350 yen. I had originally planned to visit Shokudo Hamakani (食堂はまかに), a restaurant known for its seafood dishes—especially horse mackerel (鯵, アジ)—but it happened to be closed that day. Thankfully, we still got to enjoy this dish at Koga Sengyo, and it turned out to be a delightful surprise. The horse mackerel was soft, fluffy, and perfectly fried.  


        Koga Sengyo left a lasting impression—not just for its friendly atmosphere and unbeatable prices, but for one unforgettable Kaisen Don that captured the true flavor of Hakata.





There are my entries related to Fukuoka.






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Thursday, July 3, 2025

Broccoli Kinpira Recipe: A Tasty, Zero-Waste Side Dish Inspired by Japan

 


      Every weekend, I cook broccoli. I especially enjoy making egg and broccoli salad. Afterward, I use the stalks to make one of my favorite side dishes: broccoli kinpira.

     Kinpira is a traditional Japanese cooking style typically used for burdock root and carrot, known together as kinpira gobo(gobo means burdock in Japanese). Instead of burdock root, I use broccoli stalks—and the result is surprisingly delicious.

      Today, I'm going to show you how to cook broccoli kinpira. If you enjoy kinpira gobo, I think you'll love this broccoli version too.


Ingredients (Serves 6)




1. Add the sesame oil and dried red chili pepper to a pan. Heat over high heat until the oil is hot.




2. Add the broccoli stalks and carrot strips to the pan. Stir-fry over high heat for about 2 minutes.





3. Add the sugar and continue stir-frying for about 1 minute, allowing it to coat the vegetables.





4. Add the mirin, sake, and soy sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.






5. Sprinkle in the roasted sesame seeds and give everything a final toss to combine.




6. Serve and enjoy!




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    ★You can find my recipe entries through my Pinterest