Following His Father’s Footsteps as a Sushi Artisan — Seasonal Sushi Kaiseki at Wakazushi
Wakazushi sits in a residential neighborhood in Kissyoji-cho, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka
Prefecture. It is a popular restaurant where the chef selects seafood from the Genkai Sea and nearby waters
himself, and where sushi and seasonal dishes shaped by an artisan’s hand let you feel the turn of the
seasons.
Here we introduce the allure of Wakazushi.
The allure of a Wakazushi
Source : Wakazushi, Yahatanishi-ku / Sushi, Photos |
Hitosara
The restaurant is run by manager Shunsuke Kawamoto, born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1982 and the second generation
of Wakazushi, founded in 1985. He admired his father, a sushi artisan, from early childhood. From the age of 18 he
learned the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine and kaiseki at Washoku Yamazato in Hotel Okura Fukuoka, then refined
his craft at Nakamura Takatama. Carrying the wish to become a sushi artisan like his father, he opened Wakazushi
in March 2019 and struck out on his own.
The shari is gently flavored and slightly on the sweet side, and each topping receives its own attention. The
squid is scored so that it is easier to eat, the conger eel is seared and finished with a brush of sauce — work
aimed at drawing the fullest savor from each ingredient. The restaurant is certified by Fukuoka Prefecture as a
supporter of local fish, so seafood landed nearby can be enjoyed across a variety of courses. The menu changes
with the season, so each visit brings a different taste of the moment.
Wakazushi’s recommended menu
Ten pieces of sushi and one tekkamaki roll on gently sweet shari, a taste of the season in “Waka
Nigiri"
Built on the idea of good beef even at a sushi restaurant, served light with house-made ponzu, “Kagoshima
Kuroge Wagyu Steak"
Temari sushi and a seasonal surinagashi among many small plates, as pretty to look at as it is to eat,
“Temari Gozen"
Wakazushi’s recommended locations
The space is calm and clean, built around white and natural wood. There are six counter seats and four
semi-private horigotatsu rooms for five each; joined together they seat up to 24, and the restaurant has 30 seats
in all, enough for a party. Every seat is non-smoking, free Wi-Fi is available, and there is parking for ten cars
in front of the building.
A children’s plate and an okuizome celebration meal are available, and strollers are
welcome. The restaurant suits a wide range of occasions, from client entertaining and celebrations to memorial
meals, family introductions and dates. The bus stop is a little way off, so coming by car is recommended.
Review by Wakazushi
- The work is careful and the staff look after you well, so we had a very pleasant time.
- Everything here is reliably good, but the sushi above all is superb.
- It is a compact restaurant with four horigotatsu rooms and a counter, so it is better to go with a
reservation.Source : Reviews: Wakazushi – Chikuho-Katsuki / Sushi
[Tabelog]
Basic information about Wakazushi
| Store Name | Wakazushi |
|---|---|
| Address | 18-13 Kissyoji-cho 1F, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan 7-minute walk from the Otsuji Higashimachi Daini Danchi bus stop (Nishitetsu Bus) / about 1.6 km from Chikuho-Katsuki Station (coming by car is recommended) |
| Phone number | +81-93-618-0056 |
| Business Hours | Lunch 11:30–14:30 (L.O. 13:30) Dinner 17:00–21:00 (L.O. 20:00), last entry 19:30 Closed: Thursdays |
| Budget | Lunch from ¥3,000 / Dinner from ¥7,000 |
| Official Site | https://www.instagram.com/shunsuke_wakazusi |
Summary
How was it?
Here we introduced Wakazushi.
Sushi inherited from a father, and seasonal dishes drawn from a
kaiseki training. Being able to take your time over seasonally changing food made with local fish, settled into a
horigotatsu room, is what makes Wakazushi worth a visit.
Be sure to pay a visit.