LocalEatsJapan

Probably one of my favorite all time dishes in Japan, or at least in the top 10 for sure. 

Motsu Nabe is probably the 2nd most recognizable dish in Fukuoka besides Tonkotsu Ramen, and it 100% exceeded the hype. 

Nabe is essentially Japanese hotpot, and motsunabe specifically is a soy sauce or miso soup base packed with beef or pork intestines, tofu, cabbage, and topped with chives that slowly get submerged into the soup. 

Motsu Nabe Ichifuji is I think the most famous for this dish, though there are quite a few that one may consider more “local” but in terms of access and convenience this was the one I went with in the end. 

Aside from it being close to the biggest station in Fukuoka (Hakata), they have a really easy reservation system you can book on their website (which they also have in English). 

Because of this, I was able to book it in advance and secure one of their many course menus which I personally think is the best option if you want to try a bunch of their different dishes (just be warned that it is a lot of food and the motsunabe comes out last). 

If you don’t care about waiting, then the restaurant has 3 floors and seating for 140 people, so there is a chance you might be able to get in and then just order off of the menu normally too. 

For the course, I was with another person so we were able to share the soup, but with one person it might not be possible (unless you eat a ton, but even then I would tread on the passive side here). 

The course I recall going with was the Taka course which has 7 dishes consisting of sashimi, a stew of some sort (served in a little bowl), basashi (horse meat sashimi), the motsunabe, and a dessert. 

So yeah, you don’t have to worry about not getting enough food, nor about the quality of it, and this is all for only 4500 yen, so I feel it is an incredible deal. 

The seafood was great, and so was the horse sashimi, which I know some of you may be thinking “there’s no way I’m eating that”, but trust me don’t knock it until you try it, because if I had the option to, I would be ordering it over most seafood sashimi. 

There is no off taste to it, and it is very meaty and tender, maybe a little chewy? I don’t know how to describe it, but I highly recommend you try it. 

Then, it was time for the main event, the motsunabe, and wow, I was absolutely blown away. 

Usually when I go to different prefectures in Japan I almost always try the dishes they are most famous for, but sometimes they are just ok. 

But this was different, the broth was creamy, the intestines were tender and packed with umami, and the vegetables and tofu soaked up the soup excellently. This was actually the dish that got me hooked on nabe and led me to buying my own hotplate in Japan too. 

But by far, I just cannot forget the soup. It was like nothing I had ever had before, and if I could drink it everyday I would.

Then, when I had finished all the ingredients in it thinking I would have to waste the rest of the soup, the staff brought over these thick udon-like noodles as a part of the course. I couldn’t have been happier at that moment. 

My stomach on the other hand felt like it was going to explode, but I knew this wasn’t going to be a dish I would be able to have very often going forward, so I enjoyed every last bite. 

My recommendation for finding a place is look on the Japanese food website “tabelog” and look for places that are a 3.5 rating or higher, because in the eyes of the Japanese, there is no perfect 5 restaurant, so even the best ones in Japan will be around a 4 ish a lot of the time. 

If you come to Fukuoka then you must have this dish. But I do warn you, because if you have it at the beginning of your trip you may be disappointed with the rest of the food you have, but if you have it at the end, you will likely regret your decision not having it earlier, so pick your poison. 

Oh, and there are shops that make it across Japan including Tokyo as well, but Fukuoka definitely is on a different level. 

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