Food Diary - Teruzushi, Kitakyushu

Chef Watanabe Takayoshi of Teruzushi (more on IG).

It's been a while since I did a standalone food diary post. It's a bit of a pain especially since I don't bother to take pictures of the sushi anymore. Plus I've a lot of drafts I've yet to complete, and well, it's not about the girls. But I felt Teruzushi照寿司 had to have one. Simply because Teruzushi's 3rd generation, Chef Watanabe Takayoshi, is larger than life. Also as Teruzushi is an injection of the innovative and modern into traditional sushi, called Kokura-mae sushi in Kitakyushu.

We were at Teruzushi for dinner on Day 11 of our Kyushu road trip, and if I could only choose one word to sum up the experience there, it would be "dramatic". Dramatic chef, dramatic presentation, dramatic sushi, dramatic portions, dramatic flavours.

The atmosphere at Teruzushi is unlike other sushi-ya. Breaking from tradition, Watanabe-san has made Teruzushi into something of a "sushi theatre" with his own unique flair for the dramatic. He is a natural showman. Because he's very friendly and open, with a wacky sense of humour, the atmosphere at Teruzushi is very open, relaxed, even boisterous. He's also super saavy with social media, especially Instagram. He happily takes on the moniker sushi-bae, and gamely makes his characteristic poses while openly encouraging us to take plenty of photographs, and asking us to post them on Instagram, and to tag them on Instagram (@teruzushi). He also talked about all his upcoming activities and events; he seemed very excited about his upcoming collaboration in New York City (at the time of our visit).

Showmanship and marketing gimmicks aside, Watanabe-san is also serious about his personal mission to shine a spotlight on the seafood from Kyushu, and personally shops for ingredients from the seafood vendors at Kitakyushu's Tanga Market. Yet, here too he is unconventional. Besides using quality ingredients traditionally used in Japanese sushi, he unashamedly incorporates luxurious ingredients used in Western cuisine, such as caviar and bottarga.

First up, uni from Shimonoseki, topped with caviar and shisho flowers.

This super luxurious opening was just a prelude to more luxurious and generous morsels. A little sheet of nori seaweed stuffed with fresh uni from Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, as well as caviar. Like his laughter, Watanabe-san is very generous with everything.

Iwagaki oyster, with vinegar marinated sea grass, uni and soramame (more on IG)

This made for a really refreshing appetiser, thanks to the zing from the vinegar marinated sea grass. I'm not a fan of raw oyster, but no complaints here -- the Iwagaki oyster from the Amakusa islands, Kumamoto Prefecture (Kyushu!) was super fresh and plump. Last time I enjoyed one like that was a Tsukiji food tour in 2017 (posted here).

Hmmm... I think I missed one sushi here, after the oyster dish. Oops. Too busy eating.

Watarigani (Japanese blue crab) (more on IG)

The tasty watarigani (served up with the roe and nou-miso) is from Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture (Kyushu!). Generally quite different in style from what we've had at edomae sushi spots. Though I have to admit.... No criticism here of Watanabe-san, but for me, I can't get out of my head the watarigani made by Chef Kimura-san at Kimura (revisited as well, on Day 14). That umami packed punch that one can only get from fermented watarigani, paired with sake, is simply unforgettable, unbeatable.

Black abalone, weighing over 600g, fished from local waters (more on IG)

Watanabe was proudly showing us the black abalone, which he said was over 600g each. The ones in the bowl were still moving, and were mainly for display. Though I'm sure they'll end up in the steamer sooner or later....

Kuro awabi (black abalone) with liver sauce and deep fried shako (mantis shrimp) (more on IG)

The abalone was steamed for 6 hours plus, and served with liver sauce and deep fried shako (mantis shrimp). I love shako, and they're certainly best in early summer. Watanabe-san served it up deep fried whole, shell, head and all, seasoned with salt. It's usually served boiled, so this style is new to me, and deep fried does bring out a different flavour and texture of the shako. Ultimately I still prefer it done the traditional way, because the sweetness shows up more.

If my memory is right, the kue (long-tooth grouper) from the Goto Islands, and amadai (tilefish).

Bringing out the massive kue is a signature performance that Watanabe-san is known for. However, this time, he wasn't able to bring out a whole kue, only cuts. He was deeply apologetic about it, saying that he was aware that some guests had come with the expectation of seeing it.

Seared katsuo (bonito), garnished with minced young onions, fresh rocket, cherry tomato and shaved bottarga (more on IG)

The seared katsuo was a really hearty dish, almost like a steak course. Once again, Watanabe-san was very generous. Thick cuts of katsuo and lots of bottarga.

Hamo (pike eel) tempura with bafun uni and murasaki uni (more on IG)

The hamo tempura was  my favourite for the evening. The tempura was wonderfully light and crispy. It would taste really good even without the uni, but I'm not complaining. Keep the uni rollin' baby!

I can't remember, I think some kind of sea bream or fugu (pufferfish), garnished with sea grapes, shiso flower buds and kabosu (more on IG)

Watanabe-san showing off the unagi...and viola! the unagi burger!

Chef Watanabe's unagi burger -- shari sandwiched between the grilled unagi and wrapped with seaweed.

The "little bird" shime saba (cured mackerel) from Nagasaki Prefecture (Kyushu!) and white konbu.

Ika (squid) from Yamaguchi Prefecture (more on IG)

Tairagai (pen shell clam), if my memory serves me right (more on IG)

At this stage, I was full. The portions were all super big, and I was getting full, and Watanabe would not reduce the portions at all. "You need training! Sushi training!" he said. *Faint*

Like master, like disciple.

Kuruma-ebi-dog (more on IG)

Not only is Watanabe-san very generous with his sushi, he's also hilariously innovative. As with his unagi burger and "little bird" shime saba, he now presented the kuruma-ebi-dog. Just that the kuruma-ebi is the hotdog bread, and the shari is the hotdog. I think this kind of extravagant generosity is very much his style.

The kuruma-ebi was so big that I couldn't fit it into my mouth. At some point I choked while trying to fit half of it into my mouth, and he asked if I was okay. In response, I said: Sumimasen chotto ooki sugiru, watashi no kuchi wa chiisai-desu.すみません　ちょっと大きすぎる, 私の口は小さいです。 (I'm sorry, it's a bit too big, my mouth is small.) Everybody laughed loudly, starting with him, and he good-naturedly joked about the hugeness of his sushi. All in good fun.

I have to admit, by this stage, I was way past super-duper full. The stage when one's stomach can't extend to fit anymore, and it threatens to erupt from one's throat.

If I remembered correctly, kasugodai (baby seabream) (more on IG)

I can't remember this one.

It's been a while, so I can't fully remember the details of all the sushi neta... I tried to identify this one from the picture I hastily took on my iPhone. And at first I thought it may have been kasugodai but it doesn't have that slight pinkish tinge in the skin and flesh, and I'm somewhat sure that the previous sushi was the kasugodai. Oh well.

Chutoro (more on IG)

Akami (lean tuna), topped with uni and caviar (more on IG)

I definitely missed some of sushi along the way, including the final piece, the tamagoyaki. Also, as some time has passed since dining there, and this post, I can't recall all of the sushi either....

The Taiyo no Tamago mango.

After a generous procession of sushi with luxurious ingredients, and Watanabe-san boldly telling all of us guests that he loves using luxurious and expensive ingredients, it's not surprising that he ended the meal with the world's most expensive mango. So, the meal ends a slice of the Taiyou no Tamago太陽のタマゴ, literally "egg(s) of the sun", grown in Miyazaki Prefecture (yes, Kyushu). I got to eat 2 slices because Hubs doesn't like mango! Whoop-de-do!

Honestly, at the end of this experience, my belly hurt (in a good way) from the sheer amount of delicious seafood and laughter. Watanabe-san seems to enjoy a super-sized dose of melodrama, as well as stuffing his guests with an insane amount of food.