Restaurant Reviews

Tetsunabe Gyoza Restaurant (Fukuoka, Japan)

Well known in Fukuoka as the best gyoza restaurant in the area, this family owned and run restaurant serves the best dumplings I’ve ever eaten. Walk in, and you will be asked “How many people”. Indicate with your fingers how many people you have in your party and you’ll be lead to a table. Not much English is spoken here, but the staff knew to point to the picture of gyoza on the menu, there are plenty of other dining options too. If you order gyoza, you will be provided with a small dish to mix your own gyoza sauce – there is a squirty bottle of standard dumpling sauce, a small bottle of chili oil, a small dish of yuzu paste and a small dish of chili paste. Mix up your desired sauce, tasting as you go. I highly recomend the yuzu (an Asian sour citrus fruit) sauce, it adds an extra omph! to the meal.

Menu
The menu here is all in Japanese, but the staff here know what you’ve come for, so it’s not too difficult. The number one dish here is the gyoza (a small moon shaped fried Chinese dumpling), but there are plenty of other options too. The following are some of the dishes I remember.
  • ぎょうざ (Gyoza) – these small fried dumplings are amazing. Come as a serve of 8, the staff recommend two serves per person if you’re not getting anything else, 470 JPY per serve.
  • ポテトサラダ (Potato Salad) – one of the other main dishes, 520 JPY
  • 手羽先の煮 (Chicken Wings) – another popular dish, 310 JPY per piece
  • 令やしトマト (Cold Tomato) – a delicious dish of cold, slightly salted tomato and cabbage
  • おきゅうと
  • もろきゅう

Fukiya Okonomiyaki Restaurant (Fukuoka, Japan)

This cute restaurant is tucked in the corner of the restaurant floor of the Fukuoka Bus Centre. Walk in, and you will be asked “How many people”. Indicate with your fingers how many people you have in your party and you’ll be lead to a table. The waitress will then place a “menu” on your table – a receipt type piece of paper that lists everything in Japanese. Look below for translations (but be aware that the copy in the restaurant is purely Japanese!). Point to what you want, and they’ll start cooking it. You can watch your dinner being cooked over at the grill. If you order okonomiyaki, it will be bought to your table already cut into squares. Top with your preferred amount of okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise, and dig in!

No English is spoken here, but everyone is really friendly, the food is fabulous and cheap, and you can get a drink with your meal, perfect.

Menu
These are my translations, the menu at the restaurant is purely Japanese. Take note of what you’d like – I’ve set it out the same as the restaurant copy, so you should be able to point to what you want. All of the items on the left hand side are okonomiyaki – the Japanese “as-you-like-it” pancake, a thick savory pancake made of predominately of battered cabbage. My favourite is the corn/egg version, but they’re all great!

Name Price Name Price
デラックス (Delux) 1,100 JPY 焼きそば (Yaki Soba) 550 JPY
ミックス (Mix) 850 JPY “大盛 (large serve) 650 JPY
肉玉子 (Meat/Egg) 600 JPY 焼きうどん (Yaki Udon) 550 JPY
イカ玉子 (Squid/Egg) 600 JPY “大盛 (large serve) 650 JPY
エビ玉子 (Prawn/Egg) 600 JPY 焼きめし (Fried Rice) 550 JPY
チーズ玉子 (Cheese/Egg) 600 JPY “大盛 (large serve) 650 JPY
コーン玉子 (Corn/Egg) 600 JPY 肉野菜いため (Stir Fry) 550 JPY
肉 (Meat) 550 JPY “大盛 (large serve) 650 JPY
イカ (Squid) 550 JPY 御飯（小） (Small Rice) 550
エビ (Prawn) 550 JPY ビール（中）(Beer) 500 JPY
チーズ (Cheese) 550 JPY コーラ (Coke) 200 JPY
コーン (Corn) 550 JPY オレンジ (Orange Juice) 200 JPY
玉子 (Egg) 450 JPY ジンジャエール (Gingerale) 200 JPY
ヤサイ (Vegetable) 400 JPY

Bubba Gump (Manila, The Philippines)

Having never been to a Bubba Gump in the US, the experience was unique in Manila – a family restaurant setup, fully decked out with Forrest Gump merchandise, quotes, pictures etc. Prices were ok, drinks were great value and tasty, food was unique and clever, we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch here. The way to grab waiters attention is unique – a little license plate sitting on your table, flip it to “Stop Forrest Stop” to call their attention, and “Run Forrest Run” if things are okay.

Menu
The great thing about Manila is that menu’s are in English, so you’ll easily be able to decifer them. This is what we ordered and what we thought of it.
  • “I’m Stuffed!” Shrimp – large prawns, stuffed with a creamy crab mix, served on rice, 585 PHP per serve.
  • Sparklin’ Apple Cobbler – huge apple pie, delicious, 340 PHP
  • Plantation Punch – large alcoholic citrus based cocktail, 205 PHP