This time, I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking of Mr. Fukuyama, who is known for his skill at "Goh," and I would like to share with you my report. By the way, "La Maison de la Nature Gou", which closed in October 2022, has been a regular on Asia's Best Restaurants 10 (AB50) since the first edition (50), and was also awarded a Michelin star ("Michelin Fukuoka” has not been updated since 2016). The newly reborn "Goh" is also ranked 2019th in Asia's 2024Best in 50.

From Fukuoka. Chef with world-renowned taste and beloved character

``There is Tsuyoshi Fukuyama in Fukuoka'' is a line that has become whispered by everyone.
The person in question would probably deny it, but it's only natural that he would say that. The first characteristic of Mr. Fukuyama is that his food is incredibly delicious. The second thing is his personality. Anyone who comes into contact with him is captivated by his generous brightness.
He was previously the owner-chef of a French restaurant called ``La maison de la nature Goh'' in Nishinakasu. At first, people in Tokyo didn't even know about its existence. It was Asia's 50 Best that made him widely known to the world, and his presence became known for the first time when he was included in the ranking.
It wasn't the Japanese feeders who put him in the rankings. The masked judges from overseas, mainly from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, loved his cooking and frequented the restaurant.

There was another opportunity to spread his name worldwide. That person is Gaggan Anand, the legendary Indian chef of the Bangkok restaurant Gaggan, which has been ranked number one on Asia's 50 Best four times. The two met at an event in Shanghai in 1 prior to 4Best and hit it off. The two are rapidly approaching each other, and in December 50, they will open a store in Nakasu bearing their names. That is the casual dining "GohGan". The menu is, of course, a hybrid of the two's creations.
The restaurant is located on the first floor of the complex "010 Building" facing the Naka River, but on the second floor there are "THEATER1" and "BAR2" where you can enjoy world-class performances with your meal, and on the third floor there is a fine dining "Goh (Go)” is the tenant. Mr. Fukuyama supervises all the cooking in this building.

NowAlthough it is a meal, the only thing on the menu handed out at this restaurant is the name of the ingredients. You can never predict how it will be cooked. By the way, all the guests share a large table called a ``table d'hote'' (top image, right), and Mr. Fukuyama and his staff finish the arrangement of the food at the adjacent table. It has a live feel to it.

The first dish that came out was ``White Asparagus, Butterbur, and Spicy Shiso,'' which had Saga's white asparagus cream topped with fukinotou blancmange. It's a mixture of two types of cream, and it melts on your tongue. The rich flavor of the asparagus is complemented by the bitterness of the fukinotou, and the subtle flavor of perilla. It's a truly exquisite combination of proportions, and it's so delicious that it shakes your taste buds from the first bite.

The second dish, ``Sakura meat, sea urchin, yellow nira,'' is a Kumamoto horse sashimi tartare sprinkled with yellow chives and topped with purple sea urchin from Kounominato, Fukuoka. The meaty sweetness of the horse sashimi, the blue acrid flavor of the yellow chives, and the sticky, rich flavor of the sea urchin. With the second dish, the food suddenly seemed to pick up the gears, and the diners became more excited.

The third dish, ``Tuna, Tomato, and Beetroot'' (top image, left), is made with fermented jelly and freshly squeezed soup made separately from two types of tomatoes harvested on Takashima near Gunkanjima, Nagasaki. Inside, I put medium-sized tuna fish caught in Takashima in the form of thinly sliced ​​sticks, and topped it off with pickled beets. The combination of various sour flavors from tomatoes and beets and a relaxing medium-fatty texture will take you into uncharted territory. It's a combination I've never encountered before. The flavors are delicate and delicious. It's an appetizer that will make you salivate and whet your appetite to the max. This can only be described as a masterpiece.

A blissful moment is guaranteed with an impressive array of dishes.

``The menu is mainly composed of ingredients from Kyushu,'' says the chef, but even in the middle of the meal, it feels like a whole cast of delicious food from all over Kyushu has been assembled. It is true that Kyushu has the best fish, meat, and vegetables, and is a treasure trove of ingredients. The chef brings the blessings of the land to fruition in each dish.

The fourth dish, ``Abalone Shiitake Mushroom Aosa,'' had abalone strings and aosa risotto placed at the bottom of the bowl, topped with steamed abalone slices, and topped with burnt butter and shiitake mushroom sauce. As expected, this is one of the constant items that is served all year round. The soft abalone mixed with the rich umami sauce is so delicious that it leaves you wanting to eat for a while. This is amazing.

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The fifth dish, ``Green Pea Hyuga Summer Kelp,'' surprised me with its vividness. At the bottom of the bowl is a dairy product flan similar to chawanmushi, on top of which is poured a clear soup made from kelp stock, with boiled green peas as an ingredient. Miyazaki's Hyuganatsu is a citrus fruit, but it is used as a subtle flavoring, and the soup is more reminiscent of the aroma of extra virgin olive oil. However, not only the kelp stock but also the vegetable extracts permeate the soup. The green beans cooked with salt and sugar have both a sweet and salty taste, and the way they all come together is complex and exquisite, and is difficult to describe. Sorry for repeating this again, but it's incredibly delicious. At the same time, it also makes you feel like you're putting something good into your body. It's just sad to be chased by just one dish.

The chef goes around the table after serving and explains each dish one by one. He has the nickname ``Nakasu no Taiyo,'' and the atmosphere in the store always seems bright and warm. Chefs with this kind of power are probably extremely rare.

The main character is about to appear.
First up was the ``Shirame Nanohana New Onion,'' a crispy grilled flounder topped with a sheet of Ariake seaweed. Two sauces are added to the dish: a sauce made from rape blossoms mixed with shellfish stock, and a sauce made by mixing fresh onions with butter. The taste of the perfectly grilled flounder, seaweed, shellfish, rape blossoms, fresh onion, and butter exploded in your mouth like a shotgun. All I can say is that it is a wonderful creation.

The second main course was ``Lamb, Watercress, and Broad Beans'', which was a combination of French lamb with watercress namul (!) and broad bean hummus (!). The binding sauce is a sauce made from lamb bones and boiled down. This is probably a combination of French, Japanese, Korean, and Middle Eastern techniques. You will be surprised by the surprising combination of ingredients. The sauce is also exquisite and delicious.

The meal ended with curry rice. There may also be some inspiration from Gagan. But it's not just curry and rice. Surprisingly, the ingredients on top of the rice are ``hotaru squid, hijiki, and black damask.'' If you surprise someone and it doesn't taste good, you've put the cart before the horse. It's black and brown, which makes it look bad (lol), but it's really delicious. Rather than curry, it's better to think of it as a dish made with the spices used in curry. Above all, the flavor of the hotaru squid that bursts in your mouth is amazing. It's a refreshing feeling to know that curry like this exists. Kurodamaru is black soybean from Kyushu, and rice is white rice from Arita. By the way, the man sitting across from me was refilling my plate without hesitation.

The final dessert was ``Loquat Olive Oil Estragon'' and ``Sakura Madeleine Roasted Tea Lemongrass'', both of which were wonderful.

I ended up ordering a bottle of alcohol, but the pairings seem to be very resourceful.

It is true that Mr. Fukuyama's cooking is based on French techniques. However, you can feel the essence of various cuisines, not only Japanese, but also East Asia, Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East. The vast databank of taste memories that have passed through his tongue from all over the world is probably the inspiration for creating new dishes. In that sense, it's ``a dish that you can't find anywhere else, that you've never had before.'' Only people who think about what and how to make innovative and delicious food all year round can make it. Although it is innovative, it is shockingly delicious.
The cuisine changes with the seasons, and I really want to experience all seasons.
It is attracting a lot of attention from overseas, with only 14 platinum seats sometimes occupied by foreigners.
Isn't this an advantage if you live in Japan? This place is worthy of being called a ``destination restaurant'' where you travel to discover this cuisine.

goh

1-4-17 3F Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Tel: 092−281−0955
Irregular
Cooking starts at 18:00