chabada

Visited as a couple for dinner. Chabada is located along the river in Nishinakasu, which borders Nakasu. Not too difficult to find--it is in an area filled with small restaurants and bars, and the sign is in English (it is inside a larger building and not streetside). The door is unassuming, but ...upon entering is a casual and warm setting. This place is all about beef. Every course features beef. The beef is prepared in most preparations you can imagine--braise, grill, cured, fried, sashimi... and to excellent standard. The chef explains to you exactly what part, where, and what quality of beef you are getting (in Japanese to me, English maybe a little tougher). Its an impressive showcase of the variety you can get out of a single animal. In fact the prix fixe menu doesn't offer a dessert, which might be an issue for some. For drink, Chabada offers a range of red wines primarily from Burgundy and Rhone. There's also champagne. I don't believe they have much in way of sake or shochu. Food is excellent and typical of many such restaurants, you get to watch the chef prepare your dishes in plain view. For us, we saw a beef and beef tongue sashimi followed by tongue cured in miso, quite a different and unique preparation. There was a beef stocked based off of ox tail--ox tail was incredibly soft. A roast beef is served with sesame and the meal is crowned with a steak. I guess the question that follows for most people from here is whether there is a beef dessert--no there is not, in fact there is no dessert course at all--so this may not be the best place for a date with that lady who has a sweet tooth :) But, while the food was good , what really amazed me about this place was the chef. He runs this entire operation solo He was doing everything--the cooking, the plating, the wine, the serving... there is not a single supporting waiter or chef helping him out at all. And somehow in between he manages to have the occasional conversation with a customer. On our evening in particular I think he had come in originally with reservations for 4 people, but as the evening went on another 6 showed up (restaurant probably seats 20 maximum). On this note he served some picked vegetables to entertain us and the other pair whom had come earlier and restarted his menu for the newcomers. If you're a beef lover, and I mean your love of beef extends beyond just steakhouses and the occasional braise, this place is for you. It is conveniently located and a different type of meal from your typical Fukuoka ramen joint or Japanese sushi or Kaiseki while maintaining a distinctively local appeal.

Visited December 2014