October 2022, 10. La Maison de la Nature Gou, a French restaurant in Nishinakasu, Fukuoka, closed its doors exactly 17 years after its opening. As soon as it was known that this restaurant, filled with fond memories and loved by the people of Fukuoka, would be closing, reservations flooded in, and the restaurant was so successful that the restaurant turned tables twice every night. The guests were disappointed, but Fukuyama was as generous and cheerful as usual, without showing the slightest sentiment. Fukuyama's new challenge had already begun.

The new store will be located in 010 BUILDING (Zero Ichi Zero Building), which is located right next to Canal City Hakata. In addition to the Fukuyama store, they are also working on two stores, including one in collaboration with the world's biggest name, Gagan Anand.

Connected Fukuyama and Gagan
A strange encounter in Shanghai

Gagan Anand is one of India's leading chefs. He is the owner-chef of Bangkok's restaurant Gaggan (closed in 50), which won first place on the Asia's 4 Best Restaurants list four times. Currently, he is a celebrity chef who has developed a restaurant called ``Gagan Anand'' under his full name, and whose eccentric cuisine and entertainment are attracting a lot of attention.

It was around 10 years after Fukuyama opened that it began to attract attention in Asia. Among the guests who came from China, there was one who became a regular customer. He visited the store every time he came to Fukuoka, and even invited friends from all over Asia to hold birthday parties at the Fukuyama store. "He told me he had an interesting restaurant in Shanghai and invited me to come." Fukuyama was wondering whether or not to accept the invitation, but a chef he knew who worked at a famous restaurant whispered to him. ``You should look at different shops, you'll learn a lot.''

Feeling encouraged, Fukuyama headed to ``Ultra Violet'' in Shanghai. Guests who have made reservations for that day gather around one table, and the food is brought out one after another to the decorated space. Everything happens simultaneously, and all the guests around the table share the dining experience. One of the guests was Gagan, who had already made a name for himself with his modern Indian cuisine.

In 2015, a year after our first encounter in Shanghai, a birthday party for the Chinese guest we had invited to Shanghai was held at La Maison de la Nature Gou. This time, Gagan is invited to Fukuoka and decides to stand in the kitchen and cook with Fukuyama. Fukuyama didn't speak English at the time, but Gagan didn't care. She worked together to create the menu.

"GohGan" and "Goh"
two restaurants open

At that time, Gagan wrote "#GohGan" on a paper cup with a marker and had already announced that he would collaborate with Fukuyama. The people around him got excited about Gagan's bold and free-spirited remarks. However, this does not mean that he has reached an agreement with Fukuyama, and he is skeptical. However, the physical store where the two collaborated opened on December 2022, 12. Here in Fukuoka.

The duo's shop ``GohGan'' is located on the first floor of the eye-catching and unique 010 BUILDING. Gaghan, who arrived in Fukuoka a few days before the restaurant opened, asked to brush up on the menu until the last minute. This is because we wanted to value the uniqueness of "GohGan" and not just have Fukuyama and Gagan's signatures side by side. Fans of new things and fans of Fukuyama rushed to the venue, and it quickly became crowded. Fukuyama and Gagan's personalities are harmoniously integrated, and it has already gained a reputation for being a fun and interesting meal no matter what you order.

And on January 2023, 1, Fukuyama's new store "Goh" will open.

``Goh'' has a different concept from ``La Maison de la Nature Gou'', which closed in October 2022, ``Table Dots.'' Table d'hote is a style where all guests sit around one large table and enjoy the chef's cooking. This style was originally seen in French guesthouses and restaurants, but today it has evolved to include guests who happen to be there, sharing food, wine, music, and conversation, creating a simultaneity atmosphere. It tends to refer to things that are enjoyed.

``We can seat 14 people. Cooking starts at 17:XNUMX pm every night.I hope that guests who happen to meet at the same table and myself can enjoy the meal while having fun together. I don't want to stick to the same dishes I used to serve at the restaurant, but I want to try new styles and evolve my cooking."

Fukuyama dares to try new styles in this stylish space, which is completely different from the cozy secret base of "La Maison de la Nature Gou". When I was there, I could immediately imagine Fukuyama entertaining and entertaining guests at a large table. It will be a completely different store, but that's okay. I am confident that Fukuyama's cuisine will evolve by being closer to the guests than before.

Fukuyama said that when he was a chef at a wine bar, he honed his skills by responding to difficult requests from drunk customers and observing how the guests were eating from the counter. ``Goh'' is the beginning of the next story, in which Fukuyama returns to that era, albeit in a different style, and encounters a new self, a self he has never seen before.

“I want to be loved by Fukuoka”
Chef Fukuyama's destination is Fukuoka after all.

Despite being supported by many staff members, it is inevitable that he will be busier than ever. This is because they will be responsible not only for "GoGan" and "Goh," but also for the food service at the bar and theater within 010. I asked Fukuyama, who is taking on many new challenges, if he has even bigger dreams, such as expanding overseas or opening a store in Tokyo.

"I'm not thinking about that at all! It's fun to collaborate with chefs I'm close to and do pop-up events overseas or in Tokyo, so I'd like to do more of them if I get the chance. However, I have no intention of leaving Fukuoka. I have never worked at a famous restaurant, nor have I trained overseas.As a chef, I was raised in Fukuoka.That's why Fukuoka is the most important place for me. I will never do anything that would cause me to be exposed.”

In the past, many guests from all over Asia and Japan have come to see Mr. Go in Fukuoka. Yes, you should go to Fukuoka. Rather, I'd be in trouble if he didn't stay in Fukuoka. If you want to enjoy the best of Fukuyama's cuisine, which is classic, yet innovative, and has Asian DNA, you have to go to Fukuoka, not Tokyo or Shanghai.

My place is Fukuoka. It's definitely worth experiencing the adventure story started by Fukuyama, who clearly stated that he wanted to be loved by Fukuoka.

(Titles omitted)