The Japanese city where street food stalls reveal a world of hidden flavours

Yatai, wa Saiko! Or, with a sadly, underwhelming translation of the Japanese we get "street food is the best!" In foodie Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan, locals are passionate about the Yatai tradition, which originated here in the 1930s. Yatai are small, mobile food stalls, typically made of wood, and are tightly regulated in this port city to just 100 stalls. Our first foray is at Nagahama no Hiroshi, where we rub shoulders with hungry strangers and devour grilled chicken, pork and octopus balls. We sing happy birthday to a random couple as they blow out the candles on a cake in a communal dining experience like no other.

Swapping street stalls for restaurants, our Fukuoka trek continues with Toriden's famed Mizutaki (chicken hot pot), which takes six hours to prepare. We tuck into three different parts of cooked chicken across several courses. In one, a boiled egg sinks into a bed of salty chicken meat. A chicken risotto is another triumph with its zesty cod-infused rice served with sides such as sesame-marinated mackerel and homemade Mentaiko, culinary counterpoints to the dense chicken dishes.

Fukuoka is also well known for tonkotsu ramen. At Hakata Ramen, popular with lunch crowds, the pork is warm, tender and swimming in broth with noodles and chives.