Forged in Fire and Shadow
A Theatre for Culinary Art

KUOHKA — a combination of kuu (to eat) and ouka (to revel) — is Canal City Hakata’s new underground gourmet street, created to celebrate the joy of food. Tucked into a corner, the exclusive 15-seat steak counter Irori now resides.
Under the direction of Daisuke Tacubo, owner-chef of several Daikanyama district restaurants that share his name, the space translates his culinary vision into a stage where both chef and cuisine are drawn into the spotlight.
Forged from blackened steel plates, the counter and kitchen wall merge with the surrounding walls and ceiling in a seamless field of metal. Bespoke chairs pair black leather with the same blackened steel, echoing the counter’s taut elegance.
Swathed in darkness, the interior throws the gestures of the chef, the flare of fire, and the rise of smoke into sharp relief. A single beam of light is cast on the Jasper grill, revealing the meat as it sears in the half-light.
The heat and sizzle of the grill, the anticipation in the air, even the chef’s breathing — all fold into the performance, enticing the senses in this theatre of taste.