Okinawa’s Best Pork

We’ve done a series of long business trips.  And we missed my birthday during the trip. Now we came to Manmi to celebrate.   We always book the counter.   Here’s Yuichi-san, the manager.   Rosemary salt, kombu and sesame salt, and soy base kombu sauce.   Ebisu beer.   Cheers!   Crispy salad, JPY580.   Housemade ham.  So juicy and packed with flavor. All the pork here is fresh from local farm.  They buy the whole pig from Ganaha farm and prepare everything themselves.  They have specific ways to prepare each parts, especially with offals.   Pork Tongue, JPY1250.  This is a must to order when it’s available.   Grill on […]

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All Handmade Burger

We heard that there is a burger restaurant near Naha airport. Let’s check it out!   It was about 15-minute drive from the airport.  This place is open till 23:00.  Hoping it will save us when we arrive on a late night flight.  There are plenty of parking spaces underground.   The name is Woody’s.   Looks like a bar.   So it’s all housemade.  Buns, patty, bacon, fries, and sauce.   The board shows enthusiasm of the Canadian owner chef.   Here is Chris.   Nice grill. The staffs were all friendly.  I liked the atomosphere of this place.   They have 4 kinds of burgers.  They are all […]

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Savory fresh noodle

I was meeting up with one of my friends for lunch, and he took me to this place.  I’ve heard of this place, and I’m glad to visit for my first time.   Jagaru Soba in Chatan area.   Okinawa Soba is not Japanese Soba. Japanese soba uses buckwheat.  The history goes a long way, all the way back to 7th century. Okinawa soba uses wheat.  It was something a chef from China started in Naha in 19th century, just like other Chinese chefs started noodles in the main islands around the same time and became the origin of Ramen there. The noodle is originally made of wheat, water, salt, and ash of […]

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One-coin Chinese appetizers

We were on the way back from the airport, and we came to this chinese restaurant in Naha for the first time in a while.  It’s near Ryubo in downtown, next to Kariyushi hotel.   Yang Kyou Fangs is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Okinawa, including red hot Sichuan cuisine dishes.     There is the 2nd floor too with a lot of tables.  Still, they are very popular, and it’s safe to make your reservation on weekends.     This is the appetizer menu. On Monday and Tuesday, everything on this menu is JPY500!! (Unless it’s holiday)   Braised oysters with Sake.  Very tasty.  There were 7 or 8 pretty big […]

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Personal dining with beautiful pottery

We’ve been here before when they were a Okinawa Soba restaurant.  I remember their outstanding clear broth. Fu An became so popular as a Okinawa Soba restaurant and the owner got tired of it.  He wanted to provide more personal experience where you can enjoy the quality traditional food and Okinawa pottery.  So they changed the concept of the restaurant. It’s our first visit since they changed the concept.  Reservation is required for 1 party at a time only. Omakase course lunch from JPY4000. They also sell the pottery from Omine Kobo, one of the most famous Okinawa pottery, Yachimun. Starting off with simple Japanese broth. The owner explained very friendly that it […]

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Sara is back and here to stay!

Chef Akiyuki Nasu is definitely one of the best skilled French chefs in Okinawa. And I know that he’s such a good hearted man with such abundant passion and knowledge. He used to run his restaurant successfully in Onna, but unfortunately he had to move several times, and now he finally built his own restaurant. Grand open on March 30.  On the beautiful hill top overlooking Onna and the ocean near OIST. Very nice view and breeze. They are planning to extend the balcony.  That would be awesome.   Teppan Yaki counter.   I stopped by to give him my celebration. Amberjack and Pale Snapper I caught the day before, Ike-Jime on […]

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Authentic Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen

Fu-Un Ramen is authentic Hakata Tonkotsu ramen. Tonkotsu (creamy pork soup) is probably the most popular type of Ramen now.  But it was only available in Kyushu before.  It is originated in Hakata, Fukuoka, and Hakata city has always been the capital of Tonkotsu Ramen. Now Tonkotsu ramen is so popular and spread throughout the nation, and there are many luxury fancy ramen.  But Hakata ramen is originally simple fast food.  People come in, just order how stiff you want the noodle to be boiled, ramen comes within a minute, you slurp it all up and go, leaving one coin (JPY500) behind on the table.   Fu-Un is that kind of simple, fast, but good […]

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Hearty Healthy Breakfast of Okinawan Tradition

Just off the bustle of Kokusai Street, Okinawa Dai-ichi Hotel maintains its premises quite, private and very comfortable.  3 buildings are surrounding a nice garden in the middle. Okinawa Dai-ichi Hotel is a small hotel with only 5 rooms, operated by a local family.  No relations with a nation wide hotel chain of Tokyo Dai-ichi hotels. Their breakfast was started 40 years ago by the lady owner and now has been passed on to her daughter.  It has solid reputations for nourishing veggie cooking. This is the restaurant.  Reservation is required a day prior.  Breakfast starts from 8:00, 9:00 or 10:00. We had a reservation at 9:00.  50 minutes for each group. […]

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Stuffed with Organic Veggies

   We’ve heard that a lady who used to run a little organic vegetable store in Okinawa-shi moved and opened a restaurant last year.  The lady had such a good touch and a wonderful view about foods that we tried to buy her greens every time we had a chance. Gotta check out her restaurant.   A nice open space.   So she still sells her veggies too.  Sharp looking veggies.   There is a long counter and a nice private little room for 4. Plus 2 tables out in the terrace.   Here’s Mika-san.  The owner.   It’s a buffet style.  JPY1200.   Steamed Cauliflower with garlic olive oil sauce.   […]

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The Best Kara-Age, Japanese fried chicken

  We were at our favorite dinner place, Umiyuri.   With our favorite friends to hang around with.  Jimmie and Masami-san from Miyabi Chaya.   This is the Kara-Age I’m talking about.  Kara-Age is a Japanese style of fried chicken.  Typically marinated in soy sauce, mirin, sake, and ginger before patted in flour or potato starch and deep-fried.  It’s probably one of the most loved Japanese home cooking dishes.   And THIS is so crispy and crunchy outside, so juicy inside.  And it’s sooooo tasty!!!  Love it!   This is another chicken dish we couldn’t resist.  Stir fried with veggies and peanuts in fish sauce.   The dinner set.   This is the […]

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Pan-Fried Wonton

Right in the middle of night clubs in downtown Naha is the house of Mr. Rou.  Chinese owner chef from Shanghai. It usually opens from 23:00 to 5:00, but it opens at 20:00 only on Friday.  That’s the only chance for us to have dinner here.   That’s Mr. Rou in the kitchen.   Boiled soybeans in very tasty broth.   His signature wonton.  Wonton is usually for soup, but here it is available in pan-fry (this one), in soup, and steamed in spicy sauce. 6 pieces per serving.   The dough skin is a little more chewy with more resistance to bite than other dumplings.  Very tasty filling, not the kind […]

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Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen and Egg Rice

We just came back from a week trip to USA. And we were drawn to Hachi Ren Ramen for lunch again. Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen with green onion and sprout topping.   The spicy flavor comes from their housemade spicy oil with fried shrimps.  Gorgeous soup.   The straight medium-heavy noodles is silky and chewy.   Today I celebrate my return with rice with a raw egg. It came with 2 different soy sauce, which is naturally brewed by a traditional soy sauce maker with some 400 years of history.  Very round and rich flavor.   I always eat noodles first.  It’s a crime to let noodles sit in the soup and become […]

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