Tsukiji Aozora the 3rd is an Edo-style sushi bar in Tsukiji, Tokyo, which now has a location in Naha. They are a joint venture by the Tsukiji supplier who has been in business for a hundred years and the Sushi chef with 40 years of experience.
Sakae Ryori-Ten is located near Ishikawa Exit of express way in Uruma-shi. This is a nice place for celebrations. Not really a formal place. But very good food with a wide selection of local liquor. They have the solid foundation of Japanese traditional cooking techniques and the creative mind to play with local and seasonal foods of Okinawa. A good selection of aged Awamori, local Okinawa liquor, sitting and aging in these big jars. Awamori is a distilled liquor, made by indica rice fermented with unique black koji mold. Japanese Sake is a brewed liquor, made by japonica rice fermented with koji mold. Complimentary appetizer (included in table charge) – […]
We found ourselves here again before we notice. Ramen Hachi Ren. Our anticipation is building up. Apparently someone from Taiwan wrote a note on the wall. I don’t know what it reads, but it seems like he or she likes the food here. Yes. This is Hasso Men. The name means 8-layer ramen, with a soft-boiled egg topping. They won’t tell what are those 8 ingredients, but the taste is complex, and yet, very simple because the soup is so well-balanced. Very rich, very light. I know there’s a hint of Yuzu, a kind of Japanese citrus. I don’t know the rest, but it’s so good. I think this […]
We came out to central area to meet some people on business today. Yuyu is not feeling well. But we needed to eat something because she hardly ate today. Sun set in Kitanakagusuku. Where should we go? There isn’t many choices when you are sick. But there’s one near by. Home sweet home. Cafe Sans Souci. Open for dinner. Great. It’s not crowded today. This is one of the guest rooms with a space for kids. This room is always crowded so I have never had a chance to take a picture. Sans Souci is a diner’s cafe… You bet! That’s what we are here for. […]
Miyabi Chaya is an old house cafe. Feels like grandma’s home. Ohagi is a sweet rice ball. Very traditional sweets for celebration and sacred events. It’s steamed glutinous rice, the kind of rice you make mochi with. And the rice is coated by sweet Azuki bean paste. Purple one is a plain Ohagi. Pale Ohagi is coated with dried soybean powder. Here’s Masami-san, the cafe owner. She opened this place to provide the kind of Ohagi that her grandma used to make and that she loved so much. When you bite, you can tell that someone really made it for you with love. Gentleness, humbleness, gratitude, and all the […]
This coffee was a wonderful surprise for me. I know a few coffee places in Okinawa I like. But basically I’ve given up to just bump into a good coffee in Okinawa. There is a guy in Onna village who I always buy my coffee beans from. He roasts with firewoods organic coffee beans. I think his coffee is the best I can get on the island so I always carry around my coffee, and I don’t expect much from outside coffee. So when I bumped into this place today, it was a big WOW! Located in one of the most popular shopping malls in Okinawa, American Village in Chatan. […]
Sans Souci is definitely one of the most successful cafe in Okinawa. It’s 11:30 am, Wednesday. Already crowded and 5 parties were waiting when we got there. It’s a restaurant in an American style house. Hybrid food and sweets of Kyoto traditions and Okinawa goodies. Wanna have spicy rich Udon? Light traditional Udon? Wanna have some Donburi (rice bowl) too… Can’t decide. She decided to go light. Japanese traditional broth Udon with Kujo Negi (Kyoto green onions), plum, and local chicken. JPY850 Very refreshing. This is the way to taste the high quality Japanese broth here. I had spicy curry Udon with egg. JPY900 This is something […]
We had a new restaurant opened this spring in the beautiful Maeda cape. Pezzeria da Enzo is a fancy restaurant which serves Napoli pizza and other Italian cuisine. We happened to have some friends working there and it was great to visit for our first time. Very spacious and stylish room with full bar. A nice open deck area which looks out the beautiful Maeda Cape. It is a very popular diving spot for “Blue Cave”. A serious Italian pizza stove, an Italian chef, in somewhat Japanese attitude. A very nice guy. Not just pizza, they have some Italian dishes with local goodies too. They use Okinawa brand pork “Agu” with […]
Maru Tama opened in 2014 in the port area of Naha. It’s run by a lovely family. Very nice people. Okinawa has its own style of deep-fried finger food. It’s called Tenpura here, but Okinawa Tenpura is pretty different from Japanese traditional tenpura. It’s really like a fritter. And it has established its popularity for local people as afternoon snack. Now they are taking on the challenge to provide their fish ‘n’ chips that they learned in New Zealand. They report where every ingredients come from. They are some other fries too. Oysters, JPY300. Camembert, JPY900. Avocade, JPY300. Goya (Bitter gourd), JPY200. Okura, JPY200. Loofah and cheese, JPY250. Fish […]
Awase 3rd St. Ramen is a very simple, yet, very unique Ramen restaurant. Located in the coast line of Awase, Okinawa-shi. They are playing Jazz. Try shio (salt) Ramen here. JPY650. The clear soup is from pork bones, chicken bones, and vegetables. It’s light, but the body is solid and filled with flavors and umami. Very heart-warming sips. The noodle is light and curled, a good match with the soup. Chashu is lightly seasoned, but it’s very juicy and tasty. It’s topped with “A-sa”, okinawa local seaweed. It’s very unique to have this seaweed on Ramen. Some people like it and some don’t. We like the oceanic scent that it […]
In the middle of sugar cane field of Ginoza village is a little cozy sweets shop. As we live in this rural village, Kino Store is a precious relief for our craving for sweets. All the ingredients are carefully selected and prepared. It’s just one of those foods that you feel the tender loving care of someone who makes them. They are mostly baked cakes and cookies. Nothing fancy. But they have solid fans. They usually sell out in the late afternoon. Today’s target was their famous Lemon Cake. JPY150. Restaurant Info kino store