A humble Shokudo and Teishoku restaurant

Tokashiku beach

Aharen beach

I visited Tokashiki Island in December. Many shops and restaurants were closed because it was not a peak tourist period. I took a taxi from Tokashiki Port to Aharen Beach. The taxi lady was kind to show me the open restaurants.

After a lovely soak in the sun and sea, I headed to a family-run Shokudo and Teishoku restaurant that the taxi lady recommended for lunch. Teishoku serves set menus, and Shokudo serves a variety of inexpensive Japanese dishes. The interior of the restaurant was basic, with wooden tables and benches.

I ordered stir-fried vegetables on Okinawa soba (700 yen). I opted to sit outside because it was a beautiful day with cool weather. The dish tasted home-cooked, and the broth was flavorful. It was a simple yet satisfying meal.

喰呑屋バラック

Telephone: +81 98-987-3108

Opening hours: Open daily from 11:00 a.m. – 13:30 p.m., 17:30p.m. – 20:00 p.m.

Address: 145ｰ1 Aharen, Tokashiki, Shimajiri District, Okinawa 901-3502, Japan

Okinawa soba in a 150 year old house (permanently closed)

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When one thinks of soba noodles, the first thing that comes to mind is the thin buckwheat noodles served with a dipping sauce. Okinawa soba is entirely different. Okinawa soba noodles are thicker, resembling Chinese ramen noodles, and are served in a hot broth.

Udunyama is a soba noodle house located in a 150-year-old house surrounded by lush greens on top of a hill in the Shuri district. There are two other branches in Naha and one in Fukuchi.

I rented an electric bike from a bike shop a few feet away from the Shuri station. As the area is quite hilly, I’m glad I rented an electrically assisted bicycle. Trying to cycle up the slope on a conventional bike would have been taxing. The bike ride was less than 10 minutes; I followed Google Maps directions, and it was not hard to find.

You have to take your shoes off before entering the restaurant. The restaurant has a homey feel, serene and relaxing. This is probably the most peaceful noodle house I have been to. Occasionally, there was a gentle breeze. There are tatami-style seating indoors and a few tables and benches outdoors.

The waitress who served me was friendly. She told me how to eat the soba noodles in the Okinawan way, which is to eat the noodles with pickled ginger.

The restaurant serves four kinds of toppings for the soba. First, there is the Okinawa soba (soba with two slices of pork belly and fish cake), Nankotsu Soki Soba (Soba with pork cartilage sparerib), Yasai soba (vegetable soba), and Yushi tofu soba (soba with local fluffy tofu). There is also the special set meal: the Udunyama set, which consists of Okinawa soba, Okinawan rice, Okinawan pork rib, and a small dish (which changes seasonally).

There are two choices of noodles – white noodles or wheat noodles. Both noodles are made using Banyan tree ash water. I read that it is a troublesome process to make this ash water, which shows Uduyama’s dedication to making a good bowl of soba.

I went for the Udunyama set, which cost 1580 yen. The noodles had a nice chew and springiness, with a delicious umami broth. The pork belly was tender and flavorful. The pickled ginger further elevated the flavors of the soup. The fried rice was lightly seasoned, allowing each component to stand out on its own.

This was one of the most memorable places I have eaten at in Naha – Great location and ambiance, delicious food, and excellent service.

Udunyama

Website: http://udunyama.com/

Opening hours: Every day except Monday – 11:30 a.m. to 16:30 p.m.

Telephone: +81 98-885-5498

Address: 1-121-2 Shuri Ishibuchicho, Naha City

Miso with a history

Tamanaha has been making miso since the Ryukyu Kingdom period. This miso warehouse is less than a 10-minute walk from Gibo station. The warehouse has an old exterior with a white sign “味噌醤油” (miso soy sauce) on the door. The miso here is produced through natural fermentation without additives. They sell four kinds of miso, and the information is available on their website.

I was greeted by a sweet old lady. I told her I wanted to buy miso, and she pointed to a glass display case on the left-hand side of the entrance. There were four types of miso on display. The descriptions were all in Japanese, so I asked if she could tell me the difference between the four. She could not speak English, so she took me to a room at the back of the building filled with barrels of miso with two other ladies packaging miso.

I thought she was going to get someone who could speak English to cater to me, but instead, she handed me a leaflet with information on the miso, took a scoop of miso from one of the barrels for me to taste, and pointed to the corresponding miso on the leaflet. I went on to taste the remaining three miso.

The miso was mild and umami with depth to the flavor.

I bought the uchimiso (540 yen) and dynasty miso (860 yen). The two are similar in taste; however, the dynasty miso is richer in flavor.

I definitely recommend this miso!

Tamanaha miso

Website: http://www.tamanahamiso.co.jp/index.html (only in Japanese)

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 17:30 p.m.

Telephone: +81 98-884-1972

Address: 1-chōme-41 Shuriōnakachō, Naha, Okinawa 903-0823, Japan

Bacar, Italian style pizza

Bacar is a pizzeria less than a five-minute walk from the Prefectural Office Station. It is in a dark alley, but with its bright neon yellow sign, you can’t miss it. The interior and exterior have a rustic European bistro feel.

I read that this place can get quite packed, so I got there right after it opened. True enough, 40 minutes later, the restaurant started to fill up.

The restaurant offers a simple menu of two kinds of pizzas (Yes, only Margherita and Marinara), appetizers, drinks, and desserts. I ordered a salad, pizza, and dessert.

I started with a green salad with thinly sliced Okinawan pork roast ham. The ham was savory with a mild smokey flavor; it enveloped each bite with a lovely umami flavor. The waiter told me they would start making the pizza once I finished my salad.

The pizza was cooked in a wood-fired oven. Watching the pizzaiolo make pizza was like watching an artist work on a painting. The waiter who showed me to my seat waited next to the oven, grabbed the dish as soon as the pizza hit the plate, and sprinted across the room to deliver the pizza. The Margherita pizza had a perfect balance of tomato and mozzarella cheese (flown in from Italy). The pizza had quite a bit of olive oil; I could see it glistening under the light. The pizza had characteristics of a Neopolitan pizza crust – smokey, crispy, tender, and chewy. Each bite is a mouthful of goodness!

I had the Crema Catalina for dessert. Bacar added its own twist to this Spanish dessert by freezing it. The texture is harder, dense, and cold. The taste is similar to Crème brûlée. It was not very sweet or creamy, without the heaviness and a hint of bitterness from the burnt brown sugar topping; I loved it!

The total cost of the meal was ¥2720. This is an excellent place to go if you want Italian-style pizza.

Bacar

Website: http://bacar.jp/

Telephone: 098-863-5678

Opening hours: 18:00 p.m. – 23:00 p.m. (Closed on Tuesdays)

Address: 3 Chome-16-15 Kumoji, Naha-shi, Okinawa-ken 900-0015, Japan

Okinawa’s best onigiri

Pork Tamago onigiri is known to be the soul food of Okinawa. It is spam and egg wrapped in a rice ball. The popular restaurant by Makishi Market, Pork Tamago Onigiri Honten, has taken the traditional rice ball and added its gourmet touches. There are different onigiri combinations, but all have the same base of spam and egg. The size is substantial, so one will be enough to fill you up. There is a seating area across from the restaurant. If not, just order a takeaway and have a pleasant stroll through Makishi Market.

Each onigiri is made to order, so there can be quite a wait when there’s a line. It’s difficult to predict when the restaurant will be busy. I visited the restaurant at around 9:15 a.m. on two different occasions. The first time there was a queue, and the second time there wasn’t. I recommend going early, like before 9:00 a.m., if you aim to have onigiri for breakfast.

I ordered the fried fish tartar and pickled Okinawa shallot (400 yen). It was delicious! The fish had a lovely golden crust, and all the flavors came together well.

This is one of the must-eat breakfasts in Okinawa.

Pork Tamago Onigiri Honten

Website: http://porktamago.com/

Telephone: 98 – 867 – 9550

Opening hours: 7:00 a.m. – 17:30 p.m. (except Wednesdays)

Address: 900-0014 Okinawa Prefecture Naha-shi Matsuo 2-8-35

Gourmet doughnuts

After spending half a day at the American Village in Chatan, I went down to a chic little doughnut shop- Ball Donut Park, located on Kokusai’s side street, for a bit of an afternoon treat. As the name implies, the doughnuts come in a bite-size ball shape. Moreover, the donuts are made to order. These gourmet doughnuts come in various fun flavors, such as tropical, apple cinnamon, and taco. Yes, I said taco, which is the first of its kind doughnuts with meat in Japan.

I settled for the store’s bestselling flavor, ‘lemon and sugar,’ and I can see why it’s a bestseller. It smelled like lemon muffins fresh out of the oven. It was light, citrusy, and sweet—just the right amount of lemon and sugar. The doughnuts had a chewier texture than the standard donut rings and were not greasy. I fell in love with these doughnuts at first bite.

Lemon and sugar
single: 420 yen (8 balls)
double: 770 yen (16 balls)

I wished I had visited this place at the beginning of my trip; then, I would have had more time to go back for more.

Ball Donut Park

Website: http://www.balldonutpark.com/

Telephone: +81 98-988-9249

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 20:00 p.m.

Address: 1 Chome-1-３９ Makishi, Naha, Okinawa Prefecture 900-0013, Japan

Lip-smacking fried chicken and waffles

CC Chicken N’ Waffles is a restaurant opened by an American who relocated to Okinawa with his Japanese wife. The establishment is not too far from the American Village in Chatan. It is a tiny restaurant tucked away under an apartment building by the seawall along the Miyagi coast.

Cody, the owner, was friendly and attentive to my needs. The bar-like atmosphere and classic rock music playing in the background made me feel like I was in America. Customers can pay in dollars or yen.

The chicken gumbo was delicious. It had chicken pieces, okra, and red peppers. It was spicy (not burn your mouth spicy) with a strong taste of herbs.

When I had the first bite of the chicken, I was like, wow! The fried chicken was perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked- ultra-crispy skin with tender and juicy meat. The waffle was crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, served with a sweet-savory syrup that complemented the waffle well.

One of the best chicken and waffles I’ve had! I highly recommend this restaurant.

CC Chicken N’ Waffles

Website: https://www.facebook.com/CRAYz-Chicken-N-Waffles-873952185963191/

Telephone: +81 98-979-9008

Opening hours: Sunday & Monday 8:00 a.m. – 17:00 p.m.

Tuesday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 21:00 p.m.

Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 15:00 p.m., 17:00 p.m. – 22:00 p.m.

Address: 1−６８ Miyagi, Chatan, Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture 904-0113, Japan

A&W

One of my fondest memories as a child was going to A&W to have waffles and the root beer float with the family. I loved the crispy golden fluffy waffles with syrup and root beer float. It has been a long time since I have had A&W waffles, and I was really craving it.

I was excited to find out that there are A&W restaurants in Okinawa. There are several branches in Naha. I went to the A&W branch on Kokusai street. It is located on the second floor of the building. You definitely get the A&W vibe with the orange and brown counters, chairs, and tables when you enter the restaurant. I was greatly disappointed when waffles were not available, only waffle sundae. Anyhow, at least there is still the root beer float. So I ordered a root beer float and an apple pie.

To my dismay, the root beer float came in a plastic cup when it should be served in a chilled mug. Furthermore, there was too much ice cream and too little root beer. Finally, the apple pie was too sweet, and the crust was too thick and overdone.

Despite my disappointment, A&W is quite popular among the locals and foreigners.

A&W (Kokusai street)

Website: https://www.awok.co.jp/

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 9:00 a.m. – 22:30 p.m.

Address: 1 Chome-1-１ Matsuo, Naha-shi, Okinawa-ken 900-0014, Japan

Odakyu Hotel de Yama, Hakone

I was very fortunate that on two out of the three days, I was at Lake Ashi, the weather was clear and beautiful, which allowed me to bask in the beauty of the lake and its surroundings, including the view of Mt. Fuji.

This villa-turned-hotel resort has a 70-year history. I love how the hotel has maintained its charm and history. The hotel has two restaurants and a café. Vert Bois serves French cuisine, Tsutsuji no Chaya serves Japanese kaiseki cuisine, and Salon de Thé Rosage is a dessert restaurant with a premium shop by the lake.

When you check-in, you are asked to choose what cuisine you would like for each day of your stay and time. I decided on having French on my first night and Japanese Kaiseki on the second.

Vert Bois

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I enjoyed my meal at Vert Bois. The table was beautifully set up. All waitresses were well-dressed and mannered. There was harmony between the waitresses, setting a calm atmosphere in the restaurant.

I liked that each table had a menu. I personally like to know the name of each dish I’m having. Sometimes it is hard to make out what the waiter said, especially if English is not their first language.

As I don’t like eating raw fish, they replaced the marinated tuna with abocado’s tartare with a Paté dish. All the dishes served were delicious. My favorite would be the fish of the day. It was really fresh and cooked to perfection. The fish was accompanied by a sweet red wine sauce, just the right amount that didn’t overpower the fish’s natural flavor. The dishes were served at a good pace; I didn’t have to wait too long between each dish.

Tsutsuji no Chaya has a calm and soft environment with a violet-colored carpeted floor, wooden tables, and chairs, with soft lighting and neutral walls.

Sadly, I had to skip the kaiseki dinner as I felt pretty sick after two cable car rides earlier that day. I am highly susceptible to motion sickness, and it was pretty windy that day. As I was looking forward to the kaiseki meal, I made my way down to the restaurant when I felt a bit better. Shortly after having the first appetizer, I felt nauseous. So I told the waiter to just serve me rice and miso soup.

The menu was pretty impressive. As you can see from the picture on the right (excuse the blurriness), there is quite a variety.

There is the option of an American breakfast or a Japanese breakfast. The American breakfast is served at Vert Bois, including juice, coffee or tea, croissant, pickled vegetables, sausages with toast, salad, and your choice of eggs. It was so relaxing and serene to have breakfast with the stunning view of the lake. A great start to the day.

Odakyu Hotel De Yama

Website: http://www.hakone-hoteldeyama.jp/en/

Telephone: +81 460836321

Address: 80 Moto-Hakone, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun,
Kanagawa Prefecture 250-0522

+81

Simple meal in Nagoya

I had one day in Nagoya. It was a stopover before I headed on to Hakone. I usually plan ahead and look for good places to eat, but I decided to wing it in Nagoya.

After checking into the Mitsui Garden Hotel Nagoya Premier, I ventured around the area to look for a place to have lunch. It was windy and cold, and a bowl of hot ramen quickly became my top choice.

ラの壱名駅店 ranoichi ramen

The ramen chain store restaurant is just two streets from the Mitsui Garden Hotel. The staff was friendly. Unfortunately, there is no English menu. Not all the staff can speak English. I had to order blindly. As I read some Chinese characters, I noticed on the top left of the menu that the restaurant was serving two types of ramen for a limited time. I wasn’t sure what type of ramen it was, but the picture looked good, so I ordered one. If I heard correctly, the waitress mentioned miso when she served me the noodles. The ramen was surprisingly good. It had a thick creamy miso broth, slightly sweet with a hint of spiciness, but nothing like the miso soup where the miso flavor is the dominating taste. Other than the miso flavor, I could also taste the meat broth. The toppings differed from the ramen I had in Kyoto and Osaka. It was perfect for the cold day. A satisfying meal, indeed!

Ranoichi ramen

Website: http://www.ranoichi.com/store/meieki/

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 11: 00 AM~ 23: 30 PM, Sundays and public holidays 11: 00AM ~ 22: 00PM

Telephone: +81 52-446-5581

Address: Nagoya-shi Nakamura-ku Nominami 4-27-7 Noda-ya Building 1F

Craft Works Cafe by Hand Bakes

I had been walking for hours, tired and cold, to the point where I wanted to fill my stomach and head back to the hotel to rest. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to eat. I couldn’t be bothered to walk around in the cold to look for a restaurant; I thought most malls have a floor where it’s all for dining, so I headed over to Parco mall, the nearest mall.

I got to the 7th floor of the Parco mall, looked at the list of restaurants, and randomly picked this restaurant. The color scheme and pictures on the wall gave me a warm and homey feel. I ordered the grilled chicken and veggie plate with gorgonzola sauce which was ¥950. The food was decent. The rice was a little dry. A simple average meal.

Craft Works Cafe by Hand Bakes

7th Floor of Parco West building

Website: http://nagoya.parco.jp/web/restaurant/craftworks/01/

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 11:00 AM to 22:30 PM

Telephone: +81 52-264-8058