Oh Strip Mall, how I love thee ...

Hello shoppers, you'll be thrilled to know that I stumbled upon a strip of glory. This week I wanted to cover a familiar shopping site, but as I was leaving Jakkepoes (I'm still dreaming about those pancakes ...), I came across this fabulous strip mall.

Now I have to tell you, I'm from Dallas, Texas and there are as many strip malls in this city as there are jidō-hanbaiki on Okinawa. So you can imagine my sheer delight when I drove by the new Starbucks and nearly slammed on my car brakes as I saw flags gloriously waving "Opening Sale" signs. What woman in her right mind would pass up such an enticing sign?? This is what I found:

The strip mall has two long sides. I'll list each store with a little description of each.

1. Outlet J (Gap-like store with brands such as T&C surf Design for men, women and children)

2. Honey's (like it's name, a deliciously sweet place for women to shop for clothes and accessories)

3. NuStep (shoes for men, women and children)

4. Village-Vanguard (Spencer's type store but milder and more variety)

5. Daiso (a little bit of everything)

6. Namco Land (what Japanese establishment could call itself legitimate without an arcade?)

===== In the center of the strip mall are restrooms and rows of bench areas====

7. estyle (circuit style training facility in case you decide to work off those pounds needed to buy those cute clothes from HOney's)

8. Aroma club (a spa so that you can relax after that serious work out from estyle)

9. Jewel (a hair salon since you're on a roll anyway)

10. Dry cleaners

11. Niman Yen Doh (like the Pearl Vision of Okinawa)

12. A cool Japanese style restaurant

13. Mos Burger

14. Mr. Donut (Hey, you worked off that fat at estyle, you deserve this)

15. Max Valu (supermarket, with its own Patisserie Porushe and florist)

16. Tsutaya (click to read what Kaho wrote about this place)

17. Best (electronics store, I buy my printer cartridges here, too)

Okay, now that you've got the low down on what's at the strip mall, you can grab a few friends and head out for an exciting shopping day. Be prepared to pay with Yen or credit cards. Most of the stores seemed to operate from 10 in the morning to 10 at night.

Feel like it's a lot to do and see in one day and MOS burger is not your thing? Don't fret (I love that word "fret"), follow a nicely paved path to a strip of restaurants for lunch to regain your energy. I don't have detailed reviews for these restaurants, but here is a list of what's out there:

1. Yomitanya (Izakaya style, with lunch buffet menu)
2. Amico (pastas)
3. Ootoya (Japanese food, this restaurant had a long line)
4. Marumen-ya Honpo (sobas)
5. Goo (sounds yuck, but it had curries, soups, and salads that looked delicious)
6. And of course, the new Starbucks (I'll have their chicken salad sandwich and chai tea latte any day!!)

Here are the directions from Kadena:

Turn right out of gate 1 onto Hwy. 58. Follow 58 until you get to the Mizugama light (the Kadena gate 4 is at this light, just two lights past the McDs). Turn left at this light. Follow this road (you'll pass through two lights). You'll come to a Y intersection with tombs surrounding the area. Make sure you follow the Y to the left. You'll know you are on the right track when you cross over a large metal RED bridge. Once you go over the bridge, be on the lookout for the large Starbucks store on your left. Turn left right before the Starbucks (or if you miss it, turn left at that light, see picture of what it will look like from the street). The restaurants are located behind Starbucks and the strip mall is the left of the restaurants.

I hope you have a chance to check it out. If you do, let me know what you think and happy shopping!

Kinshasa Restaurant

Contributed by THE Julia

Hotel Nikko Alivila’s Kinshasa restaurant serves a deliciously satisfying dim sum lunch buffet. They have dishes that you can choose from at the buffet table and then a cart that is filled with dim sum goodies. The last time I was there with hubby and the kids the buffet table included mapo tofu, congee, a scallop and eggplant dish, and beef and vegetables. Between the buffet table dishes and dessert we only lasted through one round of the dim sum cart. With that first round we received sticky rice and four different types of dumplings including the typical har gow shrimp dumplings and siu mai pork dumplings. Everything was reliably good.

Dessert included egg custards, almond cookies, fresh fruit, mango pudding, and apricot seed tofu. The almond cookies scored with the kids but my favorite was the apricot seed tofu which you can drizzle with either blueberry, mango, or brown sugar sauce.

The hotel grounds are beautiful with a courtyard by the pool that is fantastic for a relaxing stroll. Especially after stuffing yourself silly!

I’ve only been here twice mostly because it’s hard to enjoy buffet lunches with one picky toddler and one squirmy toddler. The other reason is because at 2500 yen per adult it ends up being a quite expensive lunch. Great for special occasions or the occasional treat otherwise it’ll break the bank!

Click here for their website. 

Directions:

• From Kadena Gate 1 take a RIGHT onto Hwy 58.
• Pass Kadena circle and take a LEFT at Route 6 heading towards Torii Station and Cape Zanpa.
• Pass Torii Station on your left and a Lawson’s on your left.
• At the 1^st traffic signal after Lawson the road will split (this is about 4 km after your turn off of 58). Take the LEFT fork and follow the signs for Hotel Nikko Alivila (they’ll have a big orange circle that says Alivila on them).

         

Jai Thai

Contributed by Sara Hernandez

As the name suggests this is a Thai restaurant. My family has been there many times in the four years we've been here. We have never been disappointed. The atmosphere is authentic Thai which is  very nice and they have a great view with wrap-around floor to ceiling windows.The wait staff is very attentive and never misses a beat, like seriously, sometimes they notice my kid has dropped a fork and is already on the way to our table with a new one before I have even noticed what's going on.

This visit was on a Saturday evening around 6 pm with my husband and 2 kids (3 and 1.5) and it was not busy yet, although I have to say we've never had to wait for a table there. They are kid friendly as they offer high chairs/boosters (BEWARE: the highchairs don't have straps! So if your kid is anything like mine you should invest in one of those cool strap-down buckle things to bring along).

We usually order our faves since we've been here so many times but over the years I have sampled a good portion from their menu.

Kids food: they have two kids sets to choose from. They are each is 600 yen and include a LOT of food so if you're kids are little they might be able to share one. My kids prefer the roast chicken set which includes a piece of (surprise!) roast chicken, some french fries, egg fried rice, 2 small spring rolls and some of those jellies for dessert.

The other option is a hamburger set with spaghetti and some eggs on rice and a flan-looking dessert. Don't let the uninspired kid meals throw you off though because as I am a big Thai food fan this place is as authentic as you'll get.

Appetizers: we usually get the pork saute (500~600 yen 4 piece) just because my husband can never resist meat on a stick (must be a caveman throwback) but they also have awesome prawn cakes and, of course, typical rice paper spring rolls. There are quite a few delicious looking soups offered but I will be honest I have never tried ANY of them!

Main Course: (Avg. price 1100-1300 yen) My typical is Stir fried chopped chicken with basil it is one of the many delicious stir fry choices they offer and my fave because I LOVE basil and Thai chilies and those are the stars in this dish. 

The menu has meals heat measured by number of chilies (1-3)and this is the 3 chili rating. Not the most spicy thing I've ever tasted in my life but on my scale it is just the right amount of spice, makes my nose run a little but not so bad that I'm soaked with sweat after I'm done because everyone knows that doesn't make for a pretty dinner date. My other half usually orders from the noodle section of the menu with his favorite being Pork stir fry noodles.

This is thin sliced pork stir fried in some sort of yummy peanut tasting sauce with veggies and served on ribbon noodles. Other menu items worth mentioning are the stuffed fish (not sure what its called but you'll notice it in the seafood section- its the most exotic looking thing on the menu) It might look a little scary but its really tasty, I promise! Also for the less adventurous there is a Chicken and cashew stir fry that is not spicy but still very tasty. A lot of the 'newbies' I take there get that for their first try and are never dissatisfied.

How could I talk about a Thai restaurant without mentioning curry??? I couldn't!! Of course Jai Thai offers a good selection of Thai curries red and green, coconut (sweet) based and hotter than hot and if you've never had 'real' Thai curry (not like Coco's!) you should give it a try. To round it out we order a large bowl of steamed rice and a scoop of coconut ice cream for dessert. We have been there on date nights and ordered from their 'cocktails' menu and it was also pretty good (from what I can remember).

For a family of 4 with 2 kids meals and 2 adult meals, appetizer, rice and dessert  the bill came out to around 4500 yen which is very reasonable given the wonderful service and fancy looking atmosphere. To get there: Look for the only Ferris wheel on the island! Jai Thai is located in 'Carnival' mall in Mihama directly under the big Ferris wheel. Park either in the parking lot across from Jusco or behind Dragon arcade area (this area is usually filled). For real newbies who don't know where this is take 58 N from Foster turn left at the Starbucks across from Lester, go thru to the 2nd light and turn right. Park in the large lot on the right across from Jusco mall and follow the hypnotizing glow of the Ferris wheel. Jai Thai is on the 2nd floor.

Hours are Mon-Fri 11-1500 for lunch 17-2300 for dinner, Sat. Sun. and Holiday 11-2300.

Cafe & Aroma T's

Thanks to Daniela for giving us another groovy stop in Yomitan! We appreciate any tips from you all about where to eat. Keep them coming. The more posts we have about restaurants the longer Kelly gets to enjoy her new maternity. I got to hang out with her new little man yesterday and you should all be very jealous of me. And her because she gets to keep him forever and ever. E-mail your favorites at okinawa_hai@yahoo.com

As you know we moved to Yomitan a couple of weeks ago. We were walking around the neighborhood one day when we came across this tiny restaurant. It was closed at the time, but the menu was on the porch so we decided to go back later and give it a try.

It is called Cafe & Aroma T's. Somebody told me it has been open a couple of years now. It is run by a lovely lady who's name I forgot I am ashamed to admit.The restaurant is basically what seems the bottom part of her house. It is one room, with one large table, and a full size bar. The table is divided and can sit 2 parties of 3 or she will just clear it and make room for however many people come in.

She is your hostess, waitress, bartender, and cook. The menu is small, but the food is great. So far I have tried 3 dishes and I was happy every time. The cocktails she mixes are great too! It has a very intimate feel and would make the perfect place for date night. I mentioned to my husband that I felt as if I had a personal chef in my house. The decorations are mostly in Indian style and the lady has a green thumb for sure.  There is a table on the porch outside that has a lovely view of the beach and since it points west sunsets are spectacular.

Here's the menu:

Hours:
Monday - Friday: 12:00 - 22:00
Saturday: 15:00 - 22:00
Closed Sunday

Tel. 098-957-3166

I am not so sure she will open at 15:00 on the dot Saturdays as we have gone by to take pictures and she was still closed. The last time she served us drinks and popcorn, then we watched her darting out the door into her car, just to return a couple of minutes later. I think she had to get something from the store. It was very cute really. The last time we visited there were quite a few locals as the bar and more came later. Always a good sign:)

Directions:
From Kadena Gate 1 take 58 north and hang a left on Route 6. Pass Torri Station main gate. There will be a Maxvalue on your right. At the next light hang a left. There is a lumber yard on your left and the Kbox bar on your right. This is also where you would turn to get to the famous pancake house. Go down until you hit the crazy intersection with the mirrors. Take a right, go past the tombs and T's will be right after that on your right. Park across the street.

DAO - Vietnamese Restaurant

 

Contributed by Kaho because Kelly is at home figuring out what a ten pound baby is all about. Thanks, Kaho. Congratulations, Kelly!

I got into Vietnamese food when I lived in Arlington, Virginia.  There are so many GREAT Vietnamese restaurants there.  My husband and I used to go to "Pho 75" near Roslyn Station.  Their Vietnamese pho noodle soup dish is what my husband would call "da bomb".  Yum.   

I had lunch at this Vietnamese restaurant "DAO" with my friends last week.  It's one of my favorite restaurants in Okinawa and I like to go there for lunch when I'm in Naha. 

I had the today's special lunch, which you see on the picture above.  It was with beef stew.  The set came with a spring roll, main dish, a small Vietnamese dessert and a cup of coffee or tee and cost 650 yen.  Great deal.  They also have regular dishes such as Pho, which is about 500 yen and if you want to make it a set, you pay a little more like 350 yen for a spring roll and drink or dessert.  I'm sorry that I don't remember the price so clearly.  Please don't quote me on this!  They also have Vietnamese curry on their regular menu and I had their Chicken and Lemongrass with Rice before as a lunch special.  That was really really good.

Photo of a menu taken by Aviva.

Closed: 4th Monday of each month

Hours: 11:00 - 23:00

Phone: 098-867-3751

Directions
If you drive to Kokusai Street, park somewhere near Mitsukoshi Department Store.  Look for Starbucks Coffee on Kokusai Street.  If you stand with Starbucks on your back, across the street from it is Shijo Hon Dori.  This street is next to OPA.   Walk down about 50 meters on Shijo Hondori.  DAO will be on your right.  Look for this sign below.

Sata Andagi
After you have lunch, how about some, Sata Andagi, Okinawan doughnuts? 

I was told that this is one of the best places for sata andagi in Okinawa.  In fact, I remember seeing this place on a Japanese TV program.  This store tucked in on a very narrow alley.  As you walk in, you'll see two sata andagi stores right next to each other.  I bought two doughnuts from the one on the right.  There were two different sizes.  Small one was as big as my 3-year-old daughter's fist and and the big one was as big as my fist.  Huge!  I got two small ones and each was 50 yen.  The huge one is 150 yen each.  They had three different kinds: regular, kokuto (Okinawan brown sugar), and sesami.  You can tell which ones are which from their colors.  I shared the two with my daughter and we ate them as we walked around.  Soooo good!!!  They hit the spot. 

Directions
Walk further down the Shijo Hon Dori.  Look out for this sign, which says "Shijo Chuo Dori".  (Left picture below)  It's right around the corner of the "Kosetsu Market". You should find it easily, but if you can't find it, just ask "Shijo Chuo Dori wa doko desuka?"  Remember "doko (where)" lesson?  Take a right at under the sign.  Walk about 50 meters and look for a blue house with this sign on your left.  (Right picture below)

 

Yazaemon

Contributed by Julia

Kelly is somewhere in the process of having her baby. We're all cheering from the sidelines here. Since she'll be out of commission for a while we are welcoming, begging for some contributions from you all. Snap some pictures, write a blurb and, for now, send it to Meredith at okinawa_hai@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Yazaemon is a relatively new restaurant that opened up about 4 months ago. I was lucky enough to end up here after a night of driving around desperately looking for food. My husband and I (with the kids of course) had stopped at a couple of our favorite places finding out that they were either packed to the hilt or closed. So we decided to try a new place and were happy with our meal.

Yazaemon serves a variety of food including sushi, yakitori, and stir-fry dishes. The first time we went we had the caterpillar roll (eel and sweet egg omelette wrapped in rice and avocado slices), the rainbow roll, and a California roll. Their California roll actually contains tuna and avocado which is completely different from what I’m used to but was still very good. We’ve also had chicken yakitori, soumen champuru, and tofu champuru. The soumen has a nice light flavor to it. I’m not as fond of the tofu but it’s a hit with my youngest…he can eat the whole dish all by himself.

When eating sushi I tend to stick mostly to tuna, salmon, and yellowtail. There is a lot of tuna on the menu and a variety of other fish although I don’t remember seeing yellowtail. I have had the fatty salmon sushi which was delicious and cost about 260 yen. I’ve also had the tuna with rice bowl for 800 yen. I was expecting just the traditional tuna sashimi over sushi rice. It turned out to be slices of raw tuna with a barely cooked egg marinating in a soy sauce mixture. From what I gathered from the sign language you’re supposed to mix it up and then eat it with the steamed rice it that comes on the side. Towards the end it got a little salty for my taste but overall I liked it and it was a nice change of pace.

The last time we went the bill came out to 3500 yen for edamame, chicken yakitori, tofu champuru, soumen champuru, fatty salmon sushi, the tuna rice bowl, and a pork dish. I consider that quite reasonable for dinner for the four of us.

The staff is super-friendly here with one of the chefs even playing peek-a-boo with my kids from afar. And they remembered us from our first visit…not sure if it was for good or bad behavior but stuff like that makes us feel special.

Besides the food and friendliness of the staff there’s something else about this place that really appeals to me. They have these lovely Japanese lanterns in the tatami mat seating area that emit a soft glow and with it a serene atmosphere. Or perhaps it’s just because the kids like the food so much that both times we’ve managed to have a relatively peaceful meal here. Either way, we’ll be back for more.

HOURS:

5:00 PM – 1:00 AM Tuesday-Thursday & Sundays

5:00 PM – 2:00 AM Friday & Saturday

Closed Mondays

PHONE NUMBER:

098-936-7727

Located directly across from Kadena Gate 1 in the same parking lot as Family Mart, US Autosales, and GI Bill Pay.

         

Spicy Noodle Joint: Ten Ten Man

The following is a picture of my mother.  She is waiting for my dad to get done photographing her so that they can get on their way to the hospital to deliver me.  Behind her, in case you were wondering (I was) are the wilted three-week old balloons from my sister's 3rd birthday party.

This is a picture of me (first thing in the morning mind you) trying to look kind of like my mom.  Failing because she looks skinnier and has a cuter outfit on than me.  Plus, I seem to be scowling while mom looks quite serene there and she's IN LABOR!  There are no balloons hanging around the house because there were no recent birthdays in the family.  In fact, this is our first child and while yesterday was supposed to be his birthday, apparently, March 12th didn't work for him. So, I am standing here waiting for the little guy to decide which day he would like to make his entrance into the world.  He is, I think, as indecisive as his mother.

This is the restaurant I went to last week, thinking it might be the last one I'd be able to write about for a little while.  But, I've gone to a couple more places since then.  I guess my baby has OkiHai's best interests at heart and wants me to get as much research in as possible before he comes.  He's too kind.

Here's the food that I ordered.  It's the ramen set on the left. 

This is one of my girlfriend, Karen's favorite restaurants.  She took me there after reading about the Korean joint that I posted about last week.  Karen said this restaurant had some darn spicy food.  She was right.  This is a picture of how you indicate to the waitress the degree of spicy.  Level one is darn spicy.  Level two, I presume, is damn spicy.  And I imagine level three would be something like &^@%#! spicy.  I had level one and it was hot, but still edible.  Luckily we got lots of gyoza to cleanse the palate.

If you don't like spicy, no worries because there are other offerings there for you.  Some funky looking egg dish for one, and bowls of non-spicy miso ramen for another.  Both were reviewed as being good, although my non-spicy ramen ordering buddy preferred the American Village ramen shop.  Oh, and there's a picture of the gyoza.

         

But for now we're here for the spicy, 'cause from what I'm told that helps the baby come out.  But maybe this child takes after his daddy after all and spicy #1 wasn't good enough for him.  I might just need to go back there today and kick it up a notch with spicy #2.  I'm not desperate enough for spicy #3...yet.   

HOURS:  Ummm....I seem to have forgotten to gather two important tidbits of information.  The NAME of the restaurant (oops) and when it's open (oops again).  I'll go scoop that up for you today.

DIRECTIONS:  This I know. 

The no-name noodle joint is right on 58, seconds from Lester.
From Foster: You are on 58. Pass the Lester Starbucks.  Pass the store with the humongous picture of the bride with the crazy eye.  The noodle shop is right after the bride and before the Suzuki sign. 

P.S.  Wanna help a sister out?  If you've been thinking of writing up a restaurant and haven't yet...now is the time!  At some point here, I should be out of commission for a wee bit.  So, any reviews you have to offer would be much appreciated!  Plus, it's always good to hear from a variety of voices.  Bring it on and send your stuff to:  toeatinokinawa@yahoo.com

---

The comments on this post have been closed. You can continue to follow this post HERE on Now Serving Okinawa.

Korean Restaurant: Kalbi Pot (Kalbi-No Tsubo)

This is the first week that I'm gonna write about a place that I feel just 'eeh' about.  Usually when I write about a restaurant, some aspect of it stands out to me - whether it's the food, the atmosphere, the service.  Something.  And this place was okay.  But, it was just okay.  You got me?

Anyway, I don't know how many of you guys eat Korean food, but when you get your hands on some good stuff it's mighty darn tasty.  (This is coming from a woman who at one time loved foods from all corners of the world, except Korean.  But, whaddaya know, I met a man who happened to be half Korean.  We fell in love.  Got married.  And he showed me the light.  Before long, I was eating stuff like this:

By the way, this is my man's nose.

I, still being a Korean food neophyte, use my man's nose as kind of a barometer for how good the food is when we go to a Korean restaurant.  The more sweat beads that form on it, the better the food.  When sweat is actually dripping off the nose, well, we've hit the jackpot.  This does not happen too much here in Japan, except maybe in my house where I add some red-colored powder, paste or pepper to almost all of his meals.  (I've learned that even the dried out, overcooked delicacies I turn out will find praise that way.)

Anyway, like I said, in most restaurants here, the sweat is not a flowin' for my huband.   Which is not a problem if we're eating something like Japanese or Italian or food that isn't supposed to be spicy.  But if we're eating Indian, or Korean, or Mexican and heaven forbid he's not using about twenty napkins to dab his forehead, nose, and mouth with, then it's not hot enough and he won't eat there again.  So, for example, I have to find other people to go to Mike's Tex Mex with me, 'cause he won't step in the place.      

Alright, this post is supposed to be about a restaurant, so I might as well go ahead and get started on it.  It's about a Korean joint in American Village called "Kalbi Pot".  Yesterday I was jonesin' for some Bibimbop and my man agreed to check it out with me, for research's sake.  My girlfriend, the one who told me about the pancake house, joined us too.  Here's a picture of the outside.

The inside was comfortable enough, but unremarkable.  We sat at the bbq table but didn't order any.  Instead, I got the Bibimbop, a rice/vegetable/egg/red pepper paste dish served in a hot stone bowl which cooks the egg and makes the rice all nice and crunchy.  My husband got Spicy Rice Chigae (Soup or Stew in Korean), some kind of rice soup.  And my friend got Kimchi Chigae.  The first thing I noticed is that we didn't get any of the little Kimchee side dishes (Banchan in Korean) that you typically get for free at a Korean restaurant.  That's fine, because I usually don't eat half of them anyway (I'm still training my tastebuds in the Kimchee arena).  But, I was hungry, so I took exception.  (Turns out you can order the Kimchees on the menu for about 400 yen.  Kind of like having to order chips and salsa when you should get it for free.)

The food came quickly enough though and my Bibimbop was piping hot.  I mixed it all up and umm...crunchy and delicious.  Not really spicy hot, but good.  My friend's Kimchi soup came out next.  It looked small, runny, and unimpressive.  According to her, that's how it tasted too.  My husband got his soup, and fortunately, there was a little more substance to it.  I tasted it and could eat it - a sure sign that it wasn't spicy enough for him.  And not spicy enough, at a Korean restaurant is a cardinal sin.  I knew we wouldn't be back there any time soon!

But I went ahead and asked anyway.  So guys, what's the consensus?  Would you come back here?  Hubby -No.  Friend - No.   Me - Yes. (True. My Bibimbop wasn't the best I've had.  But, hey, we're not in Korea and sometimes when you need to satisfy your cravings, you have to take what you can get.) 

Here's the nose after.  Somewhat damp...but it could be much worse.  Believe me!

So there you have it.  The Kalbi Pot Place.  An inauthentic Korean food fix in a decent location for about a thousand yen.  Wanna see for yourself?  The directions are easy:

DIRECTIONS:

Turn off 58 onto the Starbuck's across from Lester road.
Make your first right.
Make your first right again and the restaurant is on the corner.

HOURS:

Lunch:  11:30-2:00
Dinner:  5:00-12:00
Open every day.  Phone:  098-936-1129

If you have a favorite Korean food restaurant, or any other type of restaurant, please let us know about it at:  toeatinokinawa@yahoo.com

---

The comments on this post have been closed. You can continue to follow this post HERE on Now Serving Okinawa.

Surfin' for food: Restaurant Links and Such

Since most of us will probably be a little more housebound in the days or weeks, or, heaven forbid, months to come, let's take a pause from our normal restaurant review routine, shall we, and use this time to plot and scheme what places we will run to once we are freed from the confines of the base.  Below are some websites to surf to help you research your first post lock-down celebratory dinner, or just to help you kill some time on the computer.

Oh, also, as you might find yourself doing more eating "out" on base, I'm curious to know about your favorite on-base dining establisment.  What is it?  Why do you like it?  Is it the food?  The service?  The speed?  The location.  As I've mentioned in the little "Who's Hai" bio., I give top prize to the Subway at the Spot on Camp Foster.  Why?  It's not the food.  And certainly not the atmosphere.  But I'm just constantly amazed at the efficiency of the place.  That manager has made that Subway a well oiled machine.  Never a wrong order, always fast even if there's a line.  I must give him props.  Honorable mention goes to Charley's in the food court, 'cause hey, they've got a damn fine cheesesteak going on there.  Please feel free to throw in your two cents as well.  Who knows, we may rediscover some on base dining gem.

And now for your websurfing pleasure:

The Dining Guides

Okinawa Index This is a fun site to explore.  There's a listing of over 70 restaurants/cafes on it with phone numbers, hours, and a little descriptive blurb about most of them.  You can also search for restaurants by region on an interactive map, which I think is a pretty nifty tool.  http://www.okinawaindex.com/index/?tid=3&cid=98&id=20  The guide is by no means comprehensive, but a great little resource if you are tired of going to the same old places all the time.

OkinawaJET.com  This a wonderful website to waste your time on.  And I mean that in a good way.  Created for participants in the Okinawa's JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching Program), it's got all kinds of useful information for any English speaker living on the island (or Oki's outer islands for that matter) -- from info about diving, to being vegetarian in Japan, to regional guides.  The regional guide link is the one I've pasted above because it's got long lists of great sounding restaurants.  Here's an example of one:  Cinnamon Café - This place has a great atmosphere along with some of the best coffee and chocolate cake in Naha. Coffee and cake sets cost about Y900. Also, there is a good selection of artsy / fashion / culture / architecture / interior decoration type magazines, as well as a few photography books. They usually play cool music, too. See Map, 24. (That's written by Lynn Miyahira, btw) Good chocolate cake??? Count me in.

JapanUpdate online also has a little dining index section.  But, most of the restaurants included don't have any kind of description with them.  What many do have, however, are maps in English and coupons you can print out for things like free drinks and appetizers.  Hey, every little bit helps.

Food Language:

Hey, so always wanted to know how to say "onion" in Japanese.  This interactive picture dictionary (click on the picture and hear how it's said in Japanese)  through languageguide.org is pretty neat.
For vegetables click here
For fruit click here
And for kitchen utensils click here 

Youtube It:

And finally.  How to use chopsticks.  From the "It's a small world" approach to "Mt. Fuji" grip.  If this don't learn ya, nothing will.  Watch the whole thing, 'cause it's pretty gosh darn funny.  Here's a subtitled version of the same clip; for some reason I prefer the first one though. 

Comments?   Questions?  Contributions?  Feel free to write up a restaurant you love, or make a suggestion for a restaurant review.  Here's the address:  toeatinokinawa@yahoo.com

---

The comments on this post have been closed. You can continue to follow this post HERE on Now Serving Okinawa.

Cafe Unizon / Mix Life-Style

So.  You’re on Camp Foster.  You’re shopping at the PX.  You suddenly find yourself A:  hungry  B:  tired as hell of looking at the same linens, candles, clothing, and housing goods that you find yourself browsing through again in the vain hope that you’ll find something even remotely approaching cool. 

What do you do? 

Drop your Yankee Candle and get out of there is what you do, and take your butt to the Café Unizon / Mix Style-Life store.  It’s only about 3 minutes outside of Legion Gate, right near the House of 66 Cents on 81.  If you haven’t gone, you need too.  It’s a breath of stylish, sophisticated, air.  Ummm…inhale… is that a hint of William-Sonoma I detect?  Laced perhaps with a trace of Crate and Barrel?  Good stuff.

When you step inside the Mix store, you might not be able to resist the urge to fondle pretty home goods, but if you can then head upstairs to the cafe.  It’s a vast open space with mismatched sofas and coffee tables and an unexpectedly stunning view of Chatan and the ocean beyond.  Order from their menu of the typical café fare – soups, sandwiches, muffins and such…then get back up and take a look around while you await your food.  Run your fingers over the display of beautiful books; then walk through the showroom adjacent to the café and drool over the smooth wood dining tables and modern furniture pieces.  Swing back into the café making sure to pass the glass encased cakes and muffins on your way, so that you’ll know what to order for desert.   

I’ve never had dessert at Unizon, but friends I’ve gone there with had good things to say about the peanut butter muffin, a fruity pear kind of tart, and what I think was a chocolate-rum cookie.  My desert was hot chocolate, which was good but not memorable. I also ordered a very tasty little avocado-bacon sandwich, made in a skinny baguette which called to mind a cigar.  It came with a side of fresh fluffy greens. 

In my opinion though, the reason to visit Unizon is less for the food and more for the chance to bask in the hip vibes downstairs at the Mix store.  So when you go, remember to allot a little time to “walk off the food” and do some shopping. Or, as is often the case with me, simply a little window shopping.  While the design (mostly, it seems, European) is beautiful and interesting, it tends toward the pricey side.  But, hey who cares?  There are hats and bags and sofas and lamps to be inspired by. Rugs and picture frames.  Pots and baby toys.  Soaps and postcards.  Shoot, you might even want to go ahead and splurge on a groovy kitchen sponge for yourself, or a sexy Italian paperweight.  You’re worth it, right?

And now for some details…

HOURS: 
11:30-22:00, Closed Tuesdays (MIX Life-Style is open on Tuesdays though)
*The Website says it opens at 12:00 and the businesscard says 11:30*

DIRECTIONS: 

(from Foster)

Take a right out of Legion Gate (that’s the Taco Bell one) and onto 330 (which becomes 81…that’s the House of 66 Cents Road)  Look for two things.  First a building with a big ‘ole sunflower painted on the side.  Second a building with a big ‘ole taco coming out of it. (These are on the left hand side of the road.)  UNIZON/MIX Life-style is a white brick building between the two of them.