#island eats

[caribbeanvibesblog]

[eataku]

Octopus Garden, Okinawa

Okinawa amazed us!

For a number of reasons.

We knew going in that there’d be beautiful beaches, we just didn’t realize how secluded and empty they would be. It’s the complete opposite of Hawaii or the Caribbean where you need to get to any beach or pool at the crack of dawn to secure a good location, but are soon surrounded by thousands of other sun-loving tourists. However, any beach we went to here, no matter the size or location, had only a couple dozen other people on it, if that many. Ever. And it was peak season! Like Aharen beach on Tokashiki Island...

Tokashiki is about an hour ferry ride from Naha, Okinawa’s main city. And once you land on this off-shoot island, you need to take a public bus (there are no taxis) to Aharen Beach, about a 15 minute drive over the mountains on the other side of the island...

There's another big difference between Aharen and other beaches we’ve been too... the food served in the beachside restaurants here was homemade and cheap! There are maybe only four restaurants near Aharen and we chose Octopus Garden, as I liked the name and the vibe...

We started with large mugs of Okinawa’s Orion lager for 500 yen (about five bucks) each...

Shima rakkyo, an island “onion” (but more like a scallion IMO,) is a local favorite and was the first dish to hit the table...

Next up was another Okinawan staple, freshly-made “jimami tofu”, or peanut tofu, which doesn’t taste anything like peanuts and has the consistency of burrata cheese...

Soba is to Okinawa what meatballs are to Sweden or tacos are to Mexico; it’s the food the islands are most noted for. And it’s everywhere.

There are two main kinds of Okinawan soba, one version topped with pork belly, the other topped with pork ribs. We went for “soki soba”, the version with braised ribs...

The thing is, while they says “ribs”, there are no bones in this bowl. They’ve actually been removed and you can eat all the meat at the tendon that’s served on top of the noodles...

These lovely, toothsome, chewy soba noodles...

We also ordered up a plate of chicken karaage, because how can you not order friend chicken if it’s on the menu? It was good, but the weakest item served at this lunch...

If you do go to Octopus Garden, be sure to score a seat on their upstairs rooftop deck, but only after you order and pay downstairs first...

If you’re lucky to get one of the stools at the front bar there, you can have lunch with a partial view of that blue, blue ocean...

I’ll see if I can google up an address for you, but Octopus Garden is easy to find; once you get off the bus at Aharen Beach, it will be right in front of you!

[caribbeanvibesblog]

Watch "Red Snapper Sandwich | Red Fish Sandwich | Fish Sandwich || FRUGALLYT" on YouTube

[eataku]

Yuna Parlor, Okinawa

We had an early flight out of Ishigaki, a small island in Okinawa, yesterday morning, and while all of the duty free and gift shops in the airport were open at 7am, none of the restaurants were. But then, sensing our dilemma, a friendly local directed us to a “hidden” eatery there that opens early for the airport staff... Yuna Parlor!

Yuna Parlor is a bright, airy, island-themed establishment with two tables and a six-seat counter, located in the back of Ishigaki Airport, run by a lone man who you can see here in hissmall kitchen...

Their menu offers a pretty good range of local favorites, from Okinawa soba to pork dishes to “loco moco”...

In the mornings, Yuna offers a more limited breakfast menu, with two soba options, local “juicy” rice, a natto & pork soup set, a daily sandwich and toast...

And then there’s their most elaborate AM option, which I went for, the pork rice bowl...

The pork they use is of the famed Okinawan Agu variety, served with miso soup, pickles and a raw egg...

All for anly six bucks! A steal for an airport meal!!

To access Yuna Parlor from inside the airport, go behind the Starbucks and look for the butterfly garden, which you should also stop and admire...

You’ll see the sign for the restaurant there above these security doors, which you can pass through...

You’ll find Yuna Parlor down the hall on the left...

We could not have been happier to find this hidden gem where we had a marvelous final meal on this amazing island before jetting out!

[caribbeanvibesblog]

[caribbeanvibesblog]

[caribbeanvibesblog]

[theeyeofv]