Blogmas Day 04: Okinawa Soba!
Okinawa soba might be my new favourite noodle to eat. I only ate two meals of it during my weekend in Okinawa but if I get to go back, I'm going to eat it for every meal there. It's a thick chewy noodle, similar to udon, typically eaten hot in a rich broth!
Ashibiuna あしびうなぁ
We went to Ashibiuna after a morning visiting to Shurijo Castle. It was a lovely little restaurant but honestly many restaurants and homes simply look like this - what a lovely way to live!
I ordered a Soki Soba set which was Okinawan Soba in a clear flavourful broth topped with spare ribs and green onions, Okinawan mixed rice - I was never sure why the sets came with bowls of rice but I'd love to learn why! The rice was mixed with vegetables and seaweed, three different raddish/mozuku type pickles and pineapple! Okinawa is also known for its pineapple and don't let the green skin fool you, I was expecting a tart pineapple that had been cut open before its prime but it was in fact super sweet and ripe!
Sui Don Chi 首里殿内
Sui Don Chi is another wonderful little restaurant located at the foot of the Kinjo-Cho Stone Path - perfect place to take refuge after walking down the stone path under that blazing sun.
This time I went for the Okinawan Soba Set, which is the noodle topped with braised belly pork, fishcake and green onions. I think at the time if I had to pick which noodle was better, I thought this one was ever so slightly better than Ashibiuna's but I really don't remember now looking back at the pictures. I'll gladly eat again at either restaurant.
You must always try the broth because every good noodle always comes with good soup! You'll notice that on the tray there is no spoon. We weren't sure if the staff forgot to put one on but we asked the waiter and he kindly obliged but as he handed us our spoons, he simply said "Okinawan style" and gestured his hands into holding an imaginary bowl and then tipped it back into his mouth! XD It was so fun to learn that you are not suppose to use a spoon and of course my sister and I then tried to drink any broth by lifting the bowls straight to our mouths but eventually I think we used the spoons! :)
We visited both of these places at lunch time and although they were both busy there were no queues, however both restaurants asked if we made reservations when we entered so I imagine that they can get quite busy during peak times.
Other Posts:
- Blogmas Day 03: Shurijo Castle and Kinjo-cho Stone Path
