JPN: Shuri Soba (首里そば)

Big bowl of soba with sweet pork belly and fish cake!

If you're looking for a hearty bowl of the Okinawan soba (Japanese buckwheat noodle), Shuri Soba is the place to go as it's highly recommended by the locals, so famous that it only needs to open its door for lunch from Monday to Saturday. Apart from ourselves, my BFFs and I didn't see other international tourists that afternoon.

I'm not sure if there's English menu available in the eatery. Pikachu felt so good as he could have a bowl of soba while it was raining outside. :)

Shuri Soba (Large) ¥600 (~S$7.05)

Taste: 9/10

The actual name of the dish is 首里そば. As mentioned in the previous post on Tokyo Dai-Ichi Hotel Okinawa Grand Mer Resort, I feel that the soba bears resemblance to the Italian fettuccine. Served in front of me was a bowl of chewy noodle in flavourful, but not overly salty soup was cooked for hours with kelp, fish and pork bones. The sinful marinated pork belly was superbly sweet, and so was the fish cake. The ginger strips were enough to add a bit of heat and aroma to the dish.

Boiled Dish with Onigiri ¥500 (~S$5.90)

Taste: 9/10

The actual name of the dish is 煮付けとおにぎり. Apart from the awesome marinated pork belly, the beancurd was soft and juicy. On the side were a rice ball with soy sauce and a small bowl of the famous soba. Honestly, I didn't expect that the latter would be included in the set since it's not written on the menu.

Okinawa Mixed Rice ¥200 (~S$2.35)

Taste: 8.5/10

The actual name of the dish is じゅうしい. Even the staff there was unsure of the origin of the name, jushi, when my friend asked her. It was a small bowl of delicious steamed rice flavoured with kelp, having pork, carrots and spring onions thrown into it. Think of Japanese fried rice without the grease.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 9/10

Ambience: 8.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.5/10

Pika's advice: If you feel like having dessert, the eatery offers shaved ice. Before lunch, we visited Shuri Castle, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. It was almost completely destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Subsequently, it was reconstructed based on photographs and historical records in 1992.

After visiting the castle, we went to take a stroll along the bustling Kokusai Street again. We were suprised to see Koi Café there, which turns out to be the one and only in the whole of Japan at the point of writing.

Shuri Soba

(首里そば)

1-7 Shuriakatacho

Naha, Okinawa

Japan

(Mon-Sat: 11.30am - 2.00pm)

http://shurisoba.shop-pro.jp/

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)