SauceSupreme

While on my last trip to LA, a buddy of mine and decided to check out an Okinawan pub in the South Bay. We were fans of an Okinawan pub up in Portland and wanted to see how Southern California's rendition fared in comparison.

The menu at Shin Okinawa Izakaya offered many of pub classics, but we wanted to aim toward some of the specific specialties of the island. We started with the chahan fried rice, in which Shin uses black rice. The color was almost startlingly gorgeous, as it contrasted beautifully against the egg and green onions.

We also opted for the rafutei, a braised pork belly dish akin to the common buta kakuni found in another izakayas. The flavor was delicious, but I actually preferred the soki buni (pork spareribs). Perhaps it's my palate finally expressing a bit of backlash to all the pork belly on every menu.

Still, I quite enjoyed Shin Okinawa and wouldn't hesitate to visit again, especially to try more Okinawan pub staples like the chanpuru stir-fry, even if I have a bit of an aversion to bitter melon.

We returned to Portland to find that our local Okinawan pub, Tanuki, had once again changed menu. Many favorites were still there, but the chef was once again exploring new flavors while still keeping in the style of drinking food. The renkon nikuzume (lotus root with ground chicken) had all the right textures, though I would have preferred the chicken to carry more heat.

The heat could definitely be found in one of the Korean dishes on the Tanuki menu. The black pea sauce of the ja jang myeon definitely makes me want to knock back more beer to help cool it down, and is an excellent rendition of a Korean classic.

While izakayas in general are my favorite sub-genre of Japanese food, I find myself quite drawn to the Okinawan palate which seems to draw influence from all over. Shin Okinawa and Tanuki are two perfect examples. While the former stays more classic and the latter more experimental, they both offer hearty and flavorful dishes that share the same soul. And of course, lots of sake and awamori.