Umi to Sora Haibisukasu Shokudō Kiyachō

** 3.5 stars **
A funky Okinawa restaurant with an entrance on Ponto-​cho and views of Kamogawa river. Small, cozy space with tables wedged close together, its atmosphere is best defined by the wall-​to-​wall décor. Like a tiny market crossed with a packrat’s home, there is something crammed everywhere there’s a shelf, with advertisements, pictures, and a multitude of colorful, handwritten menu listings tacked on every available wall space. It is fascinating and distracting.
Interestingly, the menu is just as much fun to look at. Its enough to create the desire to visit Okinawa. Extensive, with handwritten English translations, the menu is a riot of options that looks very different from many other Japanese foods usually encountered. Quite likely, these were literal translations, accounting for such dishes as «Tempura of Diary of the Island of Yo,» but most are straightforward to read.
Choosing will be the hard part. Trying go-​ya is a must; this is bitter melon, a vegetable from mainland Asia that is common in Okinawan cooking, and there are many versions here. The style of food here is rustic and much like home-​cooking. Plating is simple, the dishes without much fuss or garnishing, flavors savory. Dishes tried included braised pork belly with crunchy cabbage, tender braised daikon, a hearty noodle dish with pork, and stir-​fried goya with pork, which had a tempered bitterness that brightened the dish. A housemaid chili vinegar made a nice accompaniment to many dishes.
Fun place, good food, great view. Have a pint of Orion beer, local to Okinawa, to go with the comfort food served here.