Saturday, June 7, 2008
Restaurant - Fertile
Location: Chuo, Okinawa city, in the backstreets between BC street and Gate 2 Street. It is quite difficult to describe precisely, because of the lack of landmarks in this area. It on the street that runs from Gate 2 street to BC street, two blocks north of the exit of the covered arcade. If looking at the phone book map, put a dot right in from of the words "Shoos Shop M2" and that is the approximate location of the shop. It is advisable to drive around the area to spot it. There is a parking lot across the street and customers of the restaurant map park in spots 5-8. Or, one can park at the top of BC street at the public lot (beyond the shopping center) and walk.
Hours: 11:30-3p lunch, closed Wednesday
This is a remarkable cafe. It has a homey bistro feel, with wooden furniture, mini-chandelier lighting, a framed Rothko print, and hydrangeas in vases. There are no English menus, but the proprietor can explain the lunch sets. There is a special monthly lunch set (1500Y) which has an antipasto dish in addition to the standard soup, salad, main, dessert, and coffee. The other sets offer choice of main: fish (1200Y), chicken (1200Y), pasta (800Y). The antipasto dish had 3 tasty bites: a slice of prosciutto over ripe cherry tomatoes with olive oil, poultry pate with fresh country mustard, and thin sliced cuttlefish with caper sauce. The soup was a delicious cream of carrot, with homemade croutons and fresh herbs. The salad was red curly lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and a nice Caesar-esque dressing with fresh cracked pepper. The special lunch main was pork (pounded thin and tender) stuffed with eggplant, in a fantastically complex tomato sauce drizzled with pesto. The fish main was shallow panfried white fish in a light cream-herb sauce, with roasted potatoes and wilted spinach. All the dishes were distinguished by attention to details of both flavour and presentation. We couldn't find fault with any of it. The proprietor then brought out the coffee - freshly made, from an espresso machine that grinds its own beans, served in bone china and accompanied by a mini-pitcher of milk and brown sugarcubes. Then, as a final signature, he arrived with the dessert on two double tiered serving trays. The top dessert plate had two offerings: a nice baked cheesecake and an amazing watermelon sorbet. The bottom plate boasted a brownie slice with fresh whipped cream, mint, and a minced strawberry sauce. This is a delicious, indulgent lunch, and given the quality of the ingredients at a very reasonable price.