Okinawan Dinner @Ryukyu Dining Adan, KITTE, Hakata, Fukuoka

 

Despite living in Japan and visiting the country various times prior, I have yet to touch Okinawa at all. And due to current personal circumstances, it could be a bit tricky to go on a trip there. So rather than going to that island paradise, why not bring a piece of said paradise to me? That is where our next establishment comes in. 

Picture of the namesake fruit in front of the menu. 

Ryukyu Dining Adan, or rather Adan in short, is an Okinawan-inspired restaurant located on the restaurant floor of KITTE mall. Linked to the main Hakata station, it is very convenient to get to. For those who are not in the know, the name Ryukyu refers to the medieval kingdom that was ruling the Okinawan islands before the Japanese annexed it. Adan on the other hand is the name of a fruit that grows in that area, which looks something like a stout pineapple if that makes sense. 

Thick and fatty

Being miles away from the main islands, naturally, their food is much different too. The food from Okinawa tends to be deeper and richer than what you get from the rest of the country. One example of this is the classic rafute, which is their take on braised pork belly. It may look like a piece of fatty pork belly you can get from any decent Japanese or Chinese place. However, it is the ingredients that make it special. Braised with a broth that is made mainly with awamori, a type of Okinawan spirit, and black sugar, it has a distinct taste that cannot be replicated. There is a form of tartness that is rich yet light, which sounds ironic, but it is the best way to describe this wonderful dish. A serving here stood for 880 yen. A bit steep for a few pieces of pork belly, but the flavour makes up for it. 

Close to being happiness on a plate

Rafute in itself is great, but it can be a bit too strong-tasting for some. As such, it has been used as a base for various dishes too. One example is the very delicious yet deceptive-looking rafute fried rice. It may look like your standard fried rice, but once you chomp into it, you will be proven otherwise. The rice grains were a good carb fodder for the rafute, which has been chopped to smaller bits. I also suspect that the braising liquid was also used to flavour the overall dish. Imagine a char siew fried rice dish, and you will probably get the picture. This great place of fried rice was for 990 yen. 

It glistens! 

If you would like other carb options, then the Okinawan-style fried noodles are also something worth trying. They are more savoury and salty compared to the standard yakisoba, which tends to have more fruity notes due to the usage of okonomiyaki sauce. The noodles had a lot of flavour and were easy to slurp. If you would like something less heavy compared to the fried rice, then this is the place to go to. This stood for a modest 750 yen. 

Porky!

Another unique dish worth trying was actually the pork sausages. Being one of the main control nodes of the American military presence in Japan, the food in Okinawa has also been morphed by said presence. Spam makes an appearance from time to time, and this next dish does not seem too far behind. It was salty, savoury, fatty and was great with the side of mustard that tagged along with it. This serving stood for 640 yen. 

Deceptively tasty

One dish that is worth noting is the douruten  (ドゥル天 ), which are deep-fried yam cakes. Not only are yams somewhat rare in Japanese food in general, but most tubers here are also cooked vie steaming or roasting. Deep frying is something only specifically used for the potato. As such, this dish is very unique. It was crunchy and crusty on the outside, but it has a chewy and starchy center. The filling was mildly sweet and had a mochi-like quality to it. It was incredibly tasty and goes down well with beer. 3 pieces stood for 730 yen.

Oh baby!

Speaking of beer, in the event you are in such an establishment, there is no other beer more suitable than Okinawa's own Orion. Like how Hokkaido is famed for the Sapporo beer, Okinawa's own Orion is its tropical counterpart. It is refreshing, fizzy, and has sweet hoppy notes. A medium mug stood for 690 yen. 

Not that hard to spot. 

As a whole, I have to admit that the food here is a bit more pricey than what I am accustomed to. But the uniqueness and quality of everything just make it all worth it. Everything was on point and the service is stellar. It should be noted that there is a 350 yen seating charge as well, so please take note. Be that as it may, this is an establishment worth recommending if you would like to try something special. If you would fancy a go, then the address is as follows:

〒812-0012 Fukuoka, Hakata Ward, Hakataekichuogai, 9−1 KITTE Hakata Floor 9