Steam Dining Shimabutaya

On the first night of my arrival in Naha, I was having a pleasant dinner at Biidoro, a restaurant specializing in seasonal dishes, when my BOSS suddenly called me on my cell phone with an order: 

”Go to this restaurant during your stay in Naha!

This order came just as my stomach and mind were already full from our dinner at Biidoro. And since this restaurant was recommended by the little devil, the order was “absolute”.

Aside from the fact that the first question that came to my mind was, “How does the little guy know about this restaurant?” Well, I already had a full schedule for the next day, so that was the only day I could go there. So, after paying the bill at Biidoro, I went straight to the restaurant. What kind of restaurant was it?

A restaurant specializing in steamed dishes using Okinawan brand pork… Steam Dining Shimabutaya is a restaurant like this 

Steam Dining Shimabutaya. As the name suggests, the restaurant specializes in steamed dishes using a crossbreed of agu pig called shimabuta (island pig).

I headed to the restaurant around 9 p.m. It looks like they moved to their current location last July, and the interior was bright and shiny. According to the Tabelog, the new restaurant seats 47 customers. There are more than 10 counter seats along the kitchen in the center of the restaurant, so a lone customer like me who dives into the restaurant will have no problem at all. Many of the waitstaff are young, giving the restaurant a casual, izakaya-like atmosphere. So I have no doubt that this is a restaurant that seems to be very easy to use.

Frankly, it was beyond my initial imagination. But…what did I think of Steam Dining Shimabutaya’s signature menu item, the Seiro Steamed Set Shimakuro (Shimakuru~)? Let me introduce the signature menu item I ordered at Steam Dining Shimabutaya that day, the Seiro Steamed Set Shimakuro (Shimakuru~). “Shimakuru~” is pork that is 100% descended from the Ryukyu native pig Agu, and the steaming set using such rare brand pork is 3,480 yen per person including tax… 

First of all, 8 slices of Shimakuro, minced meat for making meat balls, and a lot of island vegetables including bitter melon were carried in the set like this. The first thing to do is to bring in a large amount of island vegetables, including bitter melon… 

Follow these instructions… 

Put them in the seiro like this… 

Cover and steam for 3 minutes with the hourglass provided at the table. After checking that all the sand in the hourglass has fallen out, open the lid of the steamer… 

The pork reappears with the perfect amount of heat, leaving a slightly rare color, like this! The vegetables below it also seem to be steamed in a nice way. And… 

This Shimakuro meat and steamed vegetables are seasoned with three kinds of condiments provided at the table, Shikwasa Ponzu, Sesame Miso Sauce, and Snow Salt.

And the flavor was beyond my initial expectations. Both the sliced meat and the meat balls are plump and shiny, and of course the meat is firm and packed with flavor… At first, I thought that steamed pork was just the kind of performance that kids would like. But when I thought about it, I realized that steamed pork dishes are hard to find. So, steaming is not time-consuming, and it is healthy because it does not destroy nutrients and does not use oil… It is probably the most jiggly pork dish in Ohori’s eating history (of course, I think it is because of the high quality of the pork. I don’t think supermarket pork would be this jiggly). There are plenty of vegetables in the dish, and even a woman can eat one serving without any problem.

Incidentally, of the three seasonings, the snow salt was the most to my liking (it was hardened in the container and did not come out easily when shaken…). However, compared to the quality of the meat, I feel that the seasonings are outclassed, so if there were more new flavors, the pork would be even more delicious. In addition, the atmosphere of the restaurant is casual, so I feel that the presence of the high-end pork is not noticeable. This is just my personal opinion, but if I wanted to eat pork of this quality, I would want to pay more at a high-end restaurant, and if I wanted to eat at Steam Dining Shimabutaya, I would want to eat at a lower grade of meat and pay less.

Other examples of menu items at Steam Dining Shimabutaya (prices include tax)

• Seiro Steamed Set Yanbaru Agu – ¥2,980 per person 
• Agu – Spare Ribs Steamed with Soybean Mixture ¥880
• Agu – Goya Chanpuru – ¥880
• Shimabutuya Raftae ¥880
• Gurukun Fried Fish ¥880
• Steamed Black Sesame Mabo Tofu ¥680
• Mozuku Tempura of mozuku seaweed (4 pieces) 680 yen

There is an affiliated restaurant in Naha City that mainly serves pork cutlets… Steam Dining Shimabutaya is a 6-minute walk from Kencho-mae Station on the Okinawa Yui Rail, the closest station to the restaurant. 

The company that operates Steam Dining Shimabutaya, Okinawan Cuisine Shimabutaya, has another restaurant in Naha City that serves pork dishes made with island pork. As the name suggests, the restaurant is “Okinawa Tonkatsu Shokudo Shimabutaya,” which serves pork cutlets made from island pork. Personally, I am very interested in island pork tonkatsu. Let’s keep the name of the restaurant in mind for the next time we go to Naha…  Here are the details of the restaurant… 

It is a 9-minute walk from Miebashi Station on the Okinawa Yui Rail.