Okinawan food holds a special place in my heart. I was able to visit Okinawa four years ago and it was magical. The beaches are spectacular, the aquarium is amazing and the food was outstanding. I remember eating so much pork and seafood, all of it delicious. Looking back at those memories I thought, "it has been a while since I have had Okinawan food, time to look for a place in Ibaraki." Finding an Okinawa place here in Ibaraki is easy and a real treat. There are quite a few around Ibaraki, but one of my favorite places is Kariyushi.
Kariyushi
Kariyushi is located across the street from the original Saza Coffee restaurant and shop in Hitachinaka city. The outside is decorated with a bunch of Orion Beer lanterns so you can't miss it. It is a bit of a hike from Katsuta station but it is doable. Parking is very limited.
Inside
The inside has even more Orion lanterns and tries to convey a real sense that you are in Okinawa. This place is an izakaya so get ready for rowdy drinking going on around you. My wife and I visited this place a few days before New Years with a friend of ours. We were starving and ready to try a lot of different Okinawan dishes on the menu.
The Menu
This is an izakaya so the menu is pretty big. It has all your typical Okinawan foods like pig ear, taco rice, sea grapes and more. Just like most typical izakayas, the special menu is posted on the walls. Our group ordered some things from both the regular menu and special menu. Sorry English speakers, everything is in Japanese.
Orion Beer
First thing we ordered was beer. You gotta have Orion beer when you are in an Okinawan place. Smooth and refreshing, this is one of my favorite beers in Japan. It doesn't have that strong hops taste but it isn't a weak beer either.
At the time of writing this post, Ibaraki is currently under a quasi-state of emergency. So there is a good chance you will not be able to order Orion beer because all restaurants can't serve liquor under the quasi-state of emergency. Just be aware of that if you go try out Kariyushi this week. Closing time might be earlier too.
Taco Fried Rice
This is one of the special menu items. I have had taco rice, but never taco fried rice. I was really interested to try this new style of taco rice. I got a spoon full of rice with some salsa, extremely mild salsa, and gave it a try. My opinion, go with the regular taco rice. It felt weird eating this fried rice. The taco taste, which was almost none existent, was battling with the fried rice flavor. It was just weird and not all that great. A for innovation though.
Pig Feet
Yeah, you read that right. Our friend really wanted to try this. My wife refused to have any. It is a lot of pork fat wrapped around a lot of bones. The pork fat was good although a bit too slimy. It was kind of fun to eat but once was enough for me. The sauce around the pig feet is really good though. Kind of sweet with some tang.
Curly Fries
We ordered some curly fries with our Okinawan food. Nothing really special about it. It is just nice to have fries at an izakaya, especially curly fries.
Pork and Cheese
I am not really sure if this is an Okinawan dish or some kind of fusion. The pork and cheese brought, well, pork and cheese. There was some tomato sauce in there and the pork were these semi long strips of what I can only describe as soft jerky. Sound appetizing? I didn't really think so at first but it was my second favorite dish of the night. I couldn't stop eating it. The long pork strips with that melted cheese was fantastic, and you know I am a sucker for cheese.
Pig Ear Karaage
Ever tried pig ears? If you answered, "no and eww," I say give it a chance. Especially if they are deep fried and dipped in sweet spicy sauce, or mayonnaise. I prefer the sweet spicy sauce but my wife likes it with mayonnaise. It is a bit meaty with a small crunch where the cartilage is. It is one of my favorite Okinawan dishes because it's like having meaty chips. After you start with one, you can't stop.
Sea Grapes
The first time I ever heard of sea grapes, my imagination ran wild. Then when I saw sea grapes, I was surprised and mystified. They are beautiful to look at and even more fun to eat. When you put one of these sea grapes in your mouth, the little balls explode in your mouth in a delightful way. Usually, you would dip the sea grapes in a sauce and enjoy. I wish I could say that the sauce in Kariyushi was good, but it was way too sour and didn't go well with the sea grapes. The sea grapes themselves were great but the sauce is really important.
Sweet Potato Chips
Order these chips. If you are with a group and want something to munch on while you wait for your other food, order these great sweet potato chips. They are very crispy with a slight taste of sweet potatoes and some salt added in. These potato chips are great to share with your group while you down some Orion beers.
Natto Fried Rice
Surprisingly, this was my favorite dish of the night. This Okinawan/Ibaraki fusion was amazing. This was on the special menu and I am glad we ordered it. If you don't like natto, then avoid this fried rice. But if you love natto, like me, then you have to try it. The blend of natto, spam and fried rice works surprisingly well together. Everything in this fried rice is perfect and I almost ate it all of it by myself. This new and strange style of fried rice has become one of my favorite styles of fried rice and I want to try to cook it at home.
Blue Seal Ice Cream
I have talked about Blue Seal ice cream before and I will repeat what I said. You have to try this ice cream, especially the chinsuko flavor. Chinsuko is the souvenir cookie of Okinawa. It has a kind of sweet salty flavor. Mix that with creamy delicious ice cream and you got a great dessert. There are a lot of Blue Seal flavors and I implore you to give them a try. I love Blue Seal but my wife has a borderline dangerous obsession with it. If she spots Blue Seal anywhere, even in the middle of a blizzard, she will drop everything and buy it.
Our group had a great time at Kariyushi. We really got to have a lot of what Okinawan cuisine has to offer and some interesting fusions and experiments. It was a fun time and I will be visiting Kariyushi again.
So if you are interested in trying Okinawan cuisine or are nostalgic for some, why not give Kariyushi a try. Who knows, you might see me there, downing an Orion beer with pig ear and natto fried rice.
Enjoy!
For more information on Kariyushi, check out their Instagram:
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