Tokyo Food Page

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Aina/
Shibuya: Okinawan
▼5728-3728
▽Data

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You'll find this
Hawaiian- and
Tahitian-themed
cafe-bar in an un-
likely spot - tucked
away in a far corner
of Shibuya, right
next to a hula dance
studio upstairs in
an old office build-
ing. Both cafe and
studio are owned by
veteran pop singer
Sandii (from "Sandii
and the Sunsets"),
and they fit togeth-
er very efficiently
- dancers have a
place to unwind and
socialize after
class, and the cafe
has a steady influx
of customers, de-
spite its obscure
location.

The cafe's interior
is quite spacious,
with a couple of
sofa-furnished
lounging areas, sets
of rattan chairs and
wooden tables, a big
communal table off
to one side, and a
"Lanai Bar" at the
back of the room.
Exotic drinks and
music reflect the
tropical theme. The
food is tropical
Japanese (i.e. Oki-
nawan), and although
the menu isn't big,
the cooking is as
solid as what you'd
get at any Okinawan
specialty restau-
rant.

Typical food items
include assorted
champuru stir-fries,
tofu and noodle
dishes, and pork
dishes like pig's
ear salad and salt-
pork stew. We en-
joyed a flavorful
rafti (square chunks
of miso- and
awamori-stewed pork)
that was far less
oily than average,
and a good goya
champuru, with small
blocks of Spam mixed
in with the tofu,
eggs and bitter
sliced gourd. Spam
was also a highlight
of the broccoli
quiche - richer and
less dry than the
usual bacon bits.

One unexpected menu
special was fresh
octopus from Akashi
(a seaport near
Kobe). Very tender
and not a bit rub-
bery, served with a
bit of herb-infused
olive oil for dip-
ping, it was some of
the best octopus
we've ever tasted.
If you're not in the
mood for coconutty
cocktails, the Aus-
tralian house wines
(Wolf Blass Chardon-
nay and Shiraz) go
nicely with the
food, and they're
sold by the glass,
decanter or bottle.
There are also trop-
ical beers from
Thailand (Singha),
Okinawa (Orion), and
Tahiti (Hinano),
plus Guinness.

The room is bright
and cheerful in the
daytime, and the
kitchen offers an
excellent, multi-
course Okinawan
lunch special for
Y1200, served until
4pm. Daytime or
night, the convivial
atmosphere makes
this a pleasant and
relaxing hideout
from the Shibuya
crowds.

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▼Photo (small)
▼Photo (large)
▼Map for AU phones
▼Map for DoCoMo

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◎Jinnan 1-4-2.
[from JR Shibuya
walk north for about
5 minutes alongside
the JR tracks past
Tower Records and
beyond, then turn
left just past the
fire station and go
up the hill a bit,
then turn right at
the first street;
look for the sign
for Aina on the
left]
◎Open noon-11:30pm
daily.

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