This post was written in 2008. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
About halfway up Okinawa’s main island there’s a fishing port called Awase that tourists hardly ever stop at. It has a small seafood market called the Payao Direct Store. I went on a tip from someone who knows Okinawa well. The market opens fairly early, but the restaurant inside only starts serving at 11. I got there a bit early, so I looked around the market before the restaurant opened.
Frozen ise-ebi (spiny lobster)
Looks tasty.
A fish I don’t know.
Sea snails
The whole market
It’s really small. Feels more like a slightly large fish shop.
Still, it has everything you’d want.
Fish
An odd-looking fish
At 11 the restaurant finally opened.
What I ordered: the 1,800-yen ise-ebi grilled with sea urchin set meal.
A close-up.
A medium-sized ise-ebi, nicely grilled. One side is evenly spread with uni. There’s butter in it, so it was a little rich, but it’s really savory. The meat was so firm and springy that it was the best shrimp or lobster I’ve ever eaten. For 1,800 yen, that’s a real bargain.
Sashimi
Nice and fresh too.
The shell after I’d finished
It was really big.
It’s not easy to find, but it’s a place I’d love to go back to.