Zamami Shokudo Taro, a hidden restaurant in Uruma City popular for its elegant seasoning

Zamami Shokudo Tarou is located in Kanekadan, Uruma City. It is located in a rather confusing place, so it would be better to check the location with Google Maps before you go there. It was a weekday after 11:00 a.m. when I invited my parents to eat there, but the restaurant was already full and we had to wait about 20 minutes.

This is what the interior of Zamami Shokudo Taro looks like. It has the atmosphere of a small coffee shop or café rather than a diner. Okinawan folk music plays in the background, creating a cozy atmosphere.

This is the menu of Zamami Shokudo Taro. It is easy to understand because it comes with a picture.

I discussed with my parents which set meal we would like to have. Since the restaurant seems to be popular for its Nitsuke (boiled and seasoned fish), I chose the “Nitsuke Set Meal”. Since it was a hot weekday lunch, we chose the cool “Tempura Zaru Soba Set Lunch”. Then, my father, who still has a big appetite even in his old age, chose the “Well-baried rice bowl” set meal.

First is the “Nitsuke Set Meal” (1,000 yen). It is a generous portion of Nitsuke, consisting of three pieces of tender Tebichi and two pieces of cartilage soki. The Tebichi was so tender that I could easily cut it with chopsticks, and the texture was very tender. And the seasoning was very elegant! Elegant does not mean lightly seasoned. The broth seasoned with mirin (sweet cooking rice wine), san’on sugar, and soy sauce was very easy to eat. After thorough preparation and simmering for six hours, the Tebichi was tender and exquisite! My parents also enjoyed it, saying, “Delicious, delicious”.

Other than Tebichi, vegetables such as daikon radish and carrots were seasoned separately, so we can enjoy various tastes and textures even though they were all simmered in the same broth. The chawan-mushi (steamed rice in a bowl) that came with the set meal also had a very refined broth and authentic taste. As one would expect from the owner, who trained at a hotel restaurant, this is the taste of a Japanese cuisine expert. The set meal was also satisfying in terms of volume with a variety of small potted dishes.

Next is the “Tempura Zaru Soba Set Meal” (1,100 yen). This authentic zaru soba is a bit rare in Okinawa. The soba had a firm texture, and the tempura sauce was elegantly seasoned, making it the first good Japanese soba I have tasted in a long time.

Then there was the tempura. Unlike Okinawan-style tempura, which has a thick batter, this Japanese-style tempura has a crispy texture. The tempura batter was made of carbonated water to give it a crispy texture. The tempura sauce was also elegantly seasoned, and my elderly parents enjoyed eating it.

The “Well-baried rice bowl” (1,500 yen), which includes a bowl of seafood, a bowl of pork cartilage moro miso, and a bowl of tempura, is three different types of rice bowls, each with a different flavor and texture, so we could go on eating until the end without getting tired of it. My father, who will soon be a senior citizen, was chomping down on the food, saying it was “delicious. I am relieved that he has such a good appetite and looks healthy. It was the first time in a long time that I was able to show filial piety to my father at a delicious restaurant.

About Zamami Shokudo Tarou

Zamami Shokudo Tarou is a hidden gem in Uruma City. The dishes served by the owner, who was trained for many years at a hotel ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant), have a robust and elegant flavor, and in addition, the set menus are hearty with a variety of small dishes. I plan to visit again in a while, this time taking my children with me.

• Address: Zip
  904-2201 Kanekadan 1331-7, Uruma city, Okinawa
• Telephone: 090-1940-9028
• Closed: Sunday, Monday
• Parking: There is a parking lot in front of the restaurant
• 11:00～15:00
• Price: 1,000 yen ~ 1,500 yen
• Click here for Zamami Shokudo Taro’s Instagram.

The Zamami Shokudo Tarou is here ↓