Gon is a soba restaurant in Ginowan that specializes in Okinawan soba. I am not a big fan of Okinawan soba. However I do recommend this one as it tastes very good!
Scroll down to the bottom of this page for directions.
What to expect?
From left to right
On the picture below, on the left you have black chopsticks. Help yourself.
The other one is Shima Toogarashi Kooreeguusu. It is Chile pepper soaked in Awamori rice liquor. A speciality of Okinawa.
Scroll down to the bottom of this page for directions.
Why is it good?
The soup used with Okinawan soba is usually made from pork, which gives the soup an oily quality. In Gon, they don't seem to use it (or maybe in smaller quantities) and the soup is mainly made using Katsuo-bushi (かつおぶし), dried and smoked bonito flakes. The soup has a light texture, "assari shita suupu" (あっさりしたスープ), as opposition to "kotteri shita suupu" (こってりしたスープ), a soup with a thick texture such as the soup used for Ramen.
When you enter the restaurant, they will inquire about the number of people you are.
"nanmei sama desu ka" なんめいさまですか （何名様ですか）
If you are one person, answer "Hitori desu". ひとりです（一人です）
Two people, "Futari desu" ふたりです（二人です）
Three people, "San nin desu" さんにんです（３人です）
Four people, "Yon nin desu" よんにんです（４人です）
And so on. Check the lesson about Japanese counters for more details.
Then they will show you to your table.
If you want to sit at a particular table, you can ask for it.
Zashiki ざしき（座敷）= Tatami mats If you want to experience Japanese traditional style, choose this one.
Teeburu seki テーブルせき （テーブル席）= Regular Table
Kauntaa seki カウンターせき （カウンター席）= Counter seat
If they show you to the counter seat, and you want the tatami, ask them: "Zashiki demo ii desu ka".
ざしきでも いいですか （座敷でもいいですか）
Note that they might not be able to accede to your request sometimes as they have so many customers every day.
Also, if you are by yourself, they would rather have you sit at the counter.
As you can see in the picture below, the tatami are on the left, the counter seats in the middle and the table seats on the right.
If you choose the Zashiki, don't forget to take off your shoes.
Let's have a look at the menu!
From left to right
You have Mix Soba on the left.
This is a combination of the three type of meat (see after) they offer in their menu.
Soki Soba are stewed pork spare ribs usually with the cartilage still attached, but boiled to the extreme so meat and cartilage are very soft.
Nankotsu Soba - Pork with cartilage, this type is usually hard.
San Mai Niku Soba (three layer meat) - Thick slices of pork belly. This is the one I usually order; easy to eat, and delicious.
If you don't like meat, order the one on the right : Kake Soba- Just noodle without meat.
They usually top it with "Kamaboko" (a type of fish cured surimi), "negi" (sliced green onions), and the red strange thing on the very top would be "beni shooga" (prickled ginger).
If you don't want something in the topping, say it when you order.
I don't want green onions= Negi nashi de onegai shimasu. ネギなしでおねがいします （ネギなしでお願いします。）
You don't want ginger= beni shooga nashi de onegai shimasu. べにしょうがなしでおねがいします （紅ショウガなしでお願いします）
And so on.
The "onegai shimasu" is used when making a request or asking for a favor to someone.
When you ask for water or something to buy, you would rather use "kudasai".
I want some water= "mizu o kudasai" みずをください （水をください）
I want this = "kore o kudasai" これをください
I want kake soba= "kake soba o kudasai" かけそばをください
On the upper right of the menu is the rice menu. You can choose rice bowl, or Onigiri-type rice (salty riceball). Personally, I don't eat rice with soba.
And below that, you have the drink menu. From top to bottom are the soft drinks. They cost each 160 yen
You have Kora (coke), Karupisu (kind of yoghurt water), Orenji (Orange juice), Ramune (Lemon pop), Shiikwaasaa (Okinawan tangerine, very sour), Aisu Koohii (Ice coffee), and Sanpin Cha (Okinawan Jasmin tea).
The last drink at 550 yen is Orion Beer.(Orion Biiru)
On the bottom right are the information about the restaurant: they are open from 11.00 to 20.00 but they close earlier if they sell their whole stock of noodle for the day.
They also have information of the two other restaurants they have on the island.
Time to eat!
If you need water, it is self service, you can help yourself. The waiter will bring you your first glass of water anyway.
If you have little children with you, you can borrow one of the baby seats they have in the tatami room. You don't need to ask for permission.
When they bring your order, they will also give you this.
This is your bill. It will be face down as it is customary in Japan.
You also have two type of spices that you can add to the soup if you like spicy food.
The first one (the redder and smaller one) is Shichimi Toogarashi, literally "the seven flavored spices", it is red cayenne pepper mixed with other spices.
The other one is Shima Toogarashi Kooreeguusu. It is Chile pepper soaked in Awamori rice liquor. A speciality of Okinawa.
Go easy with that one. Seriously. Try only a few drops to taste it first or you are going to waste your day. Mark my words.
When you're done eating, take your bill and go to the register. A staff should come immediately.
If they don't, you can say aloud: "okaikei onegaishimasu". おかいけいおねがいします （お会計お願いします）
Kaikei is the bill, literally it means "the count "
There are other way to say the bill: okanjo onegaishimasu. おかんじょうおねがいします。（お勘定お願いします。）
Then, if you haven't put too much Chile pepper in your soup, you can say "gochisoo sama deshita" (thank you for the meal) and leave.
ごちそうさまでした。（ご馳走様でした）
Let me know if you liked it!
Here is the address of the restaurant
Isa 4-2-14
Ginowan City
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