01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
A regional staple from the Amami Islands, abura somen tosses boiled thin wheat noodles with vegetables in a savory stir-fry. Fragrant and lightly chewy, it serves equally well as a main dish or as an accompaniment to drinks. At Asaina in Nihonbashi-Horidomecho, this specialty shares the table with home-style cooking drawn from across Okinawa and the Amami archipelago.
Braised soki spare ribs are simmered down in sweet soy until even the cartilage turns tender enough to part with chopsticks. The rich juices steeped out from the bone enrich the sauce, yielding deep, satisfying meat that finishes remarkably clean. Smaller plates designed for sharing are just as appealing, from crisp mozuku seaweed tempura that keeps its distinct texture inside, to goya champuru balancing the bitterness of bitter melon with tofu and egg.
Drinks run from crisp Orion draft beer on tap to a house draft beer blended with freshly squeezed bitter melon for a touch of astringency. The spirit selection spans Yoron Island's brown-sugar shochu Shimayusen, Tokunoshima's Aja, and aged vintage kusu awamori from various island distilleries, served neat, on the rocks, or mixed in carafes with water and ice.
To finish, diners can choose Amami's signature keihan—rice topped with chicken and condiments, bathed in light poultry broth—or soothing soki soba in clear soup, alongside rich squid-ink fried noodles. Evening seats fill up quickly, making advance reservations a good idea whether dining with a group or spending an unhurried night at the counter or tables over regional island dishes.
