I was given a complimentary voucher to eat at Ryoji so price was not an issue. To be perfectly fair though, the lunch menu was a bargain with deliciously prepared sous vide pork belly at only $6. The fact that the meal was free did not affect my taste buds. The food was overall very tasty and very well-prepared.
We had the Rafute (pork belly), and the signature Nanban deep-fried chicken. The pork belly was melt in your mouth and infused with flavour while the chicken was crisp with a thin batter and very moist and tender inside. We had the Okinawan soba in a flavourful bonito and pork broth. But the most exciting dish was the Okinawan Goya Champru - a bitter melon stir fry topped with bonito fish flakes that swayed in the steam. Quite a showpiece! A complex mix of taste and textures. This dish was specially ordered as it was on the online menu but not on the lunch menu. The chef agreed to prepare it because the restaurant was not busy today, it being the last long weekend of the summer.
The Okinawan donut dessert was the perfect ending to the meal. For more details, please visit my blog at www.foodsparks.blogspot.ca...
Service was attentive and flexible. I gave the chef extra points for preparing a dish that is not on the lunch menu. I suspect the quiet day helped. Ambiance was glitzy - mirrored walls and ceiling, not what I normally expect but then I'm not twentysomething.