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If you want to enjoy tasty Italian cuisine at a reasonable price and in a scenic setting, the newly opened Buffet Restaurant Grapachina is definitely a great option.
Grapachina offers an “all-you-can-eat” buffet for breakfast and lunch, while serving up a wide-range Italian dishes of meat, pasta, pizza, appetizers and dessert for dinner.
According to restaurant owner Mitsuhiro China, the restaurant staff prides itself in offering original Italian tastes.
“Dishes here are all homemade,” China said. “Even the maple syrup for French toast and the seasonings for our salads are made by us.”
The owner’s son, Kazuto China, is the head chef. He used to cook French and Italian dishes in a high-end resort hotel and has won several cooking awards, including the prestigious Okinawa Governor Cooking Award. So, the breakfast and lunch buffets give you a chance to enjoy the award-winning chef’s original dishes.
The breakfast buffet for 1,100 yen includes five types of bread, biscuits, French toast, boiled meat, potatoes, sausage, minced beef stewed with cream sauce, crispy bacon and 2 types of soup.
The lunch buffet for 1,300 yen includes three types of pizza, three types of pasta, roast pork, roast chicken, 2 types of curry, crab croquette, hashed brown, salad and soft drinks.
Dinner at the restaurant, however, gives you another attraction – a breathtaking view of the sun setting. As Grapachina faces beach to the west, you can enjoy the vista while enjoying savory dishes on the restaurant’s terrace.
For dinner, the elder China highly recommended the “4-hour chicken,” an herb-flavored roast chicken for 1,500 yen. The whole chicken is stewed in broth made from soy-sauce, garlic and various herbs for four hours before it is roasted.
This review was first published on Stripes Okinawa website on Oct. 27, 2015.
“By stewing chicken for four hours, it comes out especially crispy on its surface while the inside maintains a soft and chewy texture,” said China, who said the dish is a great on to with family and friends.
China is also planning to offer this original roast chicken as a “to-go” dish during the holiday season.
Fishermen’s Pasta, which features clams, crab, shrimp and squid smothered in an original yuzu (Japanese lime) flavored cream sauce for 1,500 yen is another popular dinner dish.
“With this dish, you can enjoy variety of seafood at once,” China said.
Grapachina is also known for its pizza, which is cooked in a stone oven. China recommended calling ahead to order the pizza, which will served right after you sit down.
Only a five-minute drive from Camp Foster, this Chatan eatery that can serve up to 100 people at a time opened in September and has already served up tasty Italian to many American service members and their families, according to China.
As the restaurant is situated at the entrance of Araha Beach, swimmers in their bathing suits often stop by to enjoy the delicious Italian cuisine. A shower room is available for customers, China said.
Visit Grapachina for breakfast, lunch and dinner to enjoy original Italian tastes prepared by a renowned chef.
takiguchi.takahiro@stripes.com
Buffet Restaurant Grapachina
Hours: Thu – Tue, 7 a.m.-10 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.Address: 2-15-1 [1F] Chatan, Chatan Town, Nakagami-gunWebsite (in Japanese): tabelog.com/okinawa/A4703/A470304/47016678/Tel: 098-989-9687
Photos courtesy of Buffet Restaurant Grapachina
