Oumiya

Rating: Very good
Meal: Lunch
Price: 670 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes: Miso katsu teishoku
English Menu: No
Smoking:Yes

I love it when I "discover" a new spot right somewhere I thought I'd already discovered everything.  Yesterday I rode my bike off base for lunch and decided to try out a little restaurant attached to the only ryoukan (Japanese style Inn) located in downtown Yokosuka.  It's a few blocks from our apartment and Womble gate, behind the Saikaya department store.  What caught my eye today was the sign outside saying today's special was "miso katsu" aka deep fried meat (chicken here) with miso sauce poured over top.  It's a Nagoya specialty, so you don't see it often in these parts, but I love it.

I went in and after the staff got over their initial shock (they must not get many foreigners brave enough to open the door), they showed to a table.  At first I was worried it was all tatami mat seating, but then I saw the deep area beneath the tables where you legs go and was happy again.

The menu is a bit hilarious, featuring chicken katsu, jumbo chicken katsu, and gigajumbo chicken katsu.  There are lots of good looking lunch items for great prices on the menu.  Unfortunately, it's definitely a smoking establishment, so you are likely to get a lung full of second hand smoke while eating there.

My teishoku arrived, and I was quite pleased.  The chicken katsu was a nice golden color, and amazingly even though white meat was used it was quite moist and delicious.  The miso sauce was ok, not the best I've had, being a bit too sweet, but still has that delicious red miso taste.  A big surprise were the seaweed (I think) pickles, which were super soft and not sour at all.  Really tasty.  The bowl of rice was huge and I couldn't finish it all.

Overall, very good, and I wouldn't mind trying some of their other dishes.  I'd also like to check out the ryoukan some day.