Traditional Culinary Concepts at Hinone

At Hinone Mizunone on South King Street (near Cosmo-Yajima service station), you can enjoy home-style cooking Japanese style in a comfortable setting with some extra special touches.

Starting with the rice, or in Hinone Mizunone’s case, the kamadaki gohan, which is cooked in an old-fashion rice cooker called an ogama that has to be carefully monitored and timed to perfection.

“You can taste the sweetness in our rice,” says Eiki Tamaki, operations manager. “And when it’s cold and you reheat, it’ll taste the same.”

The menu features a great selection of everyday Japanese food, including traditional Teishoku (combo) meals with a variety of chicken, pork and fish options, as well as tempura, fried oysters and sizzling hamburger steak. Also on the menu are Japanese curry dishes and udon.

The ichiban or No. 1 seller is Chicken “Ama-Kara Age” ($11), which is crispy fried chicken with grated daikon and a sweet ginger sauce. It also comes with a piece of fried eggplant, pumpkin, Okinawan sweet potato and string beans.

“It looks like regular fried chicken but when you eat it, it’s really refreshing,” notes Tamaki. “And it doesn’t have a greasy texture or flavor.”

Also popular are the traditional Karaage — Japanese-style fried chicken ($9.50) and Tempura shrimp, squid and vegetables ($13) Teishoku. Each Teishoku is served with rice, miso soup, pickles (tsukemono) and two side dishes that change daily, ranging from kabocha and eggplant to cold tofu, hijiki (seaweed) and kimpira gobo. Prices may slightly differ for dinner.

In business for about four years, Hinone Mizunone is open for lunch and dinner, and also sells bentos ($5.50 to $10.50) and Spam musubi ($2.50) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until it’s sold out. Head chef Teruo Aonuma brings more than 43 years of culinary experience to the open kitchen, including work in Japan. Free parking is available behind the restaurant.

Hinone Mizunone