by Amy Dose
On a mission to find somewhere new to dine out on a Friday night, my husband and I discovered, ‘Aloha Table’ Ocean Breeze, nestled in Yokohama’s Bay Quarter. We had a perfect view of Queen’s Square and Landmark Tower in the background. Glowing tiki torches lined the terrace, the décor inside was modern with subtle reminders of Hawaii. The menu was playful, fusing Hawaiian and Japanese flavors, offering ‘loco foods and pupus’, salads, main dishes, noodles and soup, rice bowls, and even a kids’ set. The staff was friendly, attentive, and our waiter improvised her best English skills.
We started off with a couple of their feature cocktails, my mouth watered just looking at the colorful and fruity options. I tried the Makalii: blueberry liquor, lychee liquor, vodka, cranberry and pineapple juice, while my husband had a traditional Long Island. I loved how they offered equally flavorful non-alcoholic drinks for drivers, like Olu Olu: passion fruit syrup, passion fruit juice and cranberry juice.
We shared the “Ahi Poke,” cubes of sashimi tuna, with subtle sesame flavors, scallions, and wakame. We also tried the “Mochico-Chicken,” lightly breaded and fried chicken pieces, sprinkled with sweet coconut powder served with lime wheels. The chicken was juicy and the coconut lime flavors blended nicely together. Always a sucker for a salad, we tried the spicy chicken and hearts of palm salad: a heaping mound of greens, tomatoes, diced hearts of palm and chicken tossed in a spicy, tangy, creamy dressing. For the main course, we shared sautéed pork loin with mustard. The meat was moist and the Dijon flavors didn’t overpower the dish, the fresh bits of cracked pepper in the gravy were a nice accompaniment along with sweet corn on the cob and fries. We’ll have to come back and try the swordfish picata with “smorked” soy sauce or beef steak with garlic sauce. For dessert we were tempted by the mud chocolate cake but settled on kona coffee and macadamia gelato. Satiated and pleased with our discovery we longed to end the night strolling along a white sandy beach.
Aloha Table is best known for carrying Muu Muu coffee with other locations in Nagoya and Tokyo. Reasonably priced, open for lunch and dinner, Aloha Table is a short five minute walk from Yokohama station situated in a great shopping and dining area.
Aloha Table Ocean Breeze, Yokohama Bay Quarter 4F, 1-10 Kinkoucho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama. Tel. 045-450-7356. Open 11am–11pm. www.aloha-table.jp.
