Off of the Northwest coast of the Okinawa Island lies Ie Island. A short ferry ride will take you to this scenic and beautiful get away that has lovely white sandy beaches. This little side trip while staying in Okinawa was a wonderful adventure of sights and food. After arriving, getting checked in and taking a trip to the beach; we stopped in for a quick bite to eat at the YYY club resort restaurant. Being an adventurous eater, I opted for the Mt. Gusuku burger, and a mountain of burger it was. Layered with lettuce, tomato and beef; this towering burger was hard to get your mouth around. The burger was juicy and hit the spot after a morning of lounging on the beach.
A multi-course dinner was included with our stay, so after a relaxing afternoon we headed down to a culinary experience that made my night. There were three options: Japanese, Western or BBQ. I selected Japanese while my less adventurous traveling companions selected the Western (One hoping that would mean avoiding fish- but alas that did not pan out quite as planned). First is the Western Dinner.
Seven Course Western Menu
Table Settings- can you figure out which utensil goes with each course? (Even our knowledge of Pretty Woman did not help with this).
Course 1: Salsa Infused Fish Cocktail- Tuna, Squid, Octopus with Cilantro, lime, and Mango Salsa
Fresh baked bread rolls and baguette
Course 2: Pan fried Chicken on bed of Greens 
Course 7: Dessert Selection On the right is a Roll Cake (Nutmeg based) with coffee; on the Left triple layer chocolate cheesecake with hot tea
Some of the other dessert options were: apple tart, New York Style Cheesecake, Beni-umo cheesecake, White Chocolate and Beni-umo Cheesecake, and Chocolate cake. All of them looked fabulous and sad that I could not try them all.
Multi-Course Japanese Menu
I was extremely excited about this meal and could hardly contain my enthusiasm. I tried every item although there were a few that I did not eat much of.
First Tray- Starting from Bottom center and working clockwise: Squid Roll, Octopus, Seared Duck, Tuna and Squid with Wasabi , dish of soy. The squid/octopus roll was delightful and unexpected. I wish I could tell you what exactly was in this delicious confection, but there were some lost in translation moments throughout the evening. The raw octopus/squid on the right was chewy and had an ok flavor, but there was nothing really powerful about it. The seared duck was tasty alone, but I preferred it with a bit of the soy sauce. The raw tuna was absolutely may favorite on this tray. Dipped in the wasabi and soy mixture, it was delightful.
Tray 2: Pork Spare Ribs
What can I say about this dish that will make up for the blurry picture. This was a delight for the taste buds in its succulance and tenderness. The meat was so perfectly prepared that it just fell off the bone. It had a nice flavor with the right amount of spices and not overly salty as is common in the States.
Tray 3: Leaf wrapped barbecued white fish
This was a tangy dish which was unexpected from its appearance and smell. The fish, once unwrapped had a really nice sear to it but the glaze somewhat indicated a more tomato based flavor. Instead this fish had a nice citrus glaze that brought out the flavor of the fish and complimented it nicely.
Tray 4: Miso soup, white rice,
pickled cucumber, pickled eggplant,
and fried white fish with greens and soy broth.
This tray had some hits and misses for me. The miso soup is a traditional dish that varies per restaurant. Sometimes it is a lite broth with just a hit of fish and other times the fish is almost overpowering. In this case the fish was a bit strong but once I added a bit of the rice, I enjoyed it much better. Pickled dishes are not like American pickled dishes. These had a much stronger vinegar base and far less sugar to off set. The cucumber pickles were tangy and quite delicious, the eggplant however did not win me over, but I tried a bite before deciding. The fried white fish dish was really good, and I was a bit sad when it was all gone. The fish was crisp and the greens set off the taste nicely.
Tray 5: Green Tea and Sweet Potato Mousse
The meal was capped off with light and refreshing Sweet Potato Mousse (the sweet potato is a staple in many meals in Okinawa, but the potato turns a purple color when cooked unlike American varieties). This mousse was not a sweet dessert, instead it was a palate cleansing dessert that topped off the meal rather nicely. Coupled with the after dinner green tea, you felt full but not so painfully full that you wonder if you can move.
The Next Morning: A Breakfast Buffet Like I Have Never Seen
This was not your typical American breakfast buffet, no sir. This buffet had a blend of cultural staples from Japan and America. I did not get a picture of the fruit/salad bar which had extremely fresh pineapple; nor did I get a picture of the juice bar which had about 8 types of juice including guava.
However, below is a picture of the array of foods offered:
Hashbrown triangles/ Toast (with cheese, ham, cream sauce) Fried Rice/ White Fish Picata
Grilled Horse Mackerel/ Fried vegetable and noodles Loin Ham/ Sausage
Simmered Beef with Potato/ Scrambled Egg Steamed White Rice
Chinese Dumpling/ Mustard/ Soy Sauce Miso Soup/ Vegetable Soup
Fried Burdock Root/ Sauteed pork with egg Soy sauce/ Pickles (variety)
Assorted Breads (rolls, Pancakes)
I did my best to try a little bit of everything, but there was a lot! I failed to get pictures of the fresh fruit and salad bar which was absolutely the best part for me. The fresh pineapple was so juicy and full of great tangy flavor. There was also a huge beverage bar with hot coffee, hot/cold teas, and a variety of juices. This was a great finale to my food adventure at the YYY club. Everything was freshly coked, perfect temperature, and really quite tasty (even if it was a dish that felt odd to eat for brunch).
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