(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
After a recent visit to Torii Station, I decided to have lunch in Yomitan Village because the neighborhood’s vibe is so enticing.
After a quick search on Instagram, I had one place in mind. That was how I came to eat at Yomitan Lazor Club, located to the north of Torii Beach BS in the vicinity of Toya Fishing Port.
Driving on a narrow road that cuts through farmland in the rural neighborhood took me to this restaurant housed in Lazor Sea Resort, a beachfront hotel.
As I took a step inside, its great ocean view immediately caught my attention. I could see the water and sandy shore shine as they drew a stark contrast of blue and white under the sunlight. I took a seat by the window to make the most of the great view.
Lunch menu items include the LAZOR Burger (2,800 yen approx. $17.78), Grilled Steak (3,300 yen), Seafood Paella (2,500 yen), and Tonkatsu (2,400 yen), all of which came with a buffet for salad, rice, soup, sweets and drink.
Once I placed an order for Seafood Paella, I picked up a plate at the buffet section and served myself lettuce, tomatoes, radish, corn, and tuna for salad. It was my plan to save dessert for later, but the Mango Pudding and Almond Tofu were too hard to resist. So, I jumped the gun and went back to my seat with a plateful of sweets and salad.
Having the vegetables with Caesar dressing felt very refreshing. While the pudding had a delicate sweetness, the tofu had distinct sourness thanks to passion fruit mixed in. I had a lot of fun trying the various tastes and textures.
When my paella was brought to my table, I was already in a good mood. But the Spanish dish made it even better. Served up with squid rings, mussels, clams, black olives, paprika, shrimp, plus a slice of lemon, the food impressed me immediately with the beautiful presentation and rich scent of seafood. As I dug in, I was hooked to the exquisite flavor of the seafood condensed in the golden colored rice.
Since it became popular in this country in the 2000s, I have tried paella many times. But my experience with the food was often hit and miss, many times not living up to my expectations. This paella by Lazor, however, turned out to be a home run.
The rich taste of seafood and the beautiful ocean of Yomitan took me away from the ordinary, letting me think of Ibiza.
Things to know
GPS coordinates: 26.394927, 127.721446
Hours: 7 – 10 a.m. (breakfast, last order at 9:30 a.m.), noon – 3 p.m. (last order at 2:30 p.m.), 5 – 9:30 p.m. (last order at 9 p.m.)
Website
AloJapan.com