Capital Steakhouse

My husband has always been a steak and potatoes kind of guy, and there aren't too many good Japanese restaurants that serve that type of food. Luckily, we found Capital Steakhouse just down the road from the Courtney Housing gate. The restaurant is actually adjacent to the parking lot for our tower building, and you can often smell their take-out garlic chicken cooking during the day. The food is awesome, and the portions are (finally)big enough for a Marine- we often go here after my husband returns from field exercises! In our opinion, Capital is one of the best restaurants of the Courtney area!



Capital Steakhouse is a teppan yaki style restaurant. In Japanese, teppan yaki refers to meals that are cooked in front of you on a large flat metal cooking surface built into the table. Like most good teppan yaki restaurants, Capital offers steak, chicken, seafood and combination entrees, as well as a side of potatoes, stir fried bean sprouts, and a choice of bread or rice.



I usually treat myself to the steak, which is probably the most popular entree. Capital offers two cuts of meat: usually tenderloin and sirloin, but sometimes they vary. The small dinner is pictured here, and it's usually the perfect portion for me. My husband, on the other hand, could probably eat twice as much steak so he usually orders the large or a combination meal.



My friend Christina tried the barbecue chicken on this particular outing. She loved it, and I can say frome experience that it's delicious! The barbecue sauce is very good, and the chicken is always tender and juicy.



They also offer a wide selection of appetizers. Our favorite is the cheese sticks, which are fried cheddar cheese in panko with a honey dipping sauce, but there is something to fit every taste. They also offer a fairly good selection of cocktails, including their delicious Pineapple Mai Tai, a rum and pineapple juice drink that is served in a whole pineapple.



Capital is also very reasonably priced compared to other restaurants like it. The food is great, and you'll pay just over half of what you would at Sam's or Captain's Inn. My husband and I usually get out for around ¥5,500 for a huge dinner, appetizers, and drinks. They have a nice, relaxed atmosphere, too.

Their phone number is 098-973-4016 (Uruma Branch), and the staff speaks good English. Lunch is served from 11:30 am until 4:00 pm, and they are open for dinner until 11:00 pm, last I checked, but I'm not sure since we usually go early so we can walk in the housing gate.



To get there from Courtney, simply turn left out the housing gate, and it'll be immediately on your left. There is parking both in front of the building, and a small lot around the side, marked by the sign pictured above.



From McT, take a right out the gate onto Route 8. Continue until 75, and take a left. Continue through 3 stoplights, and it'll be on your right. The signs are a bit harder to see from this angle, but if the front parking is clear, you'll be greeted by this odd statue or a chubby Buddha face.


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If you live on Foster or Kadena, or like to wander down there during mealtimes like me, there is another branch of Capital Steakhouse on Route 23. It's located right next to Zion Church and in front of Delicious Sushi.

Mother Leaf Zenzai Stand

My friend Christina first introduced me to Mother Leaf Zenzai stand. Neither of us had heard of Zenzai before, so we looked it up, and discovered that it's a Japanese cold dessert, perfect for summertime!



Zenzai starts out with a huge mountain of shaved ice with Japanese sweet beans. You can top it or accessorize it with mochi, sweetened condensed milk, a flavored syrup, or a few other options (different beans, sugar topping, etc), if you like.

When I went, none of us were in the mood for Zenzai- to most Americans, beans just don't really go with dessert! Luckily, Mother Leaf also serves a variety of Kakigori- which is the Japanese word for shaved ice or a snow cone. They serve the typical Japanese flavors: Lemon, Melon, and Strawberry; and also Mango, Grape and Hawaiian Blue. You can choose a few different options, including sweetened condensed milk and red beans.



Lindsey isn't very fond of milk, so she chose a plain Lemon kakigori.

Christina and I chose Lemon kakigori with sweetened condensed milk. We were surprised at how well the milk and lemon flavors went together! It was very good.




The Mother Leaf Zenzai Stand is located on Route 75 just north of Camp Courtney. It's a little hole-in-the-wall place next door to the Family Mart. They accept yen, and when we went the staff spoke pretty good English. I couldn't find their hours, but their phone number is 989-0780.

To get there from Courtney, simply turn right out of the main gate, and look for the Family Mart on the right hand side of the road.

From McTureous, Take a right onto Route 8, then take a left on Route 75 to make your way past Courtney. Again, it'll be on the right.


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Rose Garden Tea Room

After another long interlude, I've finally gone out and had another awesome food adventure! Today I went to check mail with my friends Lindsey and Christina. After that, we decided that we didn't want to go home yet, and they were both hungry for lunch. On a whim, I suggested we try the cute little garden cafe just outside of Courtney's commissary side, which we learned later is called the Rose Garden Tea Room.



The building has a large tower with the word Coffee painted across the side, and a few conical spires reminiscent of a Disney castle. The beautiful garden the restaurant is named for has a wide array of flowers and marble statues that lend it an almost Victorian feel.



When you walk inside, you will be greeted with a vast array of whimsical statues, fascinating trinkets, artificial flowers and porcelain dolls. The decor feels like a fancy British tea room- the perfect atmosphere to have a high tea party with gloves and hats. There are sunny window tables with lounge chairs in the front, secluded areas with couches and tables, and cute little tables with windows facing the beautiful garden.



We expected a selection of teas and coffees and a few teatime snacks, but were pleasantly surprised when we saw the amount of options on the menu. They offered soup, salad, a few sandwiches, cake, cinnamon toast, and more than four full meal options.

Lindsey chose the ginger chicken meal, which cost ¥800, and mango juice (¥420) to drink. Her meal started off with a bacon corn chowder and a small side salad with a sweet Japanese dressing. The main course was a mix of sauteed onions, green peppers, and chicken in a ginger sauce.





Christina was brave and tried an egg sandwich that I couldn't quite read the kanji for. It turned out to be a fried egg sandwich with lettuce and tomato and mayonnaise. It cost ¥600, and included two sandwiches. She said the bread was very light and fluffy, and the sandwich was amazing. There was even a cherry in the middle of her sandwiches as a garnish! She also tried the mango juice, since mango is one of her favorite fruits.





I had already eaten lunch, so I chose the cinnamon toast and an iced caramel cappuccino for ¥1,020 total. The toast was a large piece of lightly toasted fluffy white bread with butter, whipped cream, cinnamon, and a cherry on top. The cappuccino was creamy and sweet with a large amount of whipped cream and caramel on top as well.





The Rose Garden Tea Room is open from 11:00 am until 11:00 pm, and they only accept yen.

To get there from Courtney commissary side, go out the gate, and turn left at the stop light. Take the first left, and you'll see the tall building labeled "Coffee" on your right.

From McTureous, turn right out the gate. Take a left onto 75, and continue just past the commissary intersection. Take the next left.


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