En-joy: Japanese on Taikang Lu

The Japanese restaurant En on Taikang Lu serves regional Okinawan cuisine, which is stamped with the imprints of its Chinese and other southeast Asian neighbors. Amidst the fresh sashimi, fermented cuttlefish, and crispy yakitori that En's menu shares with its mainland Japanese brethren, you'll also come across the quintessential Okinawan goya chanpuru (40 RMB), a stir fry with egg, tofu and chunks of bitter melon clinging to thinly sliced pork belly. Or a somen version of the chanpuru (38 RMB), with thin angel hair-like pasta swimming in meaty fragrance. Pork plays an important role in Okinawan cooking, and at En there is no better manifestation of this than the negi chashu (45 RMB), thick slices of pork with streaks of fatty goodness, smothered in green onions and miso. Wash all that down with , the island's wonderful wheat-based shochu.

En may be dressed up as an izakaya-ish drinking destination, but even for the hardiest of teetotalers it's a bona fide establishment well worth the trip for its well prepared deliciousness.

En - Unit 20, Lane 248 Taikang Lu, near Ruijin Lu (泰康路248弄20铺, 近瑞金路) Phone: 5466-0857, Hours: 11am - midnight

Eric Hu is Shanghaiist's Food Editor. Email tips, recommendations, and news and gossip about Shanghai's food scene to food at shanghaiist.com.