Italian Corrente Restaurant at the Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort

CONTRIBUTED BY: HIRO AKO

If you think finding authentic Italian food in Okinawa is a rather difficult task, if not impossible, I have an answer for you: Corrente.

Corrente is an Italian restaurant located inside the Hilton hotel in Chatan. My friends and I went there for dinner because I had heard that it was exceptional, which is certainly true of the food but also the atmosphere. They offer various course meals, stone oven baked pizzas, and an a la carte menu of traditional to modern Italian cuisine. The wine list was substantial and covered regions of Italy, France, Australia and the States. They also have a wide variety of cocktail drinks ranging from the very basics to their original mixology drinks.

Corrente has done a great job in making the atmosphere very elegant with its chic furniture and great view of the pool and the garden.

The main dining area was set with well spaced tables and romantic lighting, yet the room was not too dim as each table had a lamp that provided just the right amount of light to see the dishes. It’s a very relaxed environment and is perfect for couples and families.

They rotate course meals every season and this time I decided to try out the “Napoli Set Menu” (6,500 yen).

The cold capellini with eggplant “Aglo Dolce” definitely set a promising tone. The tomato sauce was unexpectedly flavorful and paired up perfectly with the eggplant. Even more thrilling was the freshly hand made angel hair pasta that was perfectly cooked to the right texture.

The swordfish confit was served with molasses sauce and garnished with dill and onions. The swordfish was sweet and lightly cooked, while the garnish and the sauce brought an interesting extra dimension to the dish.

Fettuccine with braised Okinawa pork was another tomato based pasta but was creamier than the capellini. The pasta texture was, again, superb. I was truly impressed: the pork was outstanding, the sauce lovely and the pasta flawless.

The last main dish was the roasted veal tenderloin with lemon pepper and was served with artichoke puree, asparagus, zucchini and ricotta cheese sauce. The veal was cooked to perfection with a hint of salt and lemon pepper bringing out the sweetness of the veal but the ricotta cheese sauce as well as the artichoke puree added nothing to me.

The dessert Baba looked very promising with whipped cream overflowing from the pastry but did not live up to the expectation. The creme was tasty, very light and had the right amount of sweetness, and the fruit component added the zest and acidity that enhanced the flavor of the creme. It would have been good if it ended there, but the problem came with the cake. To me this cake was just bread soaked in rum. I wanted it to have a bit more texture and bite to the cake. It is a traditional Italian dessert so it must be made the right way but soggy cake is a no-no for me.

Overall, I had a pleasant experience at Corrente. The service was splendid, waitress very attentive and each dish arrived at the right pace. My friends ordered other courses and an a la carte dish off the menu and they were each very happy with their meal as well. The dishes were simple, yet tasty, and gorgeously arranged making it memorable.

Italian Corrente Restaurant at the Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort

Hours: Lunch time: 11:30 a.m. ~ 3:00 p.m.
Dinner time: 5:30 p.m. ~ 10:00 p.m. (last order 9:30 p.m.)
Bar time: 5:30 p.m. ~ 11:30 p.m. (bar food last order 10:30 p.m. Bar drink last order 11:00 p.m.)

Phone: 098-901-1130

Website: hiltonchatan.jp/restaurants/

Payment: Accepts major credit cards and Yen

Address: 40-1 Mihama, Chatan-chō, Okinawa Prefecture 904-0115

*Located on the 1st floor of Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort.

GPS Coordinates: 26.3184248, 127.75473160000001

Directions: From the Foster commissary gate, turn right (north) on 58.  Turn left at the traffic light where 58 intersects with 24. Head straight towards the harbor and you will see the Hilton ahead.