It has been seven years since our last visit to Okinawan Diner Nirai-Kanai, which we believe is the only restaurant serving Okinawa cuisine in Singapore. At that time, they were in the Liang Court shopping mall. Liang Court was demolished to be redeveloped into a mixed-use, integrated development named CanningHill Piers. In the meantime, the restaurant relocated to Great World City several years ago. This was my first visit to their new location.
Still Cozy After All These Years
We were glad to see that the distinctive decor of Okinawan Diner Nirai-Kanai restaurant had been retained. The dark wood panelled partitions and furniture still add to the vibes of a casual izakaya in Japan. The small booths with hangers for office workers to hang their coats are still there. But there are some differences. The previous location in Liang Court was in the corner of a dark basement level with an even more authentic atmosphere. The current one on prime ground floor space has bright busy corridors around it. Still familiar but it felt slightly less rustic.
The smaller booths have so much character.
Okinawan Diner Nirai-Kanai Menu
A Japanese meal in this restaurant is very different from what you will find in the average Japanese restaurant in Singapore. With the southern location of Okinawa and its proximity to China on the west, many of the Okinawan dishes are similar to Chinese dishes. Mainstream Japanese restaurant items such as tempura dishes and sashimi are also available.
The Okinawan Diner Nirai-Kanai menu is a large A4 sized book with big clear pictures. It is easy to order at this restaurant. Here are pictures of some sample pages of the menu.
Okinawan Lunch at Great World City
First to be served were two very Chinese dishes – simmered pork belly ($9.80 for 2 pieces) and stir-fried bitter gourd, bean curd and egg ($7 for small portion). These are familiar dishes that made us feel at home in this restaurant. The bitter gourd was excellent with a right amount of bitterness. We would have liked the pork better if it was not so dry but the gravy was nice.
The pan-fried dumplings ($12.50) were ok but not very memorable.
Grilled collar of yellowtail tuna ($14) is a more common dish in Japanese restaurants. This was the best dish of the day. It was not very big but was sufficiently meaty. The cooking was done just right leaving a thin crisp skin outside and a moist juicy inside.
To complete this Chinese style lunch at a Japanese restaurant, some rice was needed. There was a choice of plain steamed rice or Okinawan seasoned rice which costs slightly more. We chose the latter which turned out to be a good decision as the rice was very delicious.
Overall, it was a nostalgic and enjoyable lunch at the Okinawan Diner Nirai-Kanai restaurant, formerly at Liang Court now in Great World City.
Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 3
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 
Okinawan Diner Nirai-Kanai
#01-107/108 Great World City
1 Kim Seng Promenade
Singapore 237994
Tel: +65 6339 4811
Opening Hours: 11.30 am – 10.20 pm
MRT Station: Great World (TE15)
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
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