Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant @ Liang Court - A Different Type Of Japanese Cuisine

It has been a long while since I last visited Nirai Kanai Okinawan at Liang Court in 2012. This time I am back with my colleagues who are interested to find out more about Okinawan food. Even though Okinawa is part of Japanese but their cuisine is very different from the main land.

Peanut Bean Curd 2.8/5

We started with some light bites such as the Peanut Beancurd ($6.50). The texture of the beancurd is almost pudding like. However I find it hard to appreciate the combination of peanut with the silky smooth texture.

Salted Young Fish & Salted Bonito on Okinawan Cold Bean Curd 1/5

We decided to be adventurous and ordered the Salted Young Fish and Salted Bonito on Okinawan Cold Beancurd ($9). Unfortunately it turned out to be a horror decision. the salted young fish and bonito were extremely fishy. I could not accept the acquire taste.

Pig's Ear Marinated with Ponzu Sauce 4/5

The last time I visited the restaurant I had the Pig's Ear ($8) with peanut sauce but this time we had it with the ponzu sauce instead. The ponzu sauce gave the pig's ear a new refreshing dimension on top of its crunchy texture.

Green Caviar - Seaweed with Ponzu Sauce 3.5/5

Whetting up the appetite is the Green Caviar - Seaweed with Ponzu Sauce ($14). The popping saltiness complemented by the tangy ponzu sauce for a delectable appetizer.

Tacos Rice 4/5

We are actually quite surprised to find Tacos Rice ($15.80) on the menu. My guess is that the dish comes about because of the America navy base in Okinawa. Over the years, it may have influenced the cuisine in Okinawa. Served in a hot pot, the dish comes with minced spicy beef, lettuce, cheese, salsa sauce and rice, Give it a good toss for the sauces to coat the rice for a fragrant and cheesy enjoyment.

Okinawan Seasoned Rice Ball 4.2/5

The other rice dish on the menu we tried is the Okinawan Seasoned Rice Ball ($6.50 for 2pc). Beautifully seasoned, it somewhat reminded me of the Chinese's glutinous rice used in rice dumpling. I enjoyed it and this is one item I will order in my next visit.

Aosa Seaweed Tempura 3/5

While the Aosa Seaweed Tempura ($8.80 for 2pc/ $13 for 4pc) has a good crispy bite, I find that the flavour was rather bland. It needed some extra savoury element to boost the finishing or it felt like eating a pile of grass.

Simmered Pork Belly 4.2/5

The Simmered Pork Belly ($9.80 for 2pc / $14.80 for 4pc) is one of the dishes I enjoyed during my previous visit hence I recommended by colleagues to try. It is still a very enticing dish with the wobbly layer of fats attached to the well braised lean part of the pork. However I felt that the texture was not as soft as I remembered. It seemed like it needed more time to break it down more.

Pan Fried Salted Pork Belly 3.5/5

Known as the Okinawan beacon it the Pan Fried Salted Pork Belly ($12). Nothing fantasy, just like eating a big piece of sio bak to appreciate the the crispy pork belly.

Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with Pork, Okinawan Bean Curd and Okinawan Egg 4.8/5

The highlight at Nirai Kanai OKinawan for me is the Stir Fried Bitter Gourd with Pork, Okinawan Bean Curd and Okinawan Egg ($7 small/ $9.50 large). It was a hearty and comforting dish that probably can be eaten in every Okinawan's home. Though simple, I like how it was executed with the runny egg coating the crunchy bitter gourd, complemented for the silky tofu for that contrast in textures.

In fact, Okinawan cuisine is rather unique. It is totally different from Japanese cuisine that we know. In short, it felt like many of the dishes were Chinese inspired while some probably influenced by the American. I also noted that Okinawan cuisine simple to be focus in pork, tofu and bitter gourd.


Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant
Liang Court Shopping Centre
177 River Valley Road
#B1-01/02
Singapore 179030
Tel: +65 63394811
Nearest MRT: Fort Canning (DT Line), Clarke Quay (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm
Sat-Sun: 12pm - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Fort Canning MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn right and walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Clarke Quay MRT station. Take Exit C, F or G. Walk along the river toward Riverside Point direction. Cross the bridge to the other end of the river. Turn left and walk towards Liang Court. Journey time about 10  minutes. [Map]

3) Alight at Clarke Quay MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to bus stop at Clark Quay Station (Stop ID 04222). Take bus number 54. Alight 2 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]

Buta Kin @ Beauty World Food Centre - Cheap Japanese Ramen at $6.90 And Below

When I heard that there was a new ramen stall at Beauty World Food Centre, I gathered a few foodie friends to check out to check out the stall. Buta Kin at Beauty World Food Centre offers 5 types of ramen/udon dishes and 4 different Japanese curry dishes on their menu with most items not more than $6. Sounds like a steal isn't it? Let's us find out whether the taste matches up to the price.

Special Tonkotsu Ramen 3/5

The most expensive item on the menu is the Special Tonkotsu Ramen ($6.90). Diner has a choice of either ramen and udon. The bowl of ramen comes with 3 slices of pork belly, black fungus, half boiled egg and seaweed. Why the ingredients are generous, the taste was rather lacklustre. The broth lacked the robustness of good tonkotsu soup based. It felt more like have a bowl of Chinese La Mian instead.

Tonkotsu Black 2.8/5

Same goes to the Tonkotsu Black ($6) which comes with a slice of char siew and black fungus, it is disappointing. This is not Japanese ramen at all. Both the noodles and soup is way of the mark of the standard ramen.

While the presentation and price of the Japanese ramen is very attractive, the taste was a let down. Unless you are satisfy with just a bowl of average la mian disgusted as Japanese ramen at a reasonable low price, I would advise giving this a miss.

Buta Kin
Beauty World Food Centre
144 Upper Bukit Timah
#04-41
Singapore 588177
Facebook
Nearest Station: Beauty World (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Beauty World MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Lewin Terrace @ Fort Canning - An Autumn In Japan

Lewin Terrace at Fort Canning is introducing their Autumn, seasonal Sho-Mi menu starting from the month of September to November. Executive Chef Keisuke Matsumoto will be featuring ingredients native to Japan during the Autumn season, in his exquisite Japanese-French fusion dishes.

Homemade Bread & Original Soya Butter

Freshly baked breads with rich creamy butter are invariably served in any French restaurants. Brought to us in a mini haversack, the buttery aroma of their homemade breads was mouthwatering. With the bottom filled with warmed pepples, the mini haversack was a live oven, toasting the breads for a good one hour.

Amuse Bouche 3.8/5

Our Amuse Bouche showcases Chef Keisuke's delicate mind. Despite their tiny frames, they seems to have the ability to trickle each of my taste buds, especially the Hokkaido scallop crowned with caviar and bound to a crunchy tapioca chip using mascarpone cheese. The chemistry between the ingredients was unexpected. The sweet corn mousse in egg shell is really cute, with crunchy popcorns for textural contrast.

Spanish Red Urchin/ Smoked Tofu/ 10 Years Miso / Fried Green Beans 3.5/5

The highlight of this dish is the creamy Spanish Red Urchin that spread across the tofu. Judging from its tanner body, it does have a deeper oceany taste than usual, hence supporting it with tofu is just apt. Smoked in situ, the mild tasting homemade tofu acquired a smokey flavour which was accentuated by savoury aged miso. The fried green beans was slightly chewy, that adds an interesting bite to the crunch.

Mushroom/ Prosciotto Blancmange/Coffeebeans 3/5

Traditionally, Blancmange is a sweet dessert, commonly made with milk or cream and sugar thickened with gelatine. However, over here, we had it paired with savoury mushroom base. Somehow I relate it to a thick mushroom soup. Instead of having the usual croutons, I have a chewy Prosciotto Blancmange. I appreciate the potency of the mushroom base but overall it was a little cloying for me.

Hokkaido Crab/ Japanese Apple/Gazpacho/Yuzu Jelly, Celery Root Cube 4.5/5

Perhaps the richness of the previous dish is to prepare our tastebuds for the Hokkaido Crab, with texture and flavours of the other end of the spectrum. We were served a plate sprayed with sherry liqueur, invigorating our senses before tasting the next dish. Along with sweet, crunchy Japanese apple and celery root cubes, the delicate beautifully encased within its shell and a layer of sweet, tangy yuzu jelly. You may choose to eat it as it is or plate it onto the dish given. The tomato gazpacho was tangy with a spicy edge. It was like a virgin mary mocktail that fire up the overall taste.

Amadai/ Black Truffle/ Koshihikari/ Seaweed 4.5/5

My favourite dish for the night is the Amadai. What makes this dish so delightful is not simply because of the premium fish used but the risotto at the bottom. Made using Koshihikari, which to some is the crown jewel of Japanese short-grain rice. It is noted for its sweet nuttiness. Being slightly sticky, it gives the risotto the desired texture. Served like Japanese tea rice, I was curious as I would imagine the risotto losing that wonderful stickiness and flavour. That, surprisingly, was taken care of. The rice had been prebaked. Just imagine eating the burnt rice at the bottom of the claypot but with the accompany of a broth that was enriched with the goodness of the buttery Amadai.

Another interesting element is that the broth was prepared in a syphon manner to achieve the desired flavour.

Japanese Wagyu Steak in Nippon-Rossini Style 4/5

Japanese Wagyu Steak is one of their signatures here. Rossini Style, as I read was invented by the great French chef Auguste Escoffier for the Italian composer, Gioachino Rossini in the 1800s. It is characterised by the decadent foie gras terrine and Japanese mushroom paste truffle atop. Putting the extravagance aside, what I appreciate is the Nippon aspect, using autumn ingredients - yellow & red beets, roasted yam and onions.

Passion Fruits/ Mikan/Lychee 4/5

To clear our palate for dessert, we had a refreshing Passion Fruit Slurpee made with mikan juice and lychee jelly. I love the eco friendliness of drinking directly from the passion fruit itself.

Before our dessert, a basin of burnt old leaves was presented to us to showcase the significance of our dessert, roasting sweet potato over old dried leaves collected around their living spaces.

Yaki-Imo 4/5

Underneath the stalk, crafted using fried sweet potato chips and chocolate, was perhaps how it feels like being in Japan during autumn. The cold salted caramel ice cream was like a cool breeze against the warm, sweet and comforting sweet potato mash, made simply with just egg and cream. It's interesting to see how Chef can overturn a ordinary root into something so captivating.

Small World 4/5

Opening the box of Small World is like unveiling a box of chocolate - you never know what you are gonna get. What steals our heart was the honeyed chewy Canelé and the bitter-sweet green tea mousse.

Among all the stunning dishes, do not miss out this bowl of unassuming looking cookies. Bring the bowl near you, and allow your mind to be sooth by the fresh, orangy fragrances of the tea leaves, comprising rooibos and oolong. Not only you get to smell it, you get to eat it as all these wonderful fragrances has infused into the buttery cookies.

I enjoy all the small details that was being incorporated throughout the evening. From presenting the sweet corn eggs in an enclosed wooden box before unravelling them, like discovering a golden goose egg, to burning of old leaves, which instantly instilled in my mind a image of them roasting sweet potatoes over them back in their homes in Japan, I don't just get to taste the autumn dishes, I almost get to feel what it is really like to be in Japan at this time of the year.

This Wakon-Yousai menu is $118, with Wine Pairing $120(6 Glass).

Written and photograph by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Lewin Terrace
21 Lewin Terrace
Singapore 179290
Tel: +65 63339905
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 3pm, 630pm - 11pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit B. Take left onto North Bridge. Walk to the traffic light junction of North Bridge Road and Coleman Street. Cross the road towards Peninsula Plaza and continue walking towards the junction of Coleman Street and Hill Street. Cross the road to the central fire station. Continue on Coleman Street until Singapore Philatelic Museum. Look out for the metal gate before the museum, turn left in and take the stairs to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes. [Map]