Location: Chatan; turn at the Hamagawa intersection heading west, then make the first left turn after the fishing port. At the end of the road turn right, you are driving along the seaside now, and Nirai will be on your right after a couple blocks.Hours: per website, 12-5 lunch, after that the cafe functions as a bar, closed Wed http://cafe07.ti-da.net/e1587705.html
This is one of the few seaside cafes in Okinawa. The space is quite pleasant, with an outdoor patio, upstairs loft, art on the walls, and a smattering of plants. We had the lunch set (1000Y) which included consomme with pork bits, main, dessert, and ice/cold/ coffee/tea. The main during our visit was baked whitefish with lemon and veg, which was a satisfying lunch. Accompanying the fish were salad greens, a small piece of quiche, and some broccoli florets drizzled in olive oil. None of the components was phenomenal, but taken together this was a delightful and he
althy meal. Dessert was a cake roll stuffed with either sweet potato or tea-flavoured custard. A bit cakey for us, but still appreciated alongside the coffee. The cafe also has some interesting books to browse, including one published in 2002 which reviews 100 cafes in Okinawa.We also reviewed the bar menu, which lists lots of traditional cocktails no one ever orders anymore, like the Gimlet and Sidecar. Glass wine/beer starts at 500Y, most cocktails 500-700Y, fancy drinks more than that. They have a great Awamori menu, translated into English, with the brand and alcohol content, should anyone care to partake in an Awamori tasting.
Addendum 2/21/09: we have been back a couple times since this initial post. Each time we have been more impressed with the food; most recently we had a tasty tonkatsu, and dessert was a lovely light fruity cheesecake instead of the less delightful cake rolls. This is such a mellow place to do a weekend lunch, in the sunshine on the waterfront, with chilled music.
