Went on a date night with the Missus last Saturday and decided to try this speakeasy Yakitori joint located in Tiong Bahru. The place name is Bincho which in Japanese refers to the kind of charcoal uses to cook the Yakitori.
The photo above shows the main entrance to the Restaurant; however, the you need to enter the Restaurant via the back entrance which faces the main public carpark. It is all very discreet and very low key.
Inside the restaurant, the decor is a mixture of Japanese elements with old school coffee shop; but surprisingly it works.
We did not make any reservation but as we reached the restaurant quite early (before 7.00 pm), they were able to accommodate us but the waitress politely tells us that we need to vacate the table by 8.30 pm for the next guests.
We sat at a table with a clear view facing the open kitchen. Even though it is a Yakitori joint, there is only a slight BBQ smell in the air, so no worries about smelling like a piece of roast meat after the meal.
You can order either from the set menus (3 sets to choose from) or ala carte (the available items are written on a large black board). There are also an extensive drinks list and special cocktails which is also written on the black board.
I ordered the Yuzu Sake cocktail from the regular drinks list and the Missus ordered a Mixed Berries Mojito from the special cocktail for the day from the drink lists on the black board. The drinks was fabulous; very nicely concocted by the bar tender and goes very well with the food.
We ordered a number of grilled items to share – they were all very good. Special mentions goes to the Grilled Chicken Wings, Mentai Chicken Wings and Grilled Kurobuta. The Grilled Chicken Wings are sliced into halves so it is easy to get to the meat and comes with 3 different accompaniments (mushroom salt, fresh wasabi & yuzu peppers). Our favorite was the mushroom salt. The Mentai Chciken Wings are whole wings stuffed with a layer of Mentai (pickled fish eggs). The Mentai adds a nice unami flavor to the chicken meat. What we liked about the Grilled Kurobuta is the accompanying fried garlic/spring onion sauce which was very fragrant and goes really well with the pork.
Service was fuss free and the service staff was able to explain what are the various accompanying dips that comes with each dish. My Missus initially ordered a beer but changed her mind after seeing the special drinks list and there was no fuss to change the order.
It was definitely an enjoyable meal; however it is not a cheap place and our bill came to more than S$200 including drinks; but considering the quality of the dishes and drinks, I think it is quite acceptable. Reserved for special nights and you will not regret it. Note that Bincho shares the premises with a Bak Chor Mee (minced meat noodle) stall in the daytime and although they are opened for lunch, the seating are more limited compared to dinner time; so reservations are highly recommended.
Address: 78 Moh Guan Terrace, #01-19, Singapore 162078
Ratings (out of 5): 4.5
