[News] - Chikin (Singapore) serves Szechuan-inspired yakitori matched with cocktails at Bukit Pasoh Road

Ground floor counter space of Chikin

Second floor dining room of Chikin

Yakitori may not exactly be new in Singapore but yakitori (bincho grilled skewered chicken parts) plus kushiyaki (bincho grilled skewered meats and vegetables) served with a dash of Szechuan "mala" (麻辣) pizaazz alongside a shot of Japanese-inspired cocktail is a sure recipe to turn heads.

At the recently-opened Chikin, this new-to-Singapore concept is proving to be a hit with the drinking crowd, particularly during happy hours, when all cocktails go at S$15, as evinced by the flux of people choking the entrance to this Japanese pop art-decorated triple storey shophouse at Bukit Pasoh Road. While the neon lit ground floor counter seats that abut an open kitchen/bar cater mostly to the drinking crowd, the second floor wood-decked dining room serves bigger and decidedly quieter dining groups, while the third level space is reserved for private dining.

Yakitori finished with a dose of "mala"

Chikin is clearly about the chicken - 13 different parts ranging from fatty bishop's nose (S$3.50) to springy-with-a-bite gizzard (S$3.50), smoky mid-joint (S$4), crisp and savoury chicken skin (S$3) to crunchy cartilage (S$4), these are skewered, grilled on the binchotan and finished with a dose of "mala" spice. Guests with a bigger appetite for heat may request for the chef to up the "mala" spice.

Kushiyaki vegetable options - shishito peppers and San Marzano tomatoes

There are other kushiyaki options but the selection is decidedly small, think beef tongue (S$6), iberico pork collar with leek (S$6) and vegetables like shishito peppers (S$3.50) and San Marzano tomatoes (S$4), all pierced on a stick, grilled on bincho-tan and finished with the Szechuan peppercorn spices.

Sea snail in Szechuan spices served chilled

Unagi garlic fried rice topped with tobiko

To complete the experience, the menu offers a host of Japanese-inspired small plates. Don't miss the chilled sea snails enrobed in Szechuan spice (S$16), yuzu wasabi konnyaku or devil's tongue (S$10) and some carbs to finish, perhaps plentiful ikura garlic rice (S$28) or the unagi garlic fried rice that comes topped with tobiko (S$28).

Wash it down with Japanese-inspired cocktails created by chief bartender Sam Wong, all priced at S$19 nett. Shiso My Mojo (sake, shiso leaf, yuzu, calamansi) is light and citrusy while Kuru Strawberry (sake, gin, strawberries, orange bitters, berries) works if you like your swizzle a little stiff.

All prices quoted on Chikin's menu, food inclusive, are nett prices.

6 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089820, tel: +65 6910 2742

© Evelyn Chen 2013


Please note that the reviews published on this blog are sometimes hosted. I am under no obligation to review every restaurant I've visited. If I do, the reviews are 100% my own.