Bincho at Hua Bee

Having lived in Tokyo for several years and eaten all kinds of delicious Japanese cuisine, I am always skeptical of trying it abroad but, Bincho did not disappoint. Their Tsukune and Yakitori is delicious, the ambiance is cool and the presentation is unique. The bar is also diverse with many Japanese microbrews, sake and even an all-​you-​can-​drink beer deal on Sundays. I guess the one difference between Tokyo and Bincho is the price. Be prepared to pay $ 50 – 100 dollars to get full, but this is expected as a good Yakitori restaurant is rather rare in Singapore and this place rocks!

Great food and service, fun setting and location but overpriced — quite prohibitively so. Our party of 10 enjoyed everything we tried on the menu, especially the chicken hearts, tsukune, lamb burg and chicken skin. I was hoping for better tasting wagyu beef (dry) and Kurobuta pork (overdone and tough/​chewy). But if someone asked whether I’d go back or recommend Bincho, I’d say sadly that it’s priced out of the range of any discerning foodie. $ 30 for a vegetable platter that was made up of tiny slivers, $ 15 for 2 little winglets and $ 8 for the tiniest matcha ice cream scoop I’ve ever seen (smaller than a kid size). For my party of 10, the serving sizes were so tiny that we had to order 3 of everything so that everyone could get a taste. Go ahead if you have a silly amount of money to burn on yakitori. Close to $ 100 per person in my party tonight excluding alcohol… in a coffee shop setting. I’d go to Nanbantei at Far East Plaza instead any day. Quality food in decent serving sizes that’s at the very least as good as Bincho — if not better. And certainly not anywhere near as expensive.

I popped in for a cocktail and went for the Off Piste (sake). It was good. We are not talking HK28 good, or High Five, Tokyo good but good all the same. The wallet was $ 23 SGD lighter for this drink.
The bar itself is very cool, industrial and small with its own entrance at the rear of the premises which has a restaurant attached. The staff didn’t interact much but did respond when asked for the check.
On that note, checking out…

This review is for the bar only as I haven’t eaten there yet. Since I moved into the area last year I have heard so much about the place (I have even visited Hua Bee (the old noodle store front) in the day and used Bincho’s bathrooms). but never actually visited until last saturday when we were looking for a place for post dinner drinks, Bincho comes to mind.
I have to say it’s a pretty cool experience. So my 3 stars is only coz my experience there is so limited — definitely need to return and try out its other offerings. First, you need to walk in through the inconspicuous backdoor facing the carpark (not the usual store front side). The door looks like the usual restaurant backdoor. Think you can only get in through the front but I think getting in through the back is more fun. Then once you step in, the space reminds me of one of those WWII bunkers in Berlin or we could have been in a space ship. The vibe is intimate and lounge-​y, good selection of drinks and cocktail. I tried the Bincho Banks which is a whisky based cocktail, a bit on the sweet side for my liking. Seem to have a good selection of japanese desserts as well but didn’t get to try this time. The only pity is that it closes at 12 mid night and last order is 11:30 pm on a saturday, but i get it, this is a residential neighborhood but if they open later I can definitely see myself just hanging out there some more.
And yes, I would also recommend trying Hua Bee in the day, it’s an institution. Bincho sadly is part of the gentrification of tiong bahru, even though I find it pretty cool, and you can see from its clientele every group i saw walking out of the dining area has at least one expat. And in case you are wondering about the mee pok man poster in the bar area, it was filmed in Hua Bee and is Eric Khoo’s debut feature, so one more reason to visit.

I won’t repeat what others have said about the unique nature of this place. If you have not been here before, you should!
Dinner prices can however be a bit steep. Lunch sets are however pretty good value, so I’ll be back more often for that!
As for the food, the pics speak for themselves!

Wow this place is so cool! I felt like a spy coming here!
Imagine walking through a plain coffee shop, past uncles having their kopi-​o and smoking cigarettes at the entrance, and reaching confidently for the hidden door at the back before entering a secret lair full of cool people having Japanese food…
Except that we weren’t sufficiently IN THE KNOW, so we walked past this place maybe 3 times while looking puzzedly at our phones («Google Maps says we’re HERE but WHERE IS IT!!!») to the amusement of said uncles, and peered into the coffeeshop to see a very normal-​looking place, and finally walked to the back alley to open a nondescript metal door which led us to a dark lair of high tables and chairs and a bar filled with alcohol bottles with kanji on them.
Clue: Use Google Maps. Then enter the coffee shop with the green door. And push the green door INSIDE the coffee shop
Anyway. We were here for the lunch set which was a really great deal. Sets start at $ 25 before tax and go up to $ 40+, but you get a drink, a starter (of 2 chicken drumsticks), another starter (of chicken skin salad which was oh-​so-​yummy), your main and then dessert (mochi or ice cream).
They recommended the chicken dishes (it’s a yakitori restaurant afterall) but because we were greedy, we had the ikura negitoro (salmon roll, chopped tuna belly with chives) and yakitori sets to share. Portions were reasonable (actually I was already filling up quite a bit before the main came but there’s always more room for good food…) and the service was really attentive.
Ikura negitoro — ingredients were fresh and good, though it could be a bit underwhelming if just for one. Afterall, there’s not much texture in a negitoro don (besides soft and mushy) I’m so glad we decided to share this instead of me having it all to myself.
Yakitori — the slices of chicken were moist and tender, I loved the grilled skin as well. And it looks damn good on photos in case you want to make your friends jelly. (HI IM IN THIS COOL PLACE WITH AWESOME FOOD AND YOU’RE NOT, is what I sent to my boyfriend in Brunei)
The restaurant is divided into 2 areas, 1 dark and claustrophobic (and you’re all sitting at 1 side of the table, facing the bar, but not AT the bar, because there’s an alley between you and the bar counter) and 1 bright and airy with a nice view of the chefs grilling the yakitori. You know which one to choose.
(Btw I now know where the cool entrance is and I will be using it for my next visit)

This is among the easiest reviews I’ve had to give 5 stars to. Bincho is an incredible find and excellent experience from the moment you find the place to walk in its back door all the way until signing the check and heading out. The food and cocktails both are extremely great.
My girlfriend and I made a Chope reservation to check this place out on a weekday night. We heard about Bincho through the shoutout from Singapore Airlines in their in flight magazine for SG50 and knew we needed to check out this hidden yakitori spot.
You find a very nondescript corner of a building with a sign that says to go in through the back of the building where you walk in to what looks like a small tunnel. Since we were having dinner, we walked past the lounge/​bar area and sat at the counter, bracing ourselves for some solid yakitori.
We went ahead with the Bincho yakitori tasting menu which included:
1) An appetizer platter (chicken liver pâté with baguette, octopus tentacle with some veggies, and some prawn dish),
2) Assorted Sashimi (salmon, tuna and snapper)
3) Soup that you drink then eat its ingredients from the pot (included some fish, a prawn and chicken),
4) Chicken yakitori platter (neck, wing, breast and thigh),
5) Choice of lamb, fish or waygu beef skewered,
6) Japanese tomato
7) Tsukune Don — Chicken patty with rice and egg
8) Seasonal fruits which is japanese peach and grape.
We shared one of those tastings then ordered 3 items off their a la carte — kinki fish, veggie platter and these yams convered with pork (looks like mini hot dogs) called Red Monnyaku Kurrabuta Roll. THIS KURRABUTA ROLL WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST DISHES I’VE TASTED HERE IN SINGAPORE. Insanely good, we devoured these in record time. Highly recommend you order that one and the veggies too. Kinki fish was great although it has many bones to pick through.
Only thing I wish for is that they use the yakitori sticks for all of the meats they serve. That’s usually my favorite thing about any yakitori place, even the Michelin starred ones around the world.
For the cocktails, we ordered the Yuzu, Sake, Gin one which was light, refreshing and really nice. The one that really hits the spot is their Mangosteen Cinnamon cocktail which also has vodka. It tastes like a spiked apple cider drink, extremely easy to drink.
Service is impeccable, ambiance is very New York/​underground Tokyo feel and the food is excellent. I would highly recommend coming here on a date or to impress someone. I for sure will be coming back again and and again.

Find of the Year. Great Japanese food cooked over coals! Excellent service and attentive staff. Food came out quickly, 2 visits in one week, we need one of these in Perth!!!

I had their beef tongue don. The tongue came in thick slices instead of the typical thin cut you get at yakitori places. Being a lot thicker, they should really really season it more. It was cooked well. A little on the chewy side but still pretty good because tongues aren’t easy to grill. I love the side dishes. They were pretty and tasty! The chicken wings were amazing! Overall a pleasant experience. Yes I would go back! Took away a star because it was too expensive for the portion.

Back in singapore. So I’ve tried Bincho again.
Once again, the food was delicious and interesting. I tried pufferfish skin as well as tuna eye. Things I never get to try.
The sashimi was delicious and the yakatori flavoursome.
Each to e I come to singapore, this is where I will come.

It’s terrible and worst restaurant for me.
We waited more than one hour for the main dishes… We asked staff many times, but nothing happened.
Never go again here.

Wow never have I disagreed with Unilocal more than on this one.
Bincho looks wonderful. It’s set up in an old Tiong Bahru coffee shop, has been retrofitted with many bells & whistles and yet manages to keep the romantic old school vibe while still providing a comfortable modern dining experience. That is a big achievement. Unfortunately that is where the achievements end.
My dining partner and I went for their two omakase-​style sets (Bincho & Fuji) that were semi-​delineated on their chalkboard menu while leaving some room for the chef to make decisions. We were really quite disappointed with both the quality of the food and the quality of the service.
Firstly, on the food. I get that Japanese food is supposed to be simple. But that doesn’t mean it’s supposed to be average. The beauty of being a master Japanese chef is that you can use the natural flavours of your ingredients in a simple execution to deliver deliciousness. This did not happen here. There were too many courses for me to call out individually but the food was uninspired, often bland and not even remotely appearing like value for money.
Those two sets and a beer with the ++ we are accustomed to ended up at $ 250+ for two. Not the most expensive meal in Singapore but certainly not the cheapest. But where is the value? We received several (I mean like 4) sets of yakitori pieces that I have seen better executed for much less money at Ippudo Tao. Dessert consisted of a single strawberry and a slice of rockmelon. The chawanmushi was plain egg with a single scrap of meat. I could go on.
This was capped off by service that lacked any kind of finesse. Staff were obviously inexperienced at service for this price point. English language was poor, explanations on dishes were unavailable and etiquette was lacking (case-​in-​point, if you’re a waitress, don’t stand around in the dining room on your phone looking bored).
The donburi course was presented as consisting of «chicken thigh». Upon closer inspection, there was clearly no chicken. When I highlighted this to my server, he first suggested I was wrong. When I challenged him to show me the chicken and pointed out that I could see fish cake, mushroom and egg, the response was «of course it’s a mix lahhh». I politely suggested he should check with his chef. Upon returning he informed me that it was a completely different dish to what he introduced when he served it. With no chicken and no apology.
In a related aside, where is the finesse in a rice bowl with supermarket fish-​cake, egg and basic enoki mushrooms?
Not good enough Bincho. Why should I spend $ 250 at your restaurant for bad food and bad service when I can go to Ikyu around the corner and have an infinitely superior meal? Answer — I won’t again.

I cannot praise this place high enough, deciding to walk and take the back streets too our destination I had started to loose faith we were heading anywhere, and when we followed the small sign out the back down an alley I was dubious…
Thankfully you open the door on the coolest sake bar in town and are able to grab a drink of one if their more unique cocktails or select from the bar menu.
Choosing to be seated at the counter we were able to watch chef carefully and lovingly plate each dish Nd he was equally interested in our reactions to his delicious dishes.
Our waitress was knowledgeable and together we agreed in a compromise of a share omake and a few special dishes from the regular menu which ended up being a little too much food but never got to the point if welling pained.
Our drinks were constantly topped up and the staff matched sake perfectly to our meals, perhaps too much so since I did slightly over indulge.
While prices were consistent or cheaper than Australia I imagine this could be somewhat more expensive then people realise though on my opinion it represents true value offering such care from the staff and craftsmanship from the chef.

Exciting and surprising Japanese yakitori. This is not an everyday dining experience but for a special occasion.
We went on New Year’s Day and had the 10 course tasting menu. A brilliant sequence of grilled meat especially chicken plus wonderfully fresh sashimi, wagyu, soup and dessert.
We sat at the counter which enabled us to watch the chefs at work.
Truly memorable.