Bincho

I cannot fault the service or the food. They were both exemplary. I would eat here again, but it would be nicer not to be on my own. Another taste card adventure.

stopped in for a cold beer and some food on a stick in trendoid Exmouth Market. chicken oysters, gizzards, heart; pork belly, beef ribs and unagi. all nicely grilled and flavoured. with yuba salad and ochazuke (chicken-​egg rice), about £40 per (ouch). not quite like yakitori shops under railway arches in Tokyo but hey, in London, good enuff.

We had called to get a reservation for the Soho branch, but no luck whatsoever. We called this one and they had plenty of space. It was a cause of concern especially since my confidence in Asian cuisine in London was shaky (sorry, it’s true. Your China-​block, not town is sad) and one of my huge loves is yakitori. The décor is modern Japanese and pleasing. The service was friendly and very prompt. Most importantly, the yakitori was well cooked — perhaps slightly underseasoned, but the kawa was crispy, liver was not overcooked and the sunagimo was appropriately chewy. The only thing I was missing was that they didn’t have any Japanese mustard — to cut the fattiness of the liver. Overall, definitely a good place for yakitori in London!

Five stars from me!
We came on a Sunday lunchtime in an attempt to relieve some studying stress, and ended up eating so much! We tried 9 skewers and lots of other menu items. The best skewers were the Kawa (chicken skin) and Hatsu (chicken hearts). But they were all pretty amazing. Other particularly noteworthy ones include the Tai (sea bream), Buta (pork belly) and the Sori (chicken oysters) YUM! The Iberico pork was insanely delicious. Everything was savoury and smoky from the grill, nothing was overcooked and everything just tasted exactly how it should. Another special mention for the Yasai Yaki Meshi (spicy vegetable fried rice) which was fried with kimchi and rounded out our meal perfectly. The only thing I don’t recommend is the Motsu Nikomi, pigs tripe stew. It was so… tripey and offaly! We also drank lots of Asahi (on tap!) and I tried my first Chuhai, which was so gooooood and came in a huge icy glass.
I enjoyed the lunch here so much. It’s the perfect restaurant. The ambience is lovely, the food is great and the drinks are awesome. OH MAN I want to be back there right now! … Also, the Tastecard makes this such a steal!

After the success of the Soho branch, Bincho Yakitori has set up shop in Clerkenwell’s Exmouth Market. The Exmouth Market branch has been open a few months now and judging by the numbers of people I see as I walk past each night, it doesn’t seem to have really taken off just yet. (That said, it may be more popular at lunchtime).
I finally decided to give it a go for myself. It’s nicely fitted out, and the atmosphere wasn’t too bad given it was only half full. The menu is largely based around Japanese yakitori — grilled skewers of meat, fish and vegetables. The dishes are designed to be shared, meaning you can try a good variety of things.
The food was good — some dishes, like the Iberico pork in sweet miso sauce stood out. Others were more plain and uninspiring. The soft shell crab was also very good — although it was a special, so I don’t think it will be available all the time.
The bill game to £38 each, included a two glasses of wine and a decent amount of food. I did feel it was a little more than I was expecting to pay — but I suppose that similar to tapas and sushi trains, if you tempt me with unlimited sticks of meat, I will eat them.
Overall while yakitori lovers will enjoy Bincho, I think it will continue to be overshadowed by some of the other excellent choices on Exmouth Market.