Bincho | 3/5

SINGAPORE — Hip, young entrepreneurs have been turning hawker centres and coffee shops into trendy eateries by night for well over a year now, but no one has done it with the same level of underground panache as Loh Lik Peng. His latest eatery, Bincho, occupies one half of a grotty old coffee shop in Tiong Bahru, which it shares with Hua Bee Mee Pok, an old favourite among residents.

Past the dented back door and a dark and narrow passageway are Bincho’s small open kitchen and 12-seat counter. This is where Chef Asai Masashi serves up yakitori in two omakase-style menus. The nine-course Sakura set costs S$50, while the 11-course Bincho goes for S$80.

The food portions are as tiny as the place itself. At the counter, for instance, your elbow room vanishes as soon as someone sits down beside you. The kitchen is also limited to a narrow charcoal grill that looks more makeshift than purpose-built. So Chef Masashi makes the best of it by using various sauces and dips imported from Japan to enhance the flavours of his grilled food.

Our first course proved to be the heartiest — a small tray bearing chicken liver pate, long beans tossed in sesame dressing, burdock root salad and a coin-sized disc of poached chicken breast with plum sauce.

Each element was vibrantly flavoured, with the chicken liver pate standing out, thanks to sweet undertones of mirin. What followed was a procession of diminutive bites. There was a course comprising two thin slices of grilled purple sweet potato, another of silky, smoky leeks, and yet another of sweet momotaro tomatoes drizzled with a piquant onion dressing.

There was also a saucer bearing succulent slivers of chicken neck topped with ponzu and grilled chicken wings served with mashed yuzu and green pepper paste. Later, a juicy chicken meatball — nicely charred on the outside and just a little undercooked on the inside — was served with an egg yolk that enriched its flavours and creamy textures.

Our meal ended with a petit square of amasake cheesecake that was suffused with the rice dredges left over after sake is made. This gave the light, velvety cake a lovely honeyed lilt.

While the food was satisfying both in taste and technique, it was not quite as fulfilling in terms of size. Despite the 11 courses, some might find the need to hotfoot it down the road for a bowl of bak kut teh to keep the supper pangs at bay.

That aside, Bincho is a fine example of how restaurateurs can (and should) preserve the architecture and essence of old spaces, while introducing their modern dining concepts to mature neighbourhoods. And given that this is a gussied-up coffee shop at heart, it would be nice if the prices reflected those old world sensibilities too.

Bincho

Where: 78 Moh Guan Terrace #01-19. Tel: 6438 4567

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 6pm to 12am; Saturday and Sunday, 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 12am.