Restaurant Review: Birders, A Japanese Yakitori Restaurant and Bar on Tras Street, Singapore
PUBLISHED July 5th, 2017 07:00 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:25 pm
In the midst of Singapore’s izakaya boom, Birders lies somewhere in between your casual Japanese spots – think Tomo Izakaya or Five Bar – and the more upscale establishments like Le Binchotan. Cool and unassuming, it’s unlikely the average passerby would realise this place is a yakitori joint. The only clue: a small neon chicken on the sign outside.
When I first heard about a new Japanese place on Tras Street, the temptation to say something along the lines of “another one?” was evident – a hardly unusual reaction considering how many such establishments lie along the stretch (incidentally, the next door sees Ushidoki, a kaiseki restaurant that specialises in wagyu). A quick search reveals that Birders is conceptualised by the people behind Holland Village’s PARK and The Great Escape at Golden Mile, two ventures that have a decent track record of dishing out great experiences.
Eating a stick of grilled chicken hearts or gizzards seasoned with nothing more than a bit of salt and pepper, as the Japanese do traditionally, isn’t the most appealing thing ever to the typical Singaporean, which is why the Birders’ lead chef Makoto Deguchi – an alumnus of Paris’s one Michelin-starred Sola prefers to use more unconventional ‘toppings’ such as negi (scallion) puree, genovese, and black sesame. The classic chicken thigh, breast, and wings are priced the lowest at $3.50, going up to $6.50 for a beef skirt and stick of shiitake.
Try the Oyster ($4.50), which isn’t quite as its name suggests. Far from the succulent mollusc beloved by seafood lovers, the round pieces that arrive are from a part of the fowl near the thigh. The dark meat, arguably the most flavourful cut of the chicken, is splendidly juicy, served with just salt and a slice of lemon. Another skewer of chicken meatballs (Tsukune, $4.50) is great to munch on, what with bits of cartilage added into the mix for extra crunchiness. And unless you’re on some kind of unfounded diet, pour the accompanying onsen egg and sweet tare, stirred together for a tasty dip, over some hot rice.
You’d think that in a yakitori restaurant vegetables wouldn’t quite make the same impact as its protein-packed counterpart, when in fact, the sweet grilled yam topped with salty cod roe mayo (Nagaimo Mentai, $8) gets my umami-filled seal of approval as one of the evening’s top dishes.
Apart from the skewers, the food menu has two other sections: Sharing and Fillers. The latter refers to the more substantial donburis while the former brings us a lovely Japanese-style Potato Salad ($8) with yuzu mayo and mentaiko, chunky and creamy as a good one should be. Another interesting dish is the rich Liver Mousse ($16), to be spread alongside bourbon yuzu marmalade on some fried slices of mantou; part tangy, part savoury, and part oily.
Boasting a constantly rotating sake menu with around ten bottles each week or so, Birders takes particular pride in its sake reference index, allowing even sake newbies to easily figure out the sweetness, dryness, and acidity of each label. You’ll find brands from Hokkaido’s Kitano Nishiki (Junmai, $115) to Akita’s Yuki No Bijin (Junmai Dai Ginjyo, $120), as well a sizeable range of Japanese whiskies from Suntory and Nikka, including Yamazaki, Yoichi, Taketsuru, and Miyagiko.
Not too big on the drinks or a novice to sake? Birders is one of the few places in Singapore to offer 180ml cup sakes, which while not exactly the classiest beverage on the liquor shelf, allows you to try out several types, and comes in awesome designs to boot. At the very least, Birders tries to make the concept of yakitori in Singapore more accessible and understood by the masses. At the most, it’s a brilliant spot for drinks and some darn fine birds.
Birders is located at 55 Tras St, Singapore 078994, p. +65 8748 4585. Open Mon-Thu 6pm – 12am, Fri-Sat 6pm – 1am.
