Restaurant Review: JIDAI by Beurre Chef Darwin Wong Puts A French Twist on Izakaya Fare in Boat Quay, Singapore
PUBLISHED November 12th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED November 18th, 2021 01:38 pm
You’d be forgiven for doing a double-take on the threshold of JIDAI. Set in the grungy surrounds of Boat Quay, the dimly lit izakaya glows a strange neon magenta from within. Step in and the first thing that greets you is a solid wall of maneki-neko, or Japanese fortune cats. But these aren’t the generic white figurines that beckon in most shops – this edgy collection ranges from muscle-armed, power-lifting kitties to geometric felines donning shades. As far as izakaya experiences go, this one looks like a bit of a wildcard.
But swallow your doubts, snag a table, and you’ll be regaled with an array of east-meets-west comfort dishes. Chef-owner Darwin Wong is also known as the man at the helm of modern European restaurant Beurre, and he brings his arsenal of French techniques to bear on Japanese flavours at JIDAI – with a dash of fun to boot. All this in a 30-seater space dotted with starry lights and criss-crossed with golden beams – like some lovechild of a shady lounge and a futuristic spaceship.
For starters, skip the skewers and go straight for the DIY handrolls. The Otoro Fatty Tuna (S$26) comes as a creamy, tartare-like mound of chopped tuna belly mixed with an assortment of sakura floss, sakura ebi, and tobiko, all heaped atop rice. To roll up this luscious mess, we get both seaweed sheets and shiso leaves – the latter adds herbaceous and citrusy notes to the mix.
Frog legs are iconic in both French and Asian cuisines, so the Frog Leg Karaage (S$28) cleverly fuses them in one juicy, crispy snack. The brined frog legs are battered and deep-fried to a crunch, then served alongside an umami three-tiered dip of braised leek, mentaiko mayonnaise, and ebiko. What little meat there is turns out spectacularly tender.
That’s not to say that JIDAI doesn’t do its classic yakitori right. Grilled over binchotan, skewers like the creamy Firefly Squid (S$6) and bouncy Iberico Pork (S$7) collar are satisfyingly juicy and smoke-kissed. For best results, pair your meats with their selection of sakes by the bottle, spanning labels like Dassai and Shichiken. The Shichiken Yama-No-Kasumi (S$98, 720ml), in particular, makes a versatile refresher – the first cloudy sparkling sake from this renowned brewery is lively with delicate bubbles and citrusy notes.
Bar bites aside, there’re larger and remarkably comforting sharing plates too. We aren’t fans of Chinese sea cucumber, but we gladly spoon up the Sea Cucumber Duck Confit (S$38) – a surprising marriage of the traditional Chinese stew with a French classic. Here, the usual braised pork belly is swapped out for duck leg, slow-cooked for 16 hours to fork-tender perfection. It comes bathed in a silky, sumptuous ginger shoyu broth drawn from a recipe of Chef Darwin’s grandmother – plus an extra dash of sake. Even the diced tiger sea cucumber is soft and tasty in all the right ways.
Another soul-warming dish, the Seared Scallop with Barley ‘Porridge’ (S$26) leans closer to risotto with its rich creaminess. The use of barley gives this dish plenty of chewy bite, and a handful of plump Australian king scallops and seaweed crackers make for satisfying fixings.
JIDAI Restaurant is located at 9 Circular Rd, Singapore 049365, p. +65 8189 1849. Open Mon 5pm–10.30pm, Tues-Sat 12pm–3pm & 5pm–10.30pm. Closed Sun.
