Restaurant Review: Kinki Gets A Sassy Geisha Makeover With New Cocktails at Customs House, Singapore
PUBLISHED April 9th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED April 16th, 2021 01:08 pm
With a name like Kinki, you know the cuisine will be anything but stuffy. A longtime fixture on Collyer Quay, this restaurant-bar is a bit of a misfit in our Japanese dining scene – neither a grungy izakaya nor a fine-dining destination, but some lovechild of the two. After more than a decade, it’s still ready to shake things up with its latest metamorphosis: a geisha takeover.
For ten years, the mascot behind the menu was sumo-turned-chef Kinki-chan (complete with a cheeky fish for a hat in the old logos). With Kinki’s latest space revamp, though, comes a new geisha muse to rule. But don’t expect some delicate, demure lady – this geisha is all grit and grunge. On the rooftop bar, you’ll find the old dragon graffiti succeeded by a geisha rocking eye-popping red shades, half her face snarling in a kitsune mask. Things get a little more mellow on the main dining level below, where black-and-white geishas swirl in clouds of flowers on the walls.
Last September, Kinki’s cocktail program saw a shake-up with colourful Rockstar creations like She’s So Unusual (S$19) – a lemony sweet mix of Roku gin, fresh yuzu juice, and shiso bitters – and Aurora Polaris (S$19), a floral blend of butterfly pea-infused Kyro Napue Gin, cucumber syrup, and tonic infused with grapefruit and rosemary.
Joining these is a Geisha’s Choice section of four new cocktails (all S$22), each as intoxicating as its muse. Tears of the Geisha may sound like a bitter tale, but the tipple leans sweet and fresh with Roku gin, yuzu umeshu, and Japanese cucumber. Cradled at the bottom of the glass is a silky jelly of yuzu umeshu and sakura flowers that’s fun to eat. For a perk-me-up, there’s Naughty Kopi – a creamy, chocolatey take on an espresso martini with Bailey’s Irish Cream, white rum, and a fresh shot of espresso.
On the food side, the menu hasn’t changed much since its major makeover late last year – think upmarket Japanese grub dished up with a side of attitude, peppered with dashes of Western flair. Fresh faces include the Corn Duo (S$16), where local baby corn gets the indulgent treatment with some sautéeing in butter, a fiery slather of sriracha mayonnaise, and a sprinkling of furikake. Another spicy newcomer, the Grilled Squid Chimichurri (S$32), features springy slices of charcoal-grilled Japanese squid paired with a coriander-forward homemade chimichurri.
There’s a solid selection of sushi and sashimi, but why settle when you can get your raw fish in a tortilla? The Tuna Tartare Tortilla (S$34) is a crisp tortilla blanketed in a fresh medley of soy-aged bluefin tuna, avocado chunks, tempura mushrooms, and tomatoes. Each messy bite has a sour-spicy kick thanks to a drizzle of yuzu citrus and sriracha soy sauce.
Turn up the heat a notch with meaty sharing mains like the Spicy Buffalo Katsu (S$30). This crispy Nagano pork loin cutlet comes marinated in a mix of Worcestershire sauce, Japanese chili oil, and shichimi togarashi, so you can just imagine the fiery number it does on your tastebuds. The Karaage Chicken Bao (S$20) makes for a fun bite too, with juicy, gochujang-laced fried chicken thigh and momotaro tomatoes barely contained in an open bao.
A Japanese joint isn’t where you’d normally look for good lamb, but Kinki does a stellar Crusty Lamb Rack (S$45). Australian lamb chops are wet-aged in a koji yeast brine to tenderness, before being coated in panko and mentaiko to form a rich crust. Pop a forkful in your mouth to savour the gamy succulence, then try pairing the next mouthful with an accompanying candied ginger crisp to balance out the gaminess.
The undisputed star of the menu, though, hides further down in the donburi-claypot section. Once an off-menu special occasionally served to regulars, the Unagi Claypot (S$35) proves a secret too good to be kept. Think crusty, unagi sauce-soaked grains concealing tender chunks of eel, with more melt-in-the-mouth unagi laid atop. It’s glorious.
Kinki is located at 70 Collyer Quay, #02-02 Customs House, Singapore 049323, p. +65 8363 6697. Kinki Restaurant is open Mon-Fri 12pm–2.15pm & 6pm–10.15pm, Sat 12pm–2.30pm & 6pm–10.15pm. Kinki Rooftop is open Mon-Sat 5pm–10.30pm.
