Flaming yakitori at Firebird by Suetomi
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Firebird by Suetomi #01-05 Mondrian Singapore 83 Neil Road Singapore 089813 Tel: 9776 2476 Open for dinner only Tues to Sun: 5 pm to 11 pm
THERE are two ways to experience Firebird by Suetomi – as a stickler for Japanese chicken-only yakitori, or one who thinks that so long as it has feathers and thighs, chicken is chicken, no matter where they hatched.
Naturally, the second will be happier at this new import of a Tokyo eatery that reputedly has a one-year waitlist. The first will just quibble about the chicken's pedigree, the absence of gentle embers infusing a hint of smokiness into the meat, and the unsubtle bonfire that engulfs tiny skewered morsels and sends pungent fumes through the fibres of your clothing.
Imagine a yakitori chef getting retrenched – him and his hibachi replaced by a flame-loving robatakayi guy with Etxebarri ambitions. That sums up Firebird, named for its show-stopping, multi-level wood-burning fireplace that seems like an overly dramatic way to cook chicken on a stick.
But that's what made the original Makitori Shinkobe stand out among the other yakitori joints in Tokyo, and now in Singapore, where the admission price of this show is a cool S$188 for its chicken omakase.
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Check tradition at the door and just go with the flow at this cosy, fire-facing counter set up at the Mondrian, where Firebird takes over the space vacated by the short-lived Spanish restaurant Noa by Olivia. Try not to get seated in the corner on the left, or you'll spend the evening dodging servers constantly passing you to get into the kitchen.
Grilled chicken thigh. PHOTO: FIREBIRD BY SUETOMI
The menu is straightforward – different parts of chicken fired up by affable chefs and served, alternating with side dishes to break the monotony. After a little bowl of chicken consomme, we get our first skewer of chicken thigh – juicy and well cooked on the outside but still a little red inside, thanks to uneven flame cooking.
The Polish oak used for the fire does its magic on the little box of cold water spinach that comes next – with an intense smokiness that can't get any better if you wrapped up the burning wood chips and inhaled it.
There's also a cold corn mousse topped with clear jelly to cool you off. Very sweet corn kernels are there for texture.
A juicy skewer of chicken neck or seseri. PHOTO: FIREBIRD BY SUETOMI
Chicken neck is one of the highlights, with much of the oil released and leaving some crisp fat and marbled meat that's bouncy with a good bite. It's followed up by smooth chawanmushi, topped with fresh sakura ebi and crunchy green beans.
Chicken breast with harissa or spicy red-pepper relish. PHOTO: FIREBIRD BY SUETOMI
The rest of it is fairly predictable – dryish breast meat topped with a red pepper relish and chicken thigh again, but topped with leeks. This time it's overcooked and dry. Anything with fat and skin works best, like crispy-skinned chicken wings, as well as offal-like chunky-chewy hearts.
Chawanmushi with sakura ebi. PHOTO: FIREBIRD BY SUETOMI
The chicken itself doesn't have much flavour to speak of, and it's not Firebird's fault. Unlike in Japan, where chickens can taste different from prefecture to prefecture, here it's like chicken you eat at home – just more professionally cooked. You can't help thinking that those French-breed, Malaysian-raised chickens may be good when they're brined and roasted, but they don't stand up to scrutiny, especially when the focus is on pure, clean flavour.
Plus at S$188, it's pretty pricey for just, well, chicken.
Claypot rice with marinated egg yolk. PHOTO: FIREBIRD BY SUETOMI
While the yakitori itself doesn't spark joy, the main dish – claypot rice – does. Chicken mince is wok-fried over the flames and mixed with rice cooked in a donabe. Try it on its own first, and enjoy the savoury smokiness. We prefer it this way, but the chefs ply you with other condiments to jazz it up. First, there's a ginger sauce that gives it a Hainanese chicken rice vibe. To make it even more elaborate, the rice gets a shower of crispy tempura batter-like bits, and a marinated egg yolk to mix into the rice for a creamy, velvety sheen.
Try not to polish it all off so that they can shape the leftovers into onigiri for you to bring home.
To end off, dive into a scoop of cherrywood-smoked vanilla ice cream, paired with cold lapsang souchong tea.
Firebird by Suetomi is visually fun and has novelty on its side, but it doesn't really lift the yakitori experience per se. The chefs do what they can with the quality of the meat they can get – although their skill at achieving super-crisp chicken skin is the true X-factor. If that's the reason for the year-long waitlist in Tokyo, coupled with their homegrown poultry, we can understand. Here, it helps, but it will take more than that for us to join any waitlist.
Rating: 6
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