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Business Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Business Times
Flaming yakitori at Firebird by Suetomi
NEW RESTAURANT 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. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 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
CNA
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
These new yakitori places in Singapore offer woodfire grills, theatrical dining and late-night bites
When it comes to food trends in this city, it never rains but it pours. The latest thing seems to be yakitori – a Hokusai wave of new openings. Who doesn't love things on sticks? With yakitori, barbecuing each skewer to the perfect doneness is the baseline. Each chef has their own preferences when it comes to charcoal, smoke and precise grilling techniques, but mastery over every element is requisite (so is a dark-coloured uniform and a face full of sweat). For the diner, it's dinner and a show: You get to watch your sticks being cooked to perfection. Yakitori is one of the best ways to appreciate the alchemy of what a flame can do and how various cuts of meat from the humble chicken can taste so different. And, if you enjoy innards, you will have extra fun. While any self-respecting yakitori restaurant's main menu will look quite similar to the next one's as the focus is on the art of bringing the best and juiciest flavour out of each of the bird's yummy parts, peripheral dishes can also be instrumental in creating memorable moments in diners' recollections. And, you always have to end off with a delicious carb. Here are some new places to check out when your next barbecued bird craving hits. FIREBIRD BY SUETOMI Opening May 7, this place at Duxton Hill's Mondrian Singapore is the first overseas offshoot of Tokyo restaurant Makitori Shinkobe by chef-restaurateur Makoto Suetomi, who has five restaurants in the Japanese capital. Yakitori is usually associated with binchotan charcoal but this is the first yakitori restaurant in Singapore to use woodfire grilling techniques. You won't find a regular hibachi here, but a roaring split-level grill. Various woods are used, from oak to Japanese cedar, resulting in smoked-kissed dimensions to each course. The omakase menu starts you off with a life-restoring clear chicken consomme, then takes you through rillettes on toast, a chawanmushi with sakura ebi and endo, a remarkably intense corn puree with dashi jelly, roasted vegetables and more. The grilled minced chicken donabe at the end of the meal is a highlight – it's served with your choice of egg yolk or ginger sauce. The leftover rice gets fashioned into onigiri for you to take home and enjoy. Opens May 7 at 83 Neil Road, Mondrian Singapore #01-05. SAPOTO This dramatically moody space at Amara Hotel offers a fun experience for those who like a smattering of theatrics to spice up their meal. Combining their powers are Chef Shyong, who has practised the art of yakitori for over 10 years; and kaiseki expert Desmond Fong, who has over 20 years of experience in Japanese fine dining. The omakase menus feeds you not just with confidently-executed skewers but also some showier techniques like covering uni truffle brioche in a puff of gold dust and using a piece of charcoal to sear scallops tableside. End the meal with hot Sapoto Ramen: Springy noodles in a simple but collagen-rich broth. The best part is probably its affordability: A lunch omakase menu is available from S$48 for 10 courses, while dinner menus start from S$98. 165 Tanjong Pagar Road, Amara Hotel #02-26. YAKITORI ONE If you should find yourself craving yakitori at a late hour, this is the answer. Yakitori One, open until 2am from Mondays to Saturdays, comes to us from Beijing, where it has multiple popular outlets. Offal lovers will be pleased by the menu, which includes more rarely found parts like knee cartilage wrapped in chicken skin, chicken trachea and chicken aorta. A surprising hit is the Mentaiko Zucchini skewer, which looks like a giant lollipop – you'll rarely eat your vegetables with more delight. Keeping it interesting are menu items like chicken liver mousse with brown sugar toast; chutoro with grated foie gras and uni; and snow crab with caviar and yuzu jelly. End off with a nodoguro and sakura ebi don or abura soba (dry ramen). If you don't want to make your own decisions, a S$158++ per person dinner-only omakase menu is available.
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Winner winner chicken dinner: Where to get yakitori omakase
Yakitori is going upscale, with three more restaurants offering multi-course, omakase meals. PHOTOS: FIREBIRD BY SUETOMI, TORIKAMI, SAPOTO SINGAPORE – If your experience with yakitori – grilled chicken on sticks – has been at raucous izakaya or standing in line for takeaway rice and skewers at the Tori-Q chain, some chefs and restaurant owners want to change your mind. A new crop of yakitori restaurants serve only omakase-style meals, joining the likes of Shin Terroir in Tras Street, Torisei at Frasers Tower and Kai Yakitori at Orchard Plaza. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
