Have you ever tried mala yakitori? Probably not. Because CHIKIN is the first place in Singapore to serve up Szechuan-style yakitori!
Besides bar bites, CHIKIN has also curated an extensive selection of sake and created an exciting cocktail menu that will make you want to keep coming back until you’ve tried everything.
Pop art vibes
When you first step into CHIKIN, you’ll be greeted by neon signs and walls covered in pop icons, especially everyone’s favourite mouthless kitty. There’s even a wall covered with tuna cans.
Sit at the bar to soak in the bustling atmosphere of the open bar and kitchen, or head to the second floor for a more relaxed and quieter lounge area.
The third floor, vibing hard with the same pop art furnishings, opens up to a cosy attic that also comes with karaoke machine, so you can sing a few tunes with your friends. The room is open from 8pm onwards, although you need to make a reservation for it. The space can also be rented out for an intimate event.
Sticks and chikin parts
CHIKIN is not your typical yakitori joint. Instead of using the typical tare sauce to season their meats, they use a mala – a Szechuan peppercorn – sauce for a spicier kick.
Other kushiyaki like vegetables and other meats are also available. Must-tries include their Quail Egg, Iberico Pork Collar With Leek and Shiitake Mushrooms.
If you like various body parts, you can try the Beef Tongue or Foie Gras skewers.
The yakitori and kushiyaki sticks are all grilled over Binchotan flames to order, before being transferred onto a super cute plate designed to look like a square in a Japanese action comic.
Skewers are priced individually, starting from $3 a stick. Alternatively, grab a tasting platter at $30 for 10 sticks or 15 sticks for $40.
If you need your carbs, load up on their rice. Chikin makes a delicious Plentiful Ikura Garlic Rice and Unagi Garlic Fried Rice With Fish Roe to pair with your yakitori. The rice is seasoned with their homemade garlic and tare sauce, which means you cannot get the same taste anywhere else!
Other popular bar bites like Umami Fries, Chikin Karaage and even a Chikin Collagen Onsen Soup are also available.
Tip: Add some homemade miso into your food, which is mixed with their Szechuan peppercorns if you just cannot get enough of mala.
Cocktails for everyone
No matter how diverse your tastes are, we’re sure there is something for everyone on the cocktail menu.
The cocktails are created by Sam Wong, who has won various bartending awards in and around Singapore, and is quite well known in the bartending scene for his creative cocktails.
You might even have tasted his creations at Ah Sam Cold Drink Stall and Nutmeg and Clove. For CHIKIN, Wong recreated a range of classic cocktails with a twist, inspired by Japanese flavors.
A large part of the cocktail menu is made up of whisky and sake infusions, although there are also gin and cognac infusions. The cocktails are usually left aside for a few days to infuse with the alcohol, before they are served. The result is a more blended, smooth concoction.
Sweet-tooths will love the Sake Sangria, a fruity infusion of sake and gin. Those who do not like the taste of alcohol can give the Boba Kori a go, as it is similar to a bubble-tea-slash-slushie drink which masks the taste of gin (unfortunately, there isn’t actually boba inside).
Whisky fans are in for a treat, with an Oolong-inspired Oold Fashioned on the menu. The Sumoki Raisin is a smoky whisky and sherry infusion that leaves behind a strong aftertaste, and comes topped with raisins that were left to soak in the whisky infusion for three days – they are sure to pack a punch!
If the Sumoki Raisin doesn’t give you enough of a kick, then CHIKIN challenges you to the ultimate cocktail spice challenge – the Szechuan Bloody Mary.
The vodka cocktail is mixed with Szechuan peppercorn, tomato, chilli oil, and comes in 5 different spicy levels: Novice, Hungover, Expert, Hao Lian, and WTF.
How daredevil are you?
CHIKIN
Address: 6 Bukit Pasoh Rd, Singapore 089820
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 5pm – 12am; Sat: 6pm – 12am
Contact no.: 6634 2916
Website
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