Weets Eats: Flock to Birders for sake and skewers
There is now yet another place to have a sake and bite.
Modern yakitori restaurant Birders, opened by actor Adam Chen, has cred too.
Chen got chef Makoto Deguchi, from one Michelin-starred Sola in Paris, to work on the menu. Instead of the usual shio or tare for seasoning, Chef Deguchi used a variety of toppings on top of the chicken.
Another draw is the sake, flown here directly from Tokyo.
Birders also serve 180ml cup sake, which is great when you want to try a variety.
This cannot be called a yakitori place if there are no skewers and Birders has some very good ones. My favourite is the heart ($4) with minced ginger to cut the richness and to add a touch of heat.
Also worth trying is the thigh ($3.50). The shiso pesto adds a layer of flavour .
The breast ($3.50) and liver ($4) are good enough, but not particularly memorable.
Chicken wings and alcohol are a tried-and-tested combination, but the Birders Wings ($10) is great on its own.
It looks like yet another innocuous bowl of wings, but one sniff of it though will confirm that there is more than meets the eye.
It is coated in black vinegar and sake, which gives it a sharp aroma, but it's sweet and full of character. I'm obsessed.
Also addictive is the unforgettable Liver Mousse ($16) made with bourbon and served under a blanket of seaweed, eaten with a yuzu marmalade and mantou (steamed bun).
The mousse is creamy but not cloying, the yuzu marmalade gives it kick, and the seaweed provides the salty notes.
Eat it all at once, on top of the crispy mantou.
Chicken oysters are the two small pieces of dark meat on either side of a chicken's backbone.
It's a prized cut of meat.
Here, the oyster ($4.50) is treated very simply - grilled, and served with lemon and salt. The meat is fragrant and great to chew on.
WHAT Birders
WHERE 55 Tras Street
OPENING HOURS Opens Monday to Thursday (6pm to midnight), Friday and Saturday (6pm to 1am)
TEL 8748-4585
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