The friend was craving for yakitori so after searching for abit, we decided to check out Torikami. She told me the earliest reservation she could get was 8pm but we decided to try our luck to be earlier cos the friend was very hungry. And surprisingly we managed to get seated earlier since the restaurant wasn’t very crowded

We were very excited to get our meal started

The restaurant started from Tokyo and has outpost in Fukuoka and Singapore. Priced at $228++, it is a 11-skewer yakitori omakase in Singapore

We were given some complimentary sake to start. I didn’t quite like it cos it had a bitter aftertaste

Torikawa in Ponzu Sauce

The ponzu sauce was really appetising. The tangy taste goes really well with the soft chicken skin. I liked how it didn’t quite taste like chicken skin but it has a more jellyfish-like texture but yet you can taste the fragrance towards the end. Also finishing up with the Sansho leaf for a soft peppery kick to finish up your first appetiser

Chicken Broth

Signature chicken broth, cooked more than 8 hours. Served warm to get your stomach warmed up as well, I thought the flavour of this will probably be more fitting as a finishing meal cos the broth was more rich and savoury in nature

Charcoal-grilled Chicken w Echire Butter

They told us this was part of the chicken knee. We were surprised there was such a cut. We loved the buttery flavour on top, mixed with the fragrance of the charcoal grill. It was a good first bite as you look forward to what the meal will bring

Kashiwa

Thigh was good. It’s tender enough yet you can taste the char and crispiness of the skin. Personally, goes very well with Sansho pepper

Sunagimo

The gizzard has a very nice bouncy yet crunchy texture. Goes well with the Sansho pepper

Seseri

The chicken neck was amazing. Meat was super tender and I liked how the dish was enhanced even better with a touch of wasabi

Shiso Pepper with Katsuo

The friend didn’t like broccoli so our vegetable was replaced with shiso pepper instead. The peppers were very juicy. You could taste the char on it but I removed most of the Katsuo flakes cos I felt it was a little too salty

Charcoal-grilled Tofu

The tofu has quite an amazing texture. The skin was crisp and thin and there was slight crackling sound when you bite into it yet the tofu itself was really soft. I thought the overall flavour goes nicely with the greens so you get the freshness of the vegetables with the natural sweetness of the tofu

Housemade Siew Mai with Minced Chicken

Siew mai was really not bad. It was moist enough and there was the sweetness of the minced meat. They had chose the skin very aptly such that the skin did not overpower the texture of the meat

Bonjiri

Done very well. I liked that you get to enjoy the different layers from the skin to the fats to the the meat at the end

Shitake

An overly juicy mushroom. lol

Tsukune

The Tsukune has a nice bouncy texture. Moist enough, sweet enough and I liked that you can taste bits of onions inside

Tebasaki

The grilled chicken wings were less salty in general but still good enough. Skin was very crispy and meat itself was juicy. I thought it had a very good balance though personally I would prefer it a touch more salty

Donabe w Charcoal Minced Chicken

They literally put the charcoal on the chicken

Served w Ume Koshi & Yuzu Daikon

I never had such delicious donabe from a yakitori place. The minced chicken in the donabe was really moist and you could taste the fragrance of it so much that the chef asked if we wanted another bowl, we didn’t hesitate. lol

Then they served us ochazuke style. You thought the original donabe was good but this ochazuke style was even better. Broth was different here cos they served it with chicken stock + dashi so you get a very flavourful broth. This bowl was so comforting that it reminded me of teochew porridge and I could have another bowl of it. Works well for people who had a drink too much too. You know they really did a good job with the donabe when you didn’t need to eat the Ume and the daikon. lol

Cream Cheese Pudding w Brown Sugar, Hojicha

The brown sugar was so fragrant. I can’t really taste the heaviness of the cream cheese but I thought the pairing worked well and it’s a good, balanced dessert. The sweetness of the dessert also goes well with the hojicha such that you can taste the flavour of the roasted tea which I thought it was a very smart pairing

I really enjoyed my meal at Torikami. I thought every skewer had its own surprise, yet standard consistent which makes you look forward to what next dish will bring. And you know it’s a good meal when you looked at the photos and you could recall oh, this was very good. Though price-point is slightly on the higher side but if would like to try some good quality yakitori, Torikami could be one to visit

Torikami Singapore

 34/35 Duxton Rd, Singapore 089498