Nestled in Suntec City Mall, popular Beijing yakitori specialist Yakitori ONE 鳥萬 has debuted its first overseas restaurant in Singapore. It serves up an extraordinary dining experience, spotlighting every part of the chicken possible, from head to tail – including rare and unique cuts such as the giblets, neck meat, heart aorta, trachea, boneless wing tip and more –prepared with skillful temperature control of the grill.
Expect night owls to flock to this new yakitori joint, where they can enjoy the grilled skewers till 2am. The mastery also extends to an omakase menu ($158 per person), available for dinner only.
Broadening its Reach in Beijing & Singapore
Born in Beijing as Yakitori ONE 鳥萬 in 2020, the yakitori concept’s name symbolises the concept of creation: starting from nothing and growing from one to infinity. This stems from the ONE in its name, which sounds like 萬 (“wan”) in Mandarin, a counter for ten thousand. Since then, Yakitori ONE has grown from strength to strength, expanding to 5 restaurants in China, with 4 intimate spaces located in Beijing. These offer diners distinct experiences: Omakase, a flagship izakaya, yakitori, and family dining.
But at its core is an emphasis on yakitori – from serving all parts of the chicken possible from head to tail, including the unique parts, to harnessing the properties of prized binchotan (Japanese charcoal). This the chefs do by combining traditional Edo-style techniques with modern dry ageing methods, enhanced by their proprietary temperature control approach.
The result? Yakitori ONE is able to draw out the intrinsic flavours of every skewer served. The exceptional qualities of binchotan — renowned for its superior adsorption capacity, minimal hydrogen and sulphur content — provides a unique smoky essence which serves as a distinctive “seasoning,” unlocking the natural flavours of each ingredient. This seemingly simple and “primitive” method of charcoal grilling not only elevates the dishes but also crafts a pure, atmospheric dining experience, radiating the warmth and allure of live fire.
Yakitori ONE: A Combination of Yakitori & Omakase
Yakitori ONE combines two distinct experiences: Yakitori and Omakase. Diners can enjoy the binchotan-perfumed skewers with different marination to bring out the best flavours of each skewer.
These include salt or sauce, each with their merits. For the majority of the yakitori, salt is used to bring out the natural flavours of the juicy chicken and its fragrant fat, enhanced by Yakitori ONE’s house-roasted fine-grained sea salt blend. These specially harvested crystals have just the right mineral and umami notes, for superb skewers every time. The special house-made soy sauce is another winner, made from simmering fresh fruits, vegetables and chicken stock at a low temperature until reduced into a rich and tantalising concentrate, to create progressive layers of flavour with every bite. The skewers are all lightly seasoned to bring out the flavours of the chicken that slowly develop while they are grilled on the charcoal fire – it is this finishing kiss of the flame and binchotan that elevates Yakitori ONE’s yakitori offerings.
There is also an emphasis on using premium ingredients imported from the best regions around the world, such as Italian cheese, Japanese seafood and fruits, as well as Spanish Carabinero prawns. The restaurant serves only the best for patrons at Yakitori ONE, while ensuring they can enjoy these top quality items at value-for-money prices.
The space at Suntec is one that includes both indoor and outdoor seating. Open till 2am, it is the perfect hangout spot to unwind after a tiring work day. To enhance the chill and convivial ambience, diners can also enjoy 10% off yakitori with any alcoholic drink order.
Yakitori ONE’s omakase is priced at $158 per person, with premium imported ingredients from all over the world such as caviar, foie gras, sea urchin, snow crab, and ise ebi or Japanese spiny lobster, prepared in surprising ways. These carefully sourced international ingredients hail from their best regions globally, and also include Italian cheese, Japanese seafood and fruits, as well as Spanish Carabinero prawn. Omakase dishes are also available as a la carte orders upon request.
Even if you’re not a drinker, order a drink or two as they pair extremely well with the food at Yakitori ONE. They are also affordably priced. One recommendation from the extensive alcohol list is of course Yakitori ONE’s Signature YakiONE Highball, made with hawthorn fermented for more than 48 hours. The drink is sweet, tangy and an excellent palate cleanser. Other creative tipples include cocktails Yuzu Breeze, refreshing and zesty, as well as Plum Crimson.
