Night Owls on Deepavali Eve | JiBiru Craft Bar Beer and Yakitori

21st October 2014.

It was a long day. Although it is nothing compared to what my mum goes through everyday…a morning critique that last till 8.30 pm at night can be quite taxing as well.

It was kind of impromptu when my JC classmate decided to jio (invite) me for a meet up with other JC classmates for a gathering. After some commuting, I ended up at JiBiru, located at Somerset 313 which specializes in “craft beer” and kushiyaki (the formal term for grilled skewers of meat which includes yakitori: grilled chicken skewers). JiBiru opened around 2011 and modelled itself after the kushiyaki restaurants and even importing the kushiyaki sauces found in Higashi-Matsuyama in Saitama Prefecture within the Kanto region of Japan.

Prices for two sticks of yakitori averages around 5-8 dollars but they also have kushiyaki sets such as a yakitori set with a sampler of most of the chicken meat skewers at 19.90++ SGD. It is not cheap but having tried their yakitori items such as the Negima Yakitori (Chicken and Scallion Skewers), I thought it was pretty good, the chicken meat was juicy and springy with a smoky, burnt ends, finished with a sweet soy glaze. Ask me whether I would go back again for these however, my answer is most likely not.

I also had the Takoyaki but this paled in comparison to the Negima Yakitori, there is too much batter, the filling was modest and it could help with a bit more sauce. Despite so, it was a disappointment that I had foreseen, as JiBiru’s speciality is clearly craft beers and kushiyaki. I didn’t have any drinks but their list is pretty comprehensive.

 Still, I had a great time at JiBiru with my friends that we seldom get to meet after we left JC. JiBiru has a nice environment for such gatherings over some drinks and kushiyaki as an endless stream of people flowed past JiBiru with an occasional curious venture into the bar by a couple of people looking for a nice place for a chat.

After some time, we bade farewell to some of our friends who went off first while we had coffee at Starbucks, deeply engrossed in catching up and discussions on art, design, school…Singapore till dawn. For that night, there was a sense of liberation...no curfews, work or decorum in conversations… It has been a long time when I had such a good chat. Thank you.

JiBiru Craft Beer Bar and Yakitori

313 Orchard Road

313@Somerset #01-26

Singapore, 238895