Mikawa Yakitori Bar

More than 100 skewers on the menu. The sensible order and the fun order are different lists.

Mikawa is Siglap's answer to an izakaya, and it is worth booking for a small group of friends who like to share, drink and order in rounds. More than 100 kushiyaki skewers come off the charcoal for as long as you keep asking, and sashimi, sushi and ramen fill in the gaps. The compromise is that it is a drinking night first: a grown-up dinner rather than a family one, and a table you should book ahead at weekends.

The reason to come is range. Bonjiri (chicken tail), hatsu (chicken heart), buta bara (pork belly with onion), hotate bacon maki (scallop wrapped in bacon), gindara (cod), grilled Japanese sweet potato, chicken gizzard, soft bone, mackerel and bacon-wrapped enoki are all on the list. A sensible order covers chicken, pork, seafood and veg. A braver one goes through the offal section: start with bonjiri and hatsu, and let the table settle the argument about whether chicken heart is underrated.

Off the skewer, the beef tongue steak is our pick, and the signature Whisky Yaki Somen is the dish to finish on: somen in a deep broth with whisky in it, which is the closest the menu gets to a nightcap.

Kushiyaki simply means grilled skewers, and the trick is pacing. Order a few at a time rather than half the list at once, so everything reaches the table hot off the charcoal instead of cooling in a pile. Start with a mixed platter to find your favourites, then go back in for second rounds of whatever won. Grilled Japanese sweet potato and bacon-wrapped enoki are the easy way to put a vegetable on the table without anyone feeling cheated. Beer, sake or a highball is the right drink here; something cold and fizzy does more against the char than a glass of red would.

There is a lunch service too, but Mikawa makes most sense in the evening, over drinks, when nobody has to get back to the office. Weekend nights are the ones to book; a weeknight gives you a better chance of walking in. Finish with the somen if you have room, and a stroll along Upper East Coast Road if you don't.

Good to know Book ahead for weekend evenings. Lunch and dinner are separate sittings; check the hours box and confirm the address before you go.

Mikawa Yakitori Bar | 81 Upper East Coast Road, Singapore 455220