Toriyard @ Bishan

I love yakitori, and when I saw the place as I was going to another eatery in Bishan Park, I made a mental note to come another day.

Bishan Park is a fantastic dining destination because of the huge carpark. However it can get very crowded (pre-Covid) on the weekends, so the parking spilled over to the nearby HDB carparks. However the park acts as the filter between the Sin Ming crematory and the rest of the areas, so if you don’t mind, it quite a nice park to exercise too.

Toriyard is a Washoku/Yakitori place that is a popular hangout for late night owls, again because of the ample parking.

Walk-up the short flight of stairs and you will see the restaurant hidden among the frangipani trees.

Maybe it’s Covid, maybe it’s a weekday, the lunchtime crowd is quite bare.But you can imagine the izakaya atmosphere as it transforms in the evening, when the full yakitori menu is available and alcohol aplenty.

Yes, during lunchtime the a la carte menu is not available, so pretty much you only have set menus to choose from. These are typical Washoku with a tsukemono, a miso shiru, and a main dish with rice. There are about 8 items to choose from, ranging from tempura to beef teriyaki, and if you insist on yakitori, there’s an assorted yakitori set available, but not the whole works.

Besides the teishoku, the only items available are the appetisers and starters. I loved shishamo (capelin fish) and I never have the chance to order them because Princess didn’t like them, so I could not resist. Turned out my lunch partner did not like them too because of the bones. I would love them to be slightly more burnt.

We shared a bara kaisen (cubed seafood) salad which turned out to be very good – a good preview for what to expect in the evenings. The salmon, tuna and swordfish cubes were fresh and the right size. You do not want them too big that you need to finish it in two bites, and too small that you don’t feel the fish in your mouth. Very nice portion size too.

And when you are done with the set lunch, you are served the complimentary dessert that comes with the set. In today’s case it is a single scoop of matcha ice cream. I am not a big fan of matcha ice cream but this one was so creamy and not so sweet, I finished the whole thing. Or it could be the ageing thing, as one gets older, one’s sweet tooth tendency becomes more apparent.

I ordered a takeaway yakitori teishoku that came with the whole works. The assorted grilled items included a yakiton (pork belly), yakitori shio, quail egg with bacon and a shiitake. Instead of the ice cream, it came with two cute, little mochi made to look like little tangerines.

I am sure as the evening comes, the place would be lively and whiffs of BBQ will fill the shop. If the weather permits, sit outdoor next to the pond. But do look out for the mozzies. It is a park after all.

ToriYard 鳥舍
1380 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, Bishan Park 2, Singapore 569930
Tel : +65 9296 5988

Date Visited : Sep 2020