Good Eats

Bincho Boss @ Melbourne

Long week in Melbourne and finally and evening to ourselves without any customers. So we went to have a “simple” dinner and drinks just among colleagues. And like the Japanese, we opted to go to an Izakaya.

Bincho Boss is an Izakaya that serves yakitori grilled over binchotan, the quintessential fuel that gives out a consistent heat for that perfect grill.

Here’s tonight’s menu:

  1. Chef’s selection of assorted sashimi
  2. Wagyu nigiri, truffle soy, parmesan
  3. Charcoal grilled broccolini, mixed mushrooms, garlic soy, parmesan
  4. Octopus karaage, kewpie
  5. Steamed saké clams, yuzu pepper butter, sweet onions
  6. Charcoal grilled corn ribs, butter teriyaki, parmesan
  7. Miso koji chicken, yuzu pepper
  8. Assorted skewers platter

Chef’s selection of assorted sashimi

Chef’s selection of assorted sashimi

The selection included salmon, yellowtail, sea bass and scallops served at room temperature. Not top notch, but about right for an izakaya. I was only disappointed by the variety.

Wagyu nigiri, truffle soy, parmesan

Wagyu nigiri, truffle soy, parmesan

Thinly sliced wagyu sirloin wrapped over sushi rice, smothered with truffle-infused soy sauce and torched to give that distinctive Maillard taste of burnt protein and topped with shaved parmesan cheese, this innovative sushi was delicious.

Charcoal grilled broccolini, mixed mushrooms, garlic soy, parmesan

Charcoal grilled broccolini, mixed mushrooms, garlic soy, parmesan

The grilled broccolini used a sauce and topping similar to the sushi. I liked the bus of mushrooms scattered around for a difference in texture and taste.

Octopus karaage, kewpie

Octopus karaage, kewpie

Instead of chicken karaage, we opted for the octopus version. Regrets. Octopus was very chewy.

Steamed saké clams, yuzu pepper butter, sweet onions

Steamed saké clams, yuzu pepper butter, sweet onions

I liked the refreshing yuzu taste. The venus clams were slightly overcooked. Still a good dish but it became cold very quickly so it went flat.

Charcoal grilled corn ribs, butter teriyaki, parmesan

Charcoal grilled corn ribs, butter teriyaki, parmesan

Much of the menu is cooked on an earthen konro grill, sustained by binchō-tan. Loved the way they have prepared the corn which has inspired the way I prepare corn in my family BBQ.

Miso koji chicken, yuzu pepper

Miso koji chicken, yuzu pepper

If there’s one dish that I did not enjoy tonight, it was this grill chicken that had been marinated with miso koji. A bit too dry.

Assorted skewers platter

Assorted skewers platter

Chicken thigh, pork belly and chicken gizzard. All drenched with tare.

All washed down with miso soup with bits of bean curd.

The drinks list has been topped up with more than just the usual beers and sakes. The downstairs bar will sling Japanese-inspired cocktails, from a mandarin sakégroni to a matcha highball and a yuzu-infused Oriental sour. This is a drinking place rather than a yakitori.

Bincho Boss
385 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Tel : +61 (03) 9670 7945

Visited Jan 2023

#BinchoBoss #melbourne #littlebourkestreet @binchoboss

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