Hot off the grunge grill

NEW RESTAURANT

Bincho at Hua Bee

78 Moh Guan Terrace #01-19

Tel: 6438-4567

Open for dinner Tues to Sun: 6pm to 12am; Lunch on Sat and Sun:12pm to 3pm

WE all know about the Emperor's new clothes. Where a vain royal dude struts out in a fine suit only visible to those of certain standing and sophistication, until a kid blurts out that the king is actually stark naked. In the local F&B context, Loh Lik Peng has become entrenched in his role as the king of cool - albeit not by vanity but by a genuine talent and sharp eye - to the point that he could conceivably cordon off a section of a public carpark, sell satay and it would be hailed as the trendiest dining concept of the year.

To his credit, Loh heeded the refrain of nostalgia buffs when he promised not to turn the old Hua Bee mee pok coffee shop in Tiong Bahru into yet another white-washed, designer entity in the fast-gentrifying neighbourhood. So in the daytime, Hua Bee remains - until the sun sets, a partition at the back opens and Bincho emerges as a trippy yakitori bar that serves grilled meats and Nippon-inspired cocktails in a narrow space that merges grime and hipster…