Bonobo

The concept is part dining room, part bar, part prelude to a night of revelry at Monkey Champagne (conveniently under the same ownership and ‘hidden’ at the back of the space). Diners enter through a red neon-lit tunnel and emerge into a space that is the complete antithesis of the staid American diner that preceded it (despite remaining under the same ownership). There’s more neon inside, with playful design touches from street artist/designer The Orange Blowfish dotted around the walls. There’s a fun soundtrack that incorporates everything from Shaggy to Hot Chocolate. And the menus are sheets of paper for you to scribble on with pencils.

Friendly staff are on hand to guide you through former Sir Elly’s Chef Kisun Lee’s checklist of skewers, noodles and buns, raw food, salads, bigger bites and small bites. Highlights from the skewers include the 12-hour Wagyu Brisket (22RMB) and the Ox Tongue (12RMB). The former is tender and juicy with a perfectly charred exterior, while the latter is served with two thin slices of tongue meat, which are flavoursome without being tough.

The Asian Slaw salad (48RMB), a mix of red and white cabbage, crispy ramen and a tangy kimchi dressing, stands up wonderfully well on its own or as an accompaniment to the skewers, perfectly balancing flavours and textures. Served in pairs, the Asian Slaw Buns (42RMB) satisfy any bao-cravings, with slices of soft, fatty pork accompanied by more slaw and encased in a slightly sticky bun.

Featured on the small bites menu, the plentiful serving of bite-sized Chicken Balls (42RMB) is a hit. The spheres of meat are covered in an addictive mild chili sauce and sprinkled with crushed peanuts for extra texture – it’s the type of dish we’d happily order again and again. We could say the same about the Devilled Eggs (38RMB), too. Topped with salty crispy chicken skin and laced with a burst of kimchi hidden within, the trio of eggs is another delight.

From the bigger bites section of the menu, The Whole Fried Snapper (188RMB) is served distinctively-not-whole, but rather filleted, sliced and fried. It is nevertheless delicate and succulent, and arrives heaped alongside a contrastingly light side of micro greens and charred lemon. Which brings us to our next point: the food at Bonobo is surprisingly wholesome. While it may be easy to plough a deep-fried-only furrow through Lee’s menu, there are plenty of greens adorning the meat dishes, salads and small bites. And these aren’t merely a decorative afterthought; they’re delicious, substantial elements, as dishes such as the Brussels Sprouts (35RMB) show, where the veg is really allowed to shine, dressed simply in an XO sauce.

Given the large bar inside Bonobo, it would be a shame to leave without sampling their drinks. From the cocktail menu, The Purgatory (75RMB) is the perfect pre-dinner offering, combining rye whisky, Chartreuse and Benedictine for a smooth sip balancing sweetness with herbal undertones. The U&Me (46RMB) is a great value punch mixing plum wine, scotch and soda. It’s a touch sweet thanks to the Umeshu, but not overly so, making it a drink you could potentially stick with during dinner. Sadly the same can’t be said for the Taiwanese Sangria (128RMB/large), which tastes more like fruit syrup than a refreshing Spanish-inspired drink.

Overall, Bonobo is doing many things right, including cheap cocktails and great small bites. The food here provides a unique and exciting spin on Asian night-market inspired fare, and with summer on the way, we can only see this place becoming more popular as they open up the street-front doors and let the warm evening air in.